This presentation was given at the NYSAIS Teaching With Technology conference, May 3rd, 2014. It gives a general walkthrough, with screenshots, of how to make Moodle Quizzes.

1. Using Moodle
Quizzes
To Improve Student Comprehension

2. The “Testing Effect”
The critical role of retrieval practice in long-term retention.
Roediger HL 3rd, Butler AC, Trends In Cognitive Science 2011 Jan;15(1):20-7
Abstract
Learning is usually thought to occur during episodes of studying, whereas retrieval of information on
testing simply serves to assess what was learned. We review research that contradicts this
traditional view by demonstrating that retrieval practice is actually a powerful mnemonic enhancer,
often producing large gains in long-term retention relative to repeated studying. Retrieval practice
is often effective even without feedback (i.e. giving the correct answer), but feedback enhances
the benefits of testing. In addition, retrieval practice promotes the acquisition of knowledge that
can be flexibly retrieved and transferred to different contexts. The power of retrieval practice in
consolidating memories has important implications for both the study of memory and its
application to educational practice.

3. In my classes:
Moodle Quizzes replace note-taking
homework and short answer homework
assignments.
I use Moodle quizzes for quick, in-class
vocabulary and basic comprehension
assessments

4. Randomized Experiment in My Class
2009-2010
Students using Moodle quizzes instead of
completing vocabulary notes performed just
as well as their peers on the unit tests
*Lowest performing students did not do as well when just taking the quizzes
in this experiment

5. Quizzes
My Favorite thing about Moodle!

6. Google Forms vs Moodle Quizzes
Google forms are great for getting feedback,
or for quick surveys
Moodle quizzes are much better for assessing
knowledge- the question formats and
statistics are much richer

7. Moodle Quizzes Allow
Multiple Question types
Randomized Questions- this is key!!
Tailored Feedback for each answer
Detailed statistics on student responses

8. How to Make
the Moodle Quiz:

9. Add an activity or resource

11. main Updating Quiz page
Or use Deferred Feedback

12. This is the next screen

13. Then Preview the Quiz

15. I will explain how to
enter feedback

16. Grading the
Quiz
It’s done for you!

17. Scores can also be downloaded to a spreadsheet

18. You can also view the Responses

19. Detailed Statistics are available for each question

20. The Questions

21. The Question Bank
- Editing Categories

22. On the Edit Categories Page you should make new Categories
- Think about sections from which you may want to draw random
questions

23. Note: Be Careful of Image Names!
The “image description” on an image will
display if students hover over it on some
computers.
Sometimes kids can drag the image to the
desktop to find it as well.
The name of the question is hidden, however.

24. This question is called
“sandstone” in my
question bank, but I
had to change the
image name to not
give away the answer.

27. FeedbackFeedback- You can give feedback for specific answers
General feedback- shows for all students, depending on Quiz Settings
General feedback is some text that gets shown to the student after they have attempted the question. Unlike
feedback, which depends on the question type and what response the student gave, the same general feedback
text is shown to all students.
You can control when general feedback is shown to students using the "Students may review:" check-boxes on the
quiz editing form.
You can use the general feedback to give students some background to what knowledge the question was testing.
Or to give them a link to more information they can use if they did not understand the questions.

28. True/ False

29. How the question looks on the quiz

30. How it looks
after you
answer and
submit

31. Tips for Types
Some interesting types of questions

32. Answers for a
Matching Question
Can outnumber the
“questions”
“Shuffle”
rearranges the
questions

33. Short Answer
Fill in the blank
You can use asterisks
for flexibility, and give
separate scores to
different responses

34. Multiple Choice
Use Negative grades
for wrong answers
when allowing more
than one answer
(e.g. Check all that
apply)

35. Embedded Answer (Cloze)
These are excellent once you get to know them

36. Embedded Answer (Cloze)
The final result has multiple drop-down choices
You can also have Short Answer (fill in the blank)

37. Make sure to check the points
In the Edit
Quiz
menu,
Cloze
often
have
extra
points

38. Calculated Questions
These are tricky, but valuable for certain classes.
They generate different numbers each time someone
takes the quiz.

39. Have Fun!
Start making your quiz!

40. Other Studies
Science. 2008 Feb 15;319(5865):966-8. doi: 10.1126/science.1152408.
The critical importance of retrieval for
learning.
Karpicke JD, Roediger HL 3rd.
Psychol Sci. 2006 Mar;17(3):249-55.
Test-enhanced learning: taking memory tests
improves long-term retention.
Roediger HL, Karpicke JD.