Quizzes
I use quizzes in Moodle to allow my students to construct their own knowledge. In AP European History quizzes are optional, but many students use them to prepare for unit tests. By using the feedback available in Moodle, I treat questions as learning opportunities. In the example below I am encouraging students reflect the meaning of socialism and the main tenets of Marxism.
The student may know that Marx and Marxists advocated socialism, but missed that there are other forms of socialism. The feedback allows the student to refine their thinking. These quizzes are all retakable so that students can practice what they have learned.
Feedback can also encourage students to extend their knowledge. The example below affirms students who understand that socialist parties were legal in many parts of Europe in the late 19th Century, and exposes them to the names of the two most prominent parties. The strongest students in AP European History will use this level of detail to answer free-response questions.
Finally, in a fully online class retakable quizzes can be used to make sure that students are accessing the content. The example below, from my Online Politics and Law class, is an open quiz that leads students to associate 5th Amendment and "right to remain silent." By itself this detail is not important, but it does provide exposure to this idea which is also the focus of a group project. Although the students may view quizzes as summative assessment, in an online class they can be a means of delivering or emphasizing content.
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