Daily Review Quizzes: A Hindrance or a Help?

James E. Bluman; Kathryn Purchase; Christopher Thomas Duling

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Conference: 2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Vancouver, BC
Publication Date: June 26, 2011
Start Date: June 26, 2011
End Date: June 29, 2011
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: Assessing Student Learning
Tagged Division: Educational Research and Methods
Page Count: 16
Page Numbers: 22.415.1 - 22.415.16
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--17696
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/17696
Download Count: 454

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Paper Authors

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James E. Bluman U.S. Military Academy orcid.org/0000-0002-8551-2958

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Major James Bluman is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He has served the United States Army for the last 12 years as an officer and Army Aviator. He is a graduate of West Point (B.S. in Mechanical Engineering) and The Pennsylvania State University (M.S. in Aerospace Engineering). Major Bluman’s research interests are in swashplateless and conventional helicopter rotor dynamics and innovative teaching methods.

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Kathryn Purchase U.S. Military Academy

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Major Kathryn Purchase is currently an Instructor in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. She has served in the United States Army for the last eight years as an officer and Army Engineer. She is a graduate of West Point (B.S. in Civil Engineering), Missouri Science & Technology (M.S. in Engineering Management) and the University of Vermont (M.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering).

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Christopher Thomas Duling U.S. Military Academy, West Point, Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering

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Major Chris Duling is currently an Instructor in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He has served the United States Army for the last 11 years as an officer and Army Aviator. He is a graduate of Michigan State University (B.S. in Mechanical Engineering) and The Pennsylvania State University (M.S. in Aerospace Engineering). Major Duling’s research interests are in swashplateless and conventional helicopter rotor dynamics, rotorcraft stability and control, and evolutionary optimization.

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Abstract

Daily Review Quizzes – a Hindrance or a Help? In a very limited amount of time with their students, teachers must accomplish variousgoals in order to facilitate student learning and meet their course objectives. Toward that end,most instructors expend significant energy creating and executing various learning activitieswithin the classroom. However, there is significant debate over which learning activities are themost effective in enhancing the ability of students to remember and apply the concepts learned inclass. In particular, much ambivalence exists within education circles about the relative costsand benefits conducting frequent in-class quizzes. Some studies suggest that testing improveslearning more than simply studying. However, other literature indicates that frequent quizzescan increase student anxiety and hinder the development of teacher-student rapport. In an effort to contribute to the debate over this issue, this study will attempt to addresstwo research questions. The first is whether or not the practice of giving daily review quizzes tostudents increases their performance on the conceptual portion of exams given in four separatesophomore- and junior-level engineering mechanics courses. Although the study is ongoing,results that were gathered over three semesters in four different classes do not permit anyconclusions about the method’s effectiveness in raising test scores. In some cases, dramaticimprovements were measured. In others, no statistically significant improvement was observed.In no case, however, were the test scores hurt by the practice. The second research question addressed in this study is whether or not the practice ofquizzing students each lesson has a negative effect on their motivation and desire to participatein class. Student surveys at multiple points throughout the semester were administered in orderto determine the students’ reaction to the technique. These surveys indicated mildly positivestudent attitudes concerning the quizzes, although there was a wide range of responses.Significantly, the students reported that the method did not appreciably increase their anxietyabout coming to class, it did not detract from their ability to learn the material in the remainderof the class period, and it helped them review important concepts. Most significantly, whenasked to vote on whether to continue to the practice, every section interviewed voted forcontinuing the practice. In addition to answering the questions listed above, several of the theories that motivatedthe practice will be reviewed. Furthermore, the paper will present tips for presenting andadministering such quizzes. Much of the effectiveness of the technique was influenced by how itwas introduced and executed throughout the term. The paper will also discuss how thetechnique can be utilized in very large universities which must occasionally conduct very largeclasses with multiple teaching assistants.

Citation
Format

Bluman, J. E., & Purchase, K., & Duling, C. T. (2011, June), Daily Review Quizzes: A Hindrance or a Help? Paper presented at 2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Vancouver, BC. 10.18260/1-2--17696

TY - CPAPER
AB - Daily Review Quizzes – a Hindrance or a Help? In a very limited amount of time with their students, teachers must accomplish variousgoals in order to facilitate student learning and meet their course objectives. Toward that end,most instructors expend significant energy creating and executing various learning activitieswithin the classroom. However, there is significant debate over which learning activities are themost effective in enhancing the ability of students to remember and apply the concepts learned inclass. In particular, much ambivalence exists within education circles about the relative costsand benefits conducting frequent in-class quizzes. Some studies suggest that testing improveslearning more than simply studying. However, other literature indicates that frequent quizzescan increase student anxiety and hinder the development of teacher-student rapport. In an effort to contribute to the debate over this issue, this study will attempt to addresstwo research questions. The first is whether or not the practice of giving daily review quizzes tostudents increases their performance on the conceptual portion of exams given in four separatesophomore- and junior-level engineering mechanics courses. Although the study is ongoing,results that were gathered over three semesters in four different classes do not permit anyconclusions about the method’s effectiveness in raising test scores. In some cases, dramaticimprovements were measured. In others, no statistically significant improvement was observed.In no case, however, were the test scores hurt by the practice. The second research question addressed in this study is whether or not the practice ofquizzing students each lesson has a negative effect on their motivation and desire to participatein class. Student surveys at multiple points throughout the semester were administered in orderto determine the students’ reaction to the technique. These surveys indicated mildly positivestudent attitudes concerning the quizzes, although there was a wide range of responses.Significantly, the students reported that the method did not appreciably increase their anxietyabout coming to class, it did not detract from their ability to learn the material in the remainderof the class period, and it helped them review important concepts. Most significantly, whenasked to vote on whether to continue to the practice, every section interviewed voted forcontinuing the practice. In addition to answering the questions listed above, several of the theories that motivatedthe practice will be reviewed. Furthermore, the paper will present tips for presenting andadministering such quizzes. Much of the effectiveness of the technique was influenced by how itwas introduced and executed throughout the term. The paper will also discuss how thetechnique can be utilized in very large universities which must occasionally conduct very largeclasses with multiple teaching assistants.
AU - James E. Bluman
AU - Kathryn Purchase
AU - Christopher Thomas Duling
CY - Vancouver, BC
DA - 2011/06/26
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Daily Review Quizzes: A Hindrance or a Help?
UR - https://peer.asee.org/17696
DO - 10.18260/1-2--17696
ER -