Using On-Line Quizzes to Help Students Learn Probability and Statistics

Bock, M. and McColl, J. (2014) Using On-Line Quizzes to Help Students Learn Probability and Statistics. In: 9th International Conference on Teaching Statistics (ICOTS9), Flagstaff AZ, USA, 13-18 July 2014,

Abstract

Online quizzes can be an effective and flexible means of helping learners develop key skills in probability and statistics. Quizzes give instant feedback, to help reinforce correct understanding and eliminate fundamental errors at an early stage in learning. We will describe our experience of designing and using quizzes with non-specialist and specialist students, on several different platforms including, most recently, Moodle. We describe Model Choice, a tool that helps students identify from a brief scenario the standard family of probability distributions they should work with to solve a problem. We will emphasize key design aspects of a successful quiz system, such as the importance of giving informative feedback to the learner. Using a standard platform, such as Moodle, is likely to require some compromise on design principles but building a stand-alone system to implement ideal design choices is very time-consuming.

• Item Type: Conference Proceedings
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: McColl, Professor John and Bock, Dr Mitchum
• Authors: Bock, M., and McColl, J.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Mathematics and Statistics > Statistics
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2014 International Association for Statistical Education
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced with the permission of the publisher.

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