Selected Research:

Learning in Intro Psych is often measured using formative quizzes (McKenzie et al., 2013).

A blended learning model was developed to enhance lecture delivery in a large, diverse introductory psychology unit, introducing the use of an online, personalized learning system for lecture preparation and using lecture time to extend students’ understanding.

Quizzes can also be conceptualized as a form of studying (Dunlosky, Rawson, Marsh, Nathan, & Willingham, 2013; McDaniel et al., 2007).

Dunlosky, Rawson, Marsh, Nathan, & Willingham, 2013 discuss 10 learning techniques in detail and offer recommendations about their relative utility.

McDaniel et al., 2007 investigated if taking a test on studied material promotes subsequent learning and retention of that material on a final test in a college course.

Quizzing appears to produce a larger benefit in the content-focused courses such as Intro Psych than skills-focused (Khanna, 2015; Khanna & Cortese, 2016).

Khanna, 2015 compared the impact of using no quizzes, graded quizzes, and ungraded quizzes on final exam scores of introductory psychology students.

Khanna & Cortese, 2016 examined the effect of quiz type (graded, ungraded, and no quiz) on cumulative final exam performance across content-focused courses (Introductory Psychology, Intro, and Cognitive Psychology, Cog), and a skills-focused course (Research Methods and Statistics, RMS).

Regular quizzing increases academic performance, not only in the course in which the quizzing occurs, but also in the students’ other courses (Pennebaker, Gosling, & Ferrell, 2013).

An in-class computer-based system, that included daily online testing, was introduced to two large university classes. Researchers examined subsequent improvements in academic performance and reductions in the achievement gaps between lower- and upper-middle class students in academic performance.

A number of studies demonstrate a positive relationship between taking online quizzes and exam scores (Becker-Blease, & Bostwick, 2016; Gurung, 2015; Van Camp, & Baugh, 2014).

This research assessed the students’ attitudes toward and the efficacy of components of MyPsychLab, a companion site for Introduction to Psychology (Van Camp, & Baugh, 2014).

Some studies show that although the relationship between quizzing and course scores is correlated the effects are small (Becker-Blease et al., 2016).

Does adaptive quizzing work in real classrooms? (Becker-Blease, & Bostwick, 2016).

Other studies show no relation at all (Bell, Simone, & Whitfield, 2015).

Our objective was to see if online study tools could produce these effects in real undergraduate classes (as opposed to within the laboratory).