Assessing International Students - The Role of Cognitive Load.

Information Technology programs in Australian Universities have an increasing number of low-entry score and Non-Speaking English Background (NESB) students, which encourages educators to implement new strategies for these students to succeed. At a regional university, an undergraduate course on databases had previously been redeveloped using Cognitive Load theory (CLT). The redeveloped course had been delivered with a resulting increase in pass rates and student satisfaction. The next year, a new cohort of international students from China performed poorly in the final exam after successfully completing the relatively challenging assessments. The exam scripts and the exam paper were examined through the lens of CLT. A new analogous exam was written applying CLT principles and given to the same students. The students performed significantly better in the second exam. Guidelines for the design of exams for international students and other struggling students are discussed.