Using Concept Inventory for Assessing Conceptual Knowledge in the Signals and Systems Course

Abstract: The engineering schools usually target problem-solving skills in students instead of conceptual development, which is an essential skill for transformation from novice to professional engineer as per the program objective. Improving a student's conceptual knowledge can help students understand a problem better and develop a better solution. Conceptual understanding also assists students in identifying gaps in their problem-solving techniques. This paper attempts to administer a Signal and System Concept Inventory (SSCI) to test the conceptual knowledge of core concepts of signals and systems course and then identify the correlation of post-test scores with the student's performance in the end-term exam. The result shows that the students who scored above 80% in concept inventory also performed outstanding in the end-term examination. The result also indicates that most of the students able solve questions on background mathematics and polezero plots but struggled with convolution and Fourier analysis. Keywords: concept inventory, conceptual understanding, assessment, engineering education