Active learning in higher engineering education: a decalogue for the design of post-lecture online quizzes

Quizzes are a valuable addition to the ever-growing toolkit of active learning strategies in higher education. In distance learning contexts, quizzes are frequently used to assess students’ level of knowledge, to encourage their participation and to support knowledge retention or academic performance. Despite a wealth of studies about quizzes in general, and pre-lecture quizzes in particular, there is relatively little empirical work examining post-lecture online quizzes. This paper discusses Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Engineering students’ experiences with weekly post-lecture online quizzes in a management subject. Participants took a single attempt, automatically graded, quiz on Moodle Learning Management System (LMS) after each subject unit. Once the learning experience was completed, qualitative research was carried out through a Bipolar Laddering (BLA) tool, designed to extract positive and negative perceptions of the students on the implemented online quiz model. Overall, our analysis shows that students view post-lecture online quizzes as a valuable active learning strategy, especially useful as a practice for high-stakes exams. Regular low-stakes quizzing was perceived to foster ongoing engagement with the subject material, to support continuous review and self-directed learning. Building on the student-reported insights, the researchers formulated ten design considerations that may inform the development of effective post-lecture online quizzes, which can be easily implemented in both remote and face-to-face learning contexts.