Abstract:

Online quizzes have proved useful for formative assessment [1], but have increasingly been used for summative assessment, especially since the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic [2]. As a result, academic staff have had to rapidly pivot from face-to-face tests to online tests.

Informed by previous research by Slack et al. [3], research was undertaken to investigate whether learning management system (LMS) data could provide insights into the online test practices of lecturers, especially during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic. Focusing on the use of Moodle quizzes, data was collected from course outlines and the Moodle LMS sites in selected courses.

This presentation will share a case study of Moodle quiz use in undergraduate courses in 2020 in two discipline areas, management and commerce, in a New Zealand business school. The results illustrate changes in practice in the use of quizzes going from 2019 (pre-pandemic) to 2020 (first year of the Covid-19 pandemic), and emphasizes the importance of considering both curriculum design intentions (before course delivery) and pedagogical practices (during course delivery) when deciding to use the Quiz activity in Moodle. The presentation will conclude with suggestions for enhanced use of the Moodle Quiz activity for summative assessment, as well as a reminder of the relevance of sustained targeted professional development initiatives to improve practice.

References:
[1] Boitshwarelo, B., Reedy, A., & Billany, T. (2017). Envisioning the use of online tests in assessing twenty-first century learning: a literature review. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning, 12(16), https://doi.org/10.1186/s41039-017-0055-7
[2] James, F. (2020). The challenges and advantages of conducting exams during the COVID-19 crisis. QS. https://www.qs.com/the-challenges-and-advantages-of-conducting-exams-during-the-covid-19-crisis/
[3] Stack, A., Boitshwarelo, B., Reedy, A., Billany, T., Reedy, H., Sharma, R., & Vemuri, J. (2020). Investigating online tests practices of university staff using data from a learning management system: The case of a business school. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 36(4), 72–81. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.4975

Keywords:

Online assessment, online quizzes.