About online quizzes

What are they?

An online quiz is an objective assessment tool that uses a database of questions developed most commonly by the tutor, and marked by the computer. In Moodle you can create organized databases of question banks (known as quiz categories in Moodle). You can also download question banks from other published sources into Moodle, as long as they match any of the available import functions (this depends on the format in which the question banks are stored, and whether Moodle recognizes this format). There are many options for different question types, e.g. multiple-choice, true/false. Then when you are ready to create a quiz to use the questions you have created, you can determine question order, presentation and delivery details. The quiz tool allows you to carefully control how the quiz will run according to the context in which the quizzes are to be used. Explore your Moodle Toolkit for more details about the quiz tools.

Generally online questions come in one of three forms:

• Short-answer questions (fill in the blanks, match/label items, order text, enter text, enter numerical values)
• Multiple-choice questions
• True/False questions.

Moodle also allows you to include an image, audio or video as part of the question, or in the feedback provided. This offers many possibilities for providing an engaging learning and assessment experience.

Online quizzes can be used for diagnostic testing (to determine learners prior knowledge), self-assessment (to enable learners to check their own progress), formative assessment (through the provision of timely and relevant feedback) or summative assessment (to ascertain the extent of the learning that has taken place).

Why use them?

Online quizzes support and motivate the learner to take increasing responsibility for their own learning by:

• accommodating different learning styles
• providing immediate feedback
• drawing the learners attention to their mistakes
• identifying areas needing further review
• providing flexibility as to when they can complete the quiz
• allowing the learner to repeat the quiz when they are ready to do so
• being able to assess their own progress and adjust their learning goals accordingly
• decreasing the feeling of isolation, because the learner receives immediate feedback and isnt left wondering whether they understood something correctly.

From the tutors perspective online quizzes enable:

• automated, consistent marking of answers
• more accessible and much faster feedback to the learner
• detailed analysis of learner participation and achievement
• identification of problem areas in the learning programme
• identification of learners who may require greater assistance
• linking to relevant web pages as part of the questions or feedback.

How can we use them?

There are many different ways you can use online quizzes. As with any form of assessment, the decision about appropriate use depends on a number of factors, such as the purpose of the assessment, the nature of the subject matter, the learning outcomes, the learners, and organisational assessment policies.

It is just as imperative online as it is in a face-to-face learning situation that links between the assessment tasks, the learning outcomes, and the teaching and learning strategies being used are transparent to everyone involved in the learning experience.

Some suggested uses of online quizzes include (University of South Australia, n.d.b):

• testing understanding of core concepts
• testing the development of key skills
• providing gateways for learners as they progress through the content
• providing multiple opportunities for practice
• identifying areas of misunderstanding
• providing feedback on teaching strategies
• engaging learners with the content and maintaining their interest levels.

Tips for Success

Here are a few important ideas to consider when designing your online quizzes (Cole, 2005; University of South Australia, n.d.b)

• Connect each question to the learning outcomes.
• Endeavour to ask more than one question about each important idea/concept.
• Provide feedback on why an answer is wrong.
• The more subjective the answer to the question is, the more judgement needs to be exercised in deciding if the answer to the question is correct online quizzes marked by the computer will need to be objective. If you want to ask subjective questions, the learner can submit their response electronically, but the tutor will then have to mark it.
• Write questions that require the learner to think at different levels. Consider using combinations of recall questions, comprehension questions, and application and analysis questions. This will help the tutor to work out where the learners are having problems in their thinking.
• Test your questions. Reliability, validity, and fairness still apply in the online assessment context, no matter what tool you are using to create the assessment

Effective question design strategies

If you ask good questions youll get useful and meaningful information about what your learners have actually learned. Have you heard the saying: Garbage in, garbage out? This is definitely to be avoided.

Here are a few tips to help you (Cole, 2005; University of South Australia, n.d.b).

When writing short-answer questions:

• There are several types of short-answer question available: fill in the blanks; match/label items; order text; enter text; enter numerical values select your option carefully!
• Avoid lengthy questions, make them as simple and direct as possible.
• Make sure that there is a definite correct answer.
• Be precise.
• If you choose a fill in the gaps type question, make sure that there are not too many gaps.

When writing multiple-choice questions:

• Present a simple well-defined problem in the question.
• Ensure that the alternative answers all relate to the question in some way.
• Make sure that each wrong answer represents a common misconception. This will help to eliminate easy guessing.
• Include as much as possible of the item in the question, while at the same time making the question as brief as possible.
• Consider using graphics to illustrate the question.
• Alternative answers should all be grammatically consistent with the question.
• Avoid double negatives.
• Avoid mutually inclusive and mutually exclusive answers as much as possible.
• Vary the position of the correct answer (randomise).

When writing True/False Questions:

• Keep statements brief.
• Avoid partly true and partly false items.
• Avoid using two or more ideas in a question.
• Avoid words like all, always or never this tends to give away the fact that this is the wrong answer.
• Avoid broad general statements.
• Rephrase wording from textbooks when designing questions.

Issues to consider when using online quizzes (University of South Australia, n.d.b):

• There is a school of thought that believes extensive use of objective testing can result in shallow learning by learners because they could guess answers. Can you create deep learning experiences using this online assessment tool? How might you do this?
• The creation of question banks involves a fair amount of work by the tutor or subject matter expert.
• Security issues in particular authenticity issues. How do you know who is completing the assessment?
• Are your learners aware that they must have access to a computer and an Internet connection?
• Some learners may have outdated hard and software and slow Internet connections that impede their participation in the assessment task. Have you considered this? Is there anything you can do about this?