Student-constructed Quizzes

While quizzes are often used to test students, giving students the opportunity to construct their own quiz as a learning tool for others can be just as effective at enhancing student knowledge of course content, if not more so (1). The process of constructing a quiz is obviously a lot more engaging for students than merely completing one due to the fact that there is an increased level of interaction required with course content in the development process. Moreover, because students are required to conduct research on their desired subject area and learn the content in the process of developing effective questions, their understanding of this topic must be much more extensive. Also, when asked to complete the quizzes of their classmates, students’ test their knowledge in areas of the topic matter that they may not have covered.

As a learning manager, I can see the benefits of this process where the mere practice of testing a students’ knowledge on a particular subject matter through a teacher-constructed quiz is insufficient. For example, it may be beneficial to have students research a topic and construct a quiz to promote a deeper understanding of the subject matter is covered extensively in the classroom. However, when the subject matter is not covered lengthily, the time required for students to construct their own quiz and test other students’ knowledge may not be feasible. Thus, I believe student-constructed quizzes are best used when the topic matter is widely covered and a deeper understanding of course content is necessary.

References
1)Quizzes, online http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=18313

REFLECTIONS
What is your opinion on the role and relative importance of student-constructed quizzes as oppose to teacher-constructed quizzes?