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An Introduction to Quizzes in Brightspace

Online quizzes consist of a series of questions which are completed online in real-time undertaken either remotely or in an on-campus environment. Online quizzes are typically used to assess acquisition of knowledge and comprehension, application and analysis skills (Ragupathi, 2016). They are often associated with multiple choice questions but they can also include a range of other question types such as; true/false, multi select, short answer, fill-in-the-blank, matching, ordering and arithmetic etc. 

The quiz tool in Brightspace offers flexibility in the creation, delivery and grading of online quizzes. It can be used to deliver online quiz activities to give feedback on learning  i.e. for low stakes formative purposes or to deliver more formal online assessments i.e. for high stakes, summative (grading) purposes. 

Quiz Design Considerations

Before you start creating your quizzes in Brightspace it is recommended that you;

  • consider is an online quiz the most appropriate way to assess the learning outcome(s)
  • consider what is the intended use of the quiz, is it for formative or summative purposes. 
  • consider what question types you will include, this will depend on the purpose of the quiz you are designing for example; multiple choice questions and true/false are useful to assess the factual recall and knowledge acquisition whereas short answer questions may be better used to test application and analysis skills. 
  • design and write questions effectively see UCD Teaching and Learning resource; Design of Multiple Choice Questions for Assessment 
  • consider what time frame you will give students to complete the quiz and if they will be required to complete it remotely or in an on-campus environment 
  • ensure academic integrity of the quiz by using original questions, randomising the presentation of questions to each student, giving students different data sets, displaying questions one at a time, not using the same questions across multiple cohorts/trimesters
  • provide students with clear instructions on the answer format, allow students to practice following these instructions in advance of taking the online quiz for an exam 
  • consider your local/institutional support, the logistics and technical requirements to ensure the feasibility of running an online quiz as an exam and review the UCD Assessment Code of Practice; with particular reference to 3.5 Conduct of online assessments and 3.6 Conduct of MCQ examinations
  • take the time to pilot (with a student cohort) and/or peer review your quizzes to ensure they are valid and reliable. Allow yourself time to design, prepare and implement the quizzes once completed and ensure you review their effectiveness in assessing the desired outcomes.

This resource introduces the Brightspace quiz tool and how it can to support lecturers to;

Learn More

  • A new quiz creation experience is now available to all instructors in all modules Brightspace for further information see IT Services page on New Quiz Creation Interface

References

Ragupathi, K. (2016) Designing Effective Online Assessments, National University of Singapore available online via: https://www.nus.edu.sg/cdtl/docs/default-source/professional-development-docs/resources/designing-online-assessments.pdf