3 Ways to Avoid Writing Dud Quiz Questions
The art of writing effective questions for your eLearning module can be tricky to master. The purpose of your questions might be to quantifiably assess learners or simply to encourage them to look further into a topic; either way, your questions need to enhance the learning experience.
Make it Relatable
Learners need to be able to relate to the questions posed to them. Use real-world situations that learners would encounter in their line of work. Questions that are tangible, rather than abstract, usually provide a more effective learning experience that empowers learners to apply their knowledge and understanding in practical applications on the job.
As you are writing your questions, constantly refer to the learning objectives of your eLearning module. Any questions that don’t relate to the learning objectives should probably be questioned themselves. Similarly, make sure your questions relate to the material your module has taught. If learners can’t find the answer within, or glean it from the course content, they’ll be left confused and annoyed. Quiz time is not for introducing new information, but for assessing, evaluating and reinforcing learning.
Mix it Up
You have a range of question types at your disposal: true/false, multiple-choice, multiple-select, fill-in-the-blank (cloze), drag-and-drop, open-response, and more. At Croomo, our Learning Experience Designers hold learners’ attention by using a mix of question types. Be discerning when including questions with binary answer options, such as true/false or yes/no. Ultimately, we want learners to pass the assessment, but we want their success to emanate from learning rather than guessing.
While it’s a good idea to vary the type of questions you ask, aim for consistency within each type. For example, for all multiple-choice questions within a quiz, try to use a similar number of response options, each of similar length, and try to keep the grammatical structure parallel. This makes for easier reading and helps avoid standout right or wrong answers.
Vary the level of difficulty of your questions but be careful to neither spoon-feed nor confound learners. As a Learning Experience Designer, I have to remember that it’s not my job to catch learners out or trip them up. Conversely, I try to avoid giving away the answer with ‘filler’ or ‘throwaway’ response options.
Get it Right
I vividly recall that fleeting moment of delight any time I identified an incorrect answer in the supposedly omniscient ‘back of the book’ during high school. Invariably, the flash of gratification was swiftly suppressed by raging disgust and a complete lack of confidence in the text book and all involved in producing and prescribing it. Don’t let your eLearning module suffer that fate. Uphold your credibility and avoid jeopardising the learning experience by consulting a Subject-matter Expert (SME) to ensure your questions and answers are accurate and unambiguous.
Well-considered quiz questions provide learners with an opportunity to demonstrate their comprehension, which benefits both learners and their employers. Don’t let poor questions sully your otherwise excellent eLearning module.
