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Evaluating the use of e-assessment in a first-year pure mathematics module

This article presents the findings of a case study which introduced online quizzes as a form of assessment in pure mathematics. Rather than being designed as an assessment of learning, these quizzes were designed to be an assessment for learning; they aimed to academically support students in their transition from A-Level mathematics to university-level pure mathematics by providing an extrinsic motivation to engage them with their learning material early on and to emphasise the small details within proofs, such as defining notation, which are not necessarily emphasised by written homework assignments. The results obtained during the two-year study using online quizzes show e-assessment to be a powerful complementary tool to traditional written homework assignments.