Quizzes and Self-Assessments

What are Quizzes?

Quizzes are a tool which can be used within Brightspace in order to help evaluate your students’ learning progress. It enables you to create and manage points-measured assessments which can be used for formative and summative assessments but also on an ad hoc basis within regular teaching weeks.

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What are Self-Assessments?

Much like quizzes, self-assessments are also a tool which can be used within Brightspace to help progress your student’s learning. It is a formative assessment tool which provides students with questions that give immediate feedback. However self-assessments are not scored or the tutor has no feedback on who is taking the assessment or which questions the students are struggling with.

In many situations, the newer Creator+ practices could be a less formal and more engaging way to add self assessment questions within your content which can be answered.

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Benefits of Quizzes and Self-Assessments

Quizzes

  • Quiz questions can emulate a similar style to summative tests which can increase exam scores. (Collins, 2018; McDaniel, 2012).
  • Formative quizzes allow students to practice exam timings and question prioritisation (Panus et al., 2014).
  • Quizzes can help strengthen information retention and deeper learning (Michaels, 2017).
  • Quizzes can improve student engagement and attendance (Gokcora & DePaulo, 2018).
  • Quizzes can be used to provide follow-up or revisions material based on the score (Ross et al., 2018).
  • Quizzes can provide useful feedback to students to correct any misunderstandings (Enders et al., 2021; Stewart et al., 2014).
  • Quizzes can provide useful feedback to tutors on aspects of the topic students are struggling with (Stewart et al., 2014).
  • Quizzes can be used within a lecture to maintain engagement and assess knowledge (Evans et al., 2021; Hutain & Michinov, 2022).
  • Quizzes can help build confidence in students (Gokcora & DePaulo, 2018).

Self-Assessments

  • Self-Assessments help students to improve summative assessments (Cohen & Sasson, 2016; Firdaus & Winarto, 2021; Lull and Matthews, 2016; Panus et al., 2014).
  • Self-Assessments help build confidence in students to prepare them for the summative/graded assessments (Lamon et al., 2020; Lull and Matthews, 2016).
  • Self-Assessments can provide detailed feedback for students in order to improve understanding (Enders et al., 2021; Stewart et al., 2014).
  • Repeated use of Self-Assessments helps develop knowledge (Lee & Harris, 2018).
  • Self-Assessments act as a personal learning tool which is risk free as either tutors can’t see the scores or they do not count towards the grades (Thomas et al., 2017, Zhang & Henderson, 2015).
  • Self-Assessment tools encourage students to take personal responsibility for their learning. (Taylor, 2014)

What makes Quizzes and Self-Assessments different?

Quizzes and Self-Assessments have several similarities especially as they are both a form for testing students’ learning.

Read through the table below in order to identify which form of testing would be best to use for a specific context.

QuizzesSelf-Assessments
Answers can be seen by tutors.Answers cannot be seen by tutors.
Can be graded.Cannot be graded.
Automatic and manual marking depending on question type.Only automatic marking or display a model answer for students to compare their own to.
Can place a time limit.No time limit.
Report can be created for collated scores.No reports can be created.

References to Scholarly Articles

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Cohen, D., & Sasson, I. (2016). Online quizzes in a virtual learning environment as a tool for formative assessment. Journal of Technology and Science Education, 6(3), 188-208.

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Collins, D. P., Rasco, D., & Benassi, V. A. (2018). Test-enhanced learning: Does deeper processing on quizzes benefit exam performance? Teaching of Psychology, 45(3), 235-238.

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Enders, N., Gaschler, R., & Kubik, V. (2021). Online quizzes with closed questions in formal assessment: How elaborate feedback can promote learning. Psychology Learning and Teaching, 20(1), 91-106. 

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Evans, T., Kensington-Miller, B., & Novak, J. (2021). Effectiveness, efficiency, engagement: Mapping the impact of pre-lecture quizzes on educational exchange. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 37(1), 163-177. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.6258

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Firdaus, F., & Winarto, W. (2021). Student self-tests and interactive quizzes for improving psychiatry summative assessment achievement. Jurnal Pendidikan Kedokteran Indonesia (Online), 10(3), 227-234. https://doi.org/10.22146/jpki.61409

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Gokcora, D., & DePaulo, D. (2018). Frequent quizzes and student improvement of reading: A pilot study in a community college setting. SAGE Open, 8(2), 215824401878258. 

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Hutain, J., & Michinov, N. (2022). Improving student engagement during in-person classes by using functionalities of a digital learning environment. Computers and Education, 183, 104496. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104496

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Johnson, G. M. (2006). Optional online quizzes: College student use and relationship to achievement. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, 32(1), 105. https://doi.org/10.21432/T2J300

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Lamon, S., Knowles, O., Hendy, A., Story, I., & Currey, J. (2020). Active learning to improve student learning experiences in an online postgraduate course. Frontiers in Education (Lausanne), 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.598560

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Lee, E., & Harris, R. L. W. (2018). The effects of online glossary quizzes and student autonomy on domain vocabulary learning in business law. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 30(2), 326-343. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-018-9183-3

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Lull, M. E., & Mathews, J. L. (2016). Online self-testing resources prepared by peer tutors as a formative assessment tool in pharmacology courses. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 80(7), 124-124. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe807124

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Michaels, J. L. (2017). Quizzes benefit freshman and sophomore students more than junior and senior students in introductory psychology classes with noncumulative exams. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, 3(4), 272-283. https://doi.org/10.1037/stl0000098

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McDaniel, M. A., Wildman, K. M., & Anderson, J. L. (2012). Using quizzes to enhance summative-assessment performance in a web-based class: An experimental study. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 1(1), 18-26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jarmac.2011.10.001

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Panus, P. C., Stewart, D. W., Hagemeier, N. E., Thigpen, J. C., & Brooks, L. (2014). A subgroup analysis of the impact of self-testing frequency on examination scores in a pathophysiology course. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 78(9), 165-165. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe789165

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Ross, B., Chase, A., Robbie, D., Oates, G., & Absalom, Y. (2018). Adaptive quizzes to increase motivation, engagement and learning outcomes in a first year accounting unit. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 15(30), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-018-0113-2

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Stewart, D., Panus, P., Hagemeier, N., Thigpen, J., & Brooks, L. (2014). Pharmacy student self-testing as a predictor of examination performance. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 78(2), 1.

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Taylor, S. N. (2014). Student self-assessment and multisource feedback assessment: Exploring benefits, limitations, and remedies. Journal of Management Education, 38(3), 359-383. 

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Thomas, J. A., Wadsworth, D., Jin, Y., Clarke, J., Page, R., & Thunders, M. (2017). Engagement with online self-tests as a predictor of student success. Higher Education Research and Development, 36(5), 1061-1071. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2016.1263827

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Zhang, N., & Henderson, C. N. R. (2015). Can formative quizzes predict or improve summative exam performance? The Journal of Chiropractic Education, 29(1), 16-21. https://doi.org/10.7899/JCE-14-12