Assessing prior knowledge - and how to level the field for the students

Abstract

The level of prior knowledge among the students makes it tricky for us teachers to know where to start, with the risk of some students dropping out due to insufficient prior knowledge. In this report we have made a literature study of what prior knowledge is, and how it can be assessed. The intention is to improve our own courses, Introduction to Chemical Engineering and various Electrical Measurement courses, respectively. The research in the field show that correct prior knowledge is essential for success in higher education, which may make assessment techniques useful at the early stages of the learning process to level the field for the students and not only as assessment at the end of each course.