Online quizzes for operations research: a case study

A student's success in mathematically-based disciplines is directly related to the quantity and quality of the tasks provided, and to the feedback given on their efforts. With a class of several hundred students it is often impossible to provide enough assessable work, and to give detailed and timely feedback. In response, the Department of Statistics at Macquarie University has implemented online randomised quizzes. Students must pass each quiz with at most two errors, but the number of attempts is unlimited. Consequently, an assessment task becomes a learning tool, requiring students to practice techniques until mastered. Feedback is immediate. At the end of Semester 2 in 2007, students completed a survey about their response to the quizzes. The results indicated that over 81% of participants liked the quick feedback and, furthermore, over 70% of survey participants believed the quizzes helped them to understand the concepts being taught.