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Text, Lecture and Quiz

Similarly, students were required to complete the quiz for a chapter by logging on to the web site after the last class related to that chapter. Students were free to take the quiz any time after the last class associated with a chapter but before classes began on the subsequent chapter. Typically this time window was 2 to 4 days.

Classes covered text content but also presented new, related material. The content for quizzes reflected both the text and class material. Text items were systematically selected from the computerized item test bank provided by the text book publisher. In addition, the instructor designed multiple choice and matching items that covered the new material for each chapter that was presented during classes.The proportion of items across all quizzes covering each type of material was approximately 2/3 to 3/4 text-focused questions with the remainder being items focused on class content.

The conditions for taking quizzes were quite distinct from those for the self-assessments. Quizzes had a time limit that was designed to be sufficiently restrictive to prevent the students' answering questions by looking up the material in the text. Students were only allowed one attempt for a quiz and had to complete it within the specified time limit. As with the self-assessments, students were given immediate, detailed feedback on correct and incorrect answers.

Quiz scores were included in the students' cumulative total scores for the class. In total, quiz scores had a sizable impact on student grades because the total possible points for all quizzes was 445 points compared to the possible 489 points for all three exams and the final exam (Figure 3). Before and after each class, Holt would access the quiz information database and check the results of the student's self-assessment tests and quizzes. He would use this data on the students' performance on the online assessment in 2 ways.

The New Cycle: Self-Assessment

The Application of Feedback Data