Can online quizzes foster student engagement?

Assessing large numbers of students is a challenging prospect for educators in terms of identifying suitable assessment methods to establish that students have achieved module learning outcomes. In view of this, a paper based... [ view full abstract ]

Assessing large numbers of students is a challenging prospect for educators in terms of identifying suitable assessment methods to establish that students have achieved module learning outcomes. In view of this, a paper based quiz was replaced with an online quiz to assess over 200 students. The main concerns with the paper based quiz were marking errors and delayed feedback. An online quiz was identified as appropriate because it would allow a more flexible, student-centred approach that would foster student engagement and learning. A bank of over 200 multiple choice, true/false, cloze and calculated questions that were aligned to the learning outcomes of the module was created. As each topic in the module was delivered, an online formative assessment quiz focussing on that subject was made available to the students. Formative assessment was not previously an option in this module. When students submitted their formative assessments they were automatically graded online and immediate feedback given. The summative assessment had questions that were randomly selected from those used in the formative assessments making it advantageous for students to engage with the formative assessments.

The online assessments offer many advantages and benefits. The automatic marking and availability of prompt feedback addresses the main issues identified with the paper-based assessment. This timely feedback can engage students and stimulate learning by allowing them to monitor their own progress and identify knowledge deficits. It can also empower them to become independent and self-regulated by taking responsibility for their own learning. In addition, the link between formative and summative assessment fosters student engagement.

This strategy to use online quizzes with structured questions for both formative and summative assessment is pedagogically sound and offers many benefits including increased reliability and accuracy in marking and timely feedback that stimulates learning and student engagement.