Innovative Applications of Black Box Testing: A New Strategy for Teaching Assessment in Higher Education

Grade inflation in traditional teacher-led evaluation methods in higher education undermines the accurate assessment of students’ abilities, hinders their subsequent learning and career development, and negatively affects institutions and society. To address this problem, this paper describes an innovative approach that applies the black box testing method, traditionally used in software testing, to the evaluation of college course grades. This method eliminates direct teacher involvement in course teaching and management; instructors design assessment questions solely based on the syllabus to evaluate students’ learning outcomes. Using the C language course offered during the spring semester of 2021-2022 for mechanical engineering students at the Beijing Institute of Printing as a case study, this research compares student performance under the black box test method with traditional instructor-designed assessments. Results reveal that students scored significantly lower under the black box testing approach, validating its potential to mitigate grade inflation. This study not only highlights a novel application of black box testing in education but also offers a more objective and equitable framework for evaluating academic performance, benefiting students, parents, educational institutions, and society.