Frequent Quizzes
Very valuable lesson learned on giving quizzes frequently and at the beginning of class.
Ricky, glad you hear you find this information valuable. What actions do you plan to take within the next few days to make use of this new information? Having a plan of action is critical to getting the most out of your training. Please let me know if I can assist you in any way.
James Jackson
While i agree frequent quizzes can help assess student progress, I also find that the students' stress level increases. Many state that the "never-ending" quizzes makes for higher stress.
Rosa, the type of quiz and how they are presented can impact student perception. You can mask a quiz to emulate a game or course activity but still get the same end result as an assessment. What techniques do you use now to assist your students with test taking skills?
James Jackson
Although I do agree with frequent assessment, I have found it difficult to give it a little more variety, i.e.: emulating games or diverting students to do a different activity, etc. because some students does not feel like they are gaining anything when assessments are changed to something other than a quiz or an exam. Some even feel like playing a "game" is a complete waste of time.
Bernabe, different groups and institutions will have different levels of success so I cannot really give you any advice that would be specific to your situation. I can say that I have seen first hand how frequent assessments and various forms of their use have added greatly to positive outcomes in both student satisfaction and in achieving student learning outcomes. You may want to take it upon yourself to do some more research in this area and make some recommendations at your institution as to ways your school could impact learning outcomes through different approaches to the use of assessments.
James Jackson
I typically give weekly quizzes online. The students are to have read the material by Monday, so a quiz is given online on Monday morning. By the time I get to class I have their grades in hand and know what topics need to be covered more indepth and those that are already understood.
Cindy, sounds like you are using a form of hybrid learning where you use the best of Online and classroom. How well are your students adjusting to the use of Internet and traditional classroom sessions? Thanks for anything you can share.
James Jackson
Ricky,
I think I am on the fence on frequent quizzes. I agree that by giving frequent quizzes, one can get a better understanding of where the students maybe as a whole, but what about those students that are bad at taking test.
One out of two things happen, they either motivate themselves to do better, or they shut down and their stress level is raised. Next thing you know, they stop coming to class because they know that there will be a quiz. In this kind of scenario, what would you do?
-Gabriel
Here's an idea I use. May be good or bad depending on the class. I try to start each class with a quick 5 question quiz. No grade, just informational.
The 1st 2 questions are relatively easy. Something recently reviewed.This hopefully sets up a positive attitude towards the next 3 questions. The 3rd question is something current that should have been reviewed for that day and the last 2 are for what they will hopefully review by the end of the day,so they have some educational direction for what to expect during the day. With no grade, there is no stress, just positive feed back. (I hope). Good luck to all. I enjoyed reviewing this class.
Larry, quizzes without grades can be viewed as good and useful to students. The method of presentation is really critical as they can also perceive the exercise as a waste of their time if no points are available. Another technique is to make the quiz worth points students can use for future quizzes. If they receive a score of 15 out of 20 on a future quiz and want to use one of their earned points to improve the grade you can keep some form of account for them. Conducting quizzes over time that do not count against them but can be used to improve other grades can be seen as very beneficial to students and they tend to look forward to such opportunities.
James Jackson
I give quizzes after every two chapters. I teach medical billing and coding, so there is a lot of information, so I incorporate a lot of quizzes, on line and in class just to see how they are retaining. my students appreciate and encourage the quizzes, because they do know for one they can drop their lowest,but they are curious to know what they have retained as well. I will incorporate allowing them to assist with some questions for the final. i don't want to overwhelm my students, but I want to know they comprehend as well. I test them a lot so they will be prepared for certification, and getting over the scare of being timed. I also do timed test in the class and online with my students.Any suggestions?
Shiketheia, how do you make the timed activities fun? Students will be more engaged if they can also be entertained.
James Jackson
One way I get my freshmen students acclimated to reading their text is to give them weekly quizzes on the reading assignment. To make it not intimidating, I let the quizzes be open book. I found that they score about the same whether it is an open or closed book quiz.
My mission is to get them into the book and to absorb the material. It isn't as important to me if they do so at home or in class as long as they get it. Those that are going to read at home do so and do very well on the quizzes. Those that aren't may not do as well, but they know that they have a chance to get a good grade if they focus in the class time that they get to do their quiz.
I have found that while quizzes can be extremely effective, they sometimes create a sense of anxiety among students, especially those who typically don't study the materials, even after providing extensive coverage and reminders of the what materials will be covered on each quiz. I have made it a point to never quiz students on anything that we have not covered together in lecture, demo, and lab production. Each student is equipped with the tools and resources they need to pass a quiz, IF they accept their role in their own education and apply the skill sets and information effectively and frequently. I feel that frequent quizzes holds each student accountable for their part of their learning and reinforces material covered during class meetings.
Kym, have you considered other strategies to get students more involved with the course text such as scavenger hunts, case studies that use citations from the book, or other assignments where students use the book to discover facts and relevant information? Just some things to consider.
James Jackson
Darron, what steps do you take to determine the test taking skills of your students? The assumption that all forms of assessment are totally understood by all students is not accurate. Some students may know the material but not have the skills to demonstrate their knowledge on a quiz. Be sure to switch up your testing methods to provide students multiple options to demonstrate their knowledge. You may also want to discuss testing with those that do not perform well and make sure there are not other circumstances to their lack of performance.
James Jackson
Gabriel,
I have found that the students that are already motivated prepare for the "frequent" quizzes. The students that are tardy will attempt to come earlier, but they usually don't prepare or study for the quiz. Most students view the quizzes as another source of stress...not a help to improve grades. I have used a "quiz pass" in the past. I gave them out at the begining of the term (2nd or 3rd class session), and it helped boost morale a little.
I am excited to implement frequent quizzes to help motivate student with helping improve their grades.
Cassandra, what changes do you plan to make in how you deliver materials to make room for more assessments? Thanks for anything you can share.
James Jackson
