How to make quizzes in an online course more engaging
How to turn end-of-module or course quizzes into a game or scenario with different twists.
How to make quizzes in an online course more engaging
How to turn end-of-module or course quizzes into a game or scenario with different twists.
One of the greatest benefits of eLearning is its ability to engage learners with interactive materials, thus ensuring a better learning experience. This interactive approach to training also includes essential moments in which knowledge is assessed, but doing so with a true or false quiz might be a nonsense. Why spend hours trying to make an online course engaging and then use a simple quiz to measure the knowledge learned? For quality eLearning training that is engaging from start to finish, you need to use assessment tools that are equally engaging. So here's how to create interactive quizzes to test learners' skills.
Writing targeted questions and answers for end-of-module quizzes
Effectiveness and communication are two cornerstones of any assessment tool. Using quizzes in eLearning means equipping oneself with a tool to understand whether or not the learner has assimilated the information obtained, whether he/she is ready to move on to the next module or whether he/she needs a review or additions. The quiz, it must be said, must never lose sight of this objective. Therefore, both the questions and the answers to be chosen should be written in simple language focusing, without any pitfalls, on the content of the module. Furthermore, it is essential to give feedback for right and wrong answers. The more elaborate the explanation, the more chances there are for the student to learn or have learning reinforced also during this assessment phase.
Diversify the type of quizzes you include
When great care is taken to present the learning content in an engaging format, quizzes should also be included. Therefore it is important to break the monotony and predictability by alternating different types of quiz questions in a random sequence:
- Multiple choice questions
- Open questions
- Questions with drag and drop functions (e.g. putting together a puzzle)
- Filling in the blanks
- True or false questions
- Sequence questions
- Free theme
- Hotspot questions (e.g. moving interactive elements)
To make these quizzes even more engaging you can specify the duration for any type of question. The less time available to answer, the greater the challenge for the student. Please note: for a multiple-choice question 50 seconds is enough, but for a free-form composition it is better to budget at least 10 minutes.
How to make a branched quiz for eLearning
Students do not have the same way of learning and remembering information, so a one-size-fits-all quiz may not be the ideal solution. In order to meet the needs of learners, branching scenarios can be included that adapt to the answers given. When designing a quiz, different scripts can be provided from the outset, as is the case when writing a scenario for an online course. For a wrong answer it can be decided whether the student should revise the content, open another tab with a video presenting the information in another way, for example, or repeat the quiz from a question linked to the wrong one. In this way, the student's assessment path becomes personalised.
How to create a quiz in the form of a game
In fact, any type of question can be turned into a game with the LMS editor. The famous game "Who wants to be a millionaire" is a classic example of a multiple choice question. Videos can also be provided in the form of quizzes, using hotspots to make students interact with the images and provide for scoring based on this interaction. The essential gamification elements are the mission, the challenge, the time and the score to be achieved.
Starting with simple but centred questions and answers, engaging quizzes can be created by inserting different types of questions at random, or by grouping them in the form of a branching scenario and making them a challenge through game elements.
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