In traditional classroom teaching after the presentation of the content it is recommendable to set some time apart for some kind of revision and repetition . Certain tasks and exercises can be done in classroom instruction , and others can be given as homework . Distance education follows that principle, with the difference that online education usually shows greater need for application of tasks and exercises than traditional teaching, because of the lower level of live interaction , as well as the exchange of verbal and non-verbal types of communication with the instructor.
Tests and quizzes
A test or a quiz is the simplest form of repetition and revision because most LMSs enable simple creation of a collection of questions and answers, putting together tests or quizzes, filling in tests or quizzes, as well as the analysis of the results.
Types of questions in tests and quizzes
An important element of successful application of a test or a quiz is the right choice of questions types and their layout in such a way to achieve gradual transition from the easier to the harder questions, as well as from simple to more complex types of examination.
The simplest questions are questions with two possible answers (such as true/false, yes/no etc.). The next related type are binary questions (e.g. blue/green ). In both cases there is a 50% chance of guessing the answer, which is why this type of questions is used only for the initial knowledge assessment and revision.
A very common type are questions (with three or more provided answers) , where only one answer is correct. In this type of questions a greater number of offered answers diminishes the probability that the answers will be guessed. However, there should not be too many provided answers, so that the participant does not waste too much time reading them. A very similar type of questions are multiple choice questions where more than one of the provided answers can be correct.
All previous types of questions with provided answers are simple for automatic/computer assessment and most LMSs support them.
Questions requiring a descriptive answer (e.g. writing the answer, filling in the gaps, essay etc.) are used less frequently because they are not very suitable for automatic/computer assessment of the answers, unless the answers are relatively simple and usually consist of filling in the gaps from the list of a smaller number of possible words, listing notions etc . In most cases the evaluation of the descriptive answers requires the activity of the lecturer/instructor.
Some of the following types of questions are rarely supported by LMSs since the structure of the questions and answers is more complex, and so is the way the correct answers are selected:
- Matching notions/images or definitions/descriptions. With this type of questions the number of elements on the list of notions usually does not match the number of elements on the list of definitions , which makes the guessing or the possibility to find the right answers through the process of elimination harder.
- Visual recognition of certain elements within the picture/drawing/photograph etc. For this purpose questions in which the image is divided into segments representing geometrical shapes (square, circle, polygon) are used; the participant has to select an answer by clicking within one of the offered shapes.
- "Drag-and-drop" questions. These questions are quite rare due to a complex procedure of handling the answers. In this type of questions the participants are required to move the icon to a certain location on the screen. This type of questions tests the ability to match elements with a certain category or arrange parts of a system into a whole (e.g. puzzles).
- Filing in the gaps in the text/program. The participant is required to fill in a part of the text that is missing; there are other similar gap-filling activities in which the participants have to select one of the options from the drop-down menu.
Application of Tests
When composing tests it is desirable to combine several types of questions as that provides a more comprehensive and efficient assessment of the knowledge and skills of the participants. Staying limited to only one or two types of questions is not the best option since it causes the monotony in participants .
The decision about how the questions will be displayed should also be made, since many LMSs provide the teachers with the choice between (a) displaying all the questions at once (b) displaying a selected number of questions per page, or (c) displaying one question per page.
Sometimes there is a possibility to specify the strict order of questions which does not allow the participant to return to the previous question . The time planned for the test should be adapted to the number and type of questions, the way they are displayed on pages etc.
The most efficient application of self-test is achieved after the presentation of certain content , or, in the case of distance learning, after the participants have covered a part of the content (unit) on their own . That is the way for the participants to check how well they understood the materials or how much of the content they memorized . It is important that the participants get feedback about whether their answers were correct or incorrect from the LMS, so they can come back to a specific test which they did not pass.
Apart from very useful self-tests after every unit, it is desirable to prepare a test which will check the knowledge after a bigger content unit (e.g. chapter). Such test will check participants’ long-term memory of the taught content.
Web technology and LMSs enable simple and fast content search. That is why we should take into account that the participants that are more apt at using such technology will try to use such possibilities and “practice” their skills of the fast web searcher rather than checking and strengthening their memory and understanding of the content.
LMSs and independent testing software typically enable the selected self-test to be solved several times . The usefulness of this option is increased when the participant who does not solve the minimum required number of correct answers on the test does some additional study of the subject, and takes another self-test after that. However, there is also the possibility of inappropriate use of such tests when the participants repeatedly solve the test with the goal to guess the answers through the process of elimination of wrong answers.
Before solving the test the participants need to be informed how to do it, the time the have at their disposal, the number of times they are allowed to take the test etc. The participants start solving the test only after they are familiar with these elements.
Projects
Using self-tests is only one (although the most common) revision method, whose application is limited to reproductive knowledge and concluding. There are many areas where practical work with the goal to solve a certain problem or to develop a project is expected. The result of this work can be an essay, presentation, statistical analysis of the gathered data, drawing, picture, animation, software etc which can be attached in a digital format.
A project can be particularly useful when it is given to a group of participants, i.e. a project team . The ability to work in a team is becoming an increasingly important characteristic on the job market, which is why the participants should spend part of their time working in a team thus acquiring the necessary communication, leadership and other skills.
For most courses/subjects it is desirable to plan at least one individual project and one team project activity. When planning a project the difficulty of the task should be adapted to the number of the project team members .
Assembling project teams is a particular problem in the case of distance education. The simplest solution in most cases is to have the lecturer/instructor specify the number of team members as well as to select who they are, whereby the participants are grouped into teams sequentially (by the number of application, alphabetically etc.) or randomly (manually or with the help of software). A more complex method can also be applied, that of grouping algorithms based on surveys of participants and data such as specific skills of the participants, planning the required roles in the team, gathering proposals of other potential team members, and on other similar data.
In order to develop an individual project it is desirable to prepare certain communication forms, out of which public discussion forums are the most suitable, where the ambiguity and problems the participants face while doing the project can be discussed. Development of a team project requires the preparation of additional communication forms such as private team forums, private chat rooms etc.
LMSs often support project work (both individual and team). Such systems provide the participants (team members) with the possibility to upload the prepared project digitally for their teacher to see, to attach the description of the project, document the work that was done by individual team members etc. On the other hand, the lecturer/instructor should be allowed access to each solution, as well as to comment the participants’ projects etc.
Projects are much more demanding for the lecturer/instructor than tests. The main problem is the reading and evaluation of every project , which can take up a lot of lecturer’s/instructor’s time and effort. For example, if the project is about software development, it requires its installation, translation and use, and finally, adding comments about the project. The experience has shown that the participants usually expect prompt feedback after having handed in their projects, because they are used to fast exchange of messages when they are using the Internet. It is for that reason that the lecturer/instructor has to specify the deadline (time and date) when the participants will receive feedback about their projects. It is very important that the instructor observes the set deadlines, or the participants will develop a negative impression. The worst approach a lecturer/instructor can apply is to significantly pass the set deadline without having previously warned the participants of the change.
Tasks and exercises should serve as a means which the participants can use to independently check their knowledge and skills, as well as to develop team abilities . Most LMSs allow attaching one or more exercises/tasks to each lesson . Those are usually multiple choice questions where one or more correct answers should be selected.
It is important for the participants to be able to find out whether their answers were correct immediately after having taken a test or a quiz . It is for that reason that questions requiring a descriptive answer are usually inappropriate, because it is often impossible to provide feedback immediately after the test, as it requires the lecturer/instructor to grade it. Bad test results will inform the participant that they should spend some more time on the content which they did not pass the test on. All the participants should be informed if the grades in tasks and exercises influence the final grade.
Tips & tricks: Determine what assessment and revision methods are the most appropriate in respect to the competency and motivation of the participants, the type of content from a certain field of a course/subject, goals related to the desired level and ways of learning, as well as available technology for online revision, practicing of the acquired knowledge and knowledge assessment. After the use of the selected methods and technologies, evaluate their success in relation to the achieved educational results, as well as the activity and satisfaction of the participants. With regular analysis and innovation of the knowledge assessment and revision of the covered content you can significantly improve the level of participants’ knowledge and competencies acquired during distance education.
