Item-by-Item Versus End-of-Test Feedback in a Computer-Based PSI Course

Abstract

This study examined the effects of three different types of computer feedback on the following variables in a Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) course: unit quiz and final exam performance, the amount of time tutors and other teaching staff spent answering student questions, and students' preference for each type of feedback. The feedback conditions were the following: (a) end-of-test, (b) item-by-item with the option to skip questions during the test, and (c) item-by-item without the option to skip questions during the test. Students who received item-by-item feedback with the skip option performed the same as students who received end-of-test feedback on the unit quizzes and final exam. However, the teaching staff spent significantly less time answering questions when students received item-by-item feedback with the skip option than when they received end-of-test feedback. Finally, 65% of the students preferred item-by-item feedback with the skip option. The authors concluded that this type of item-by-item feedback decreases the workload on teaching staff in a PSI course without sacrificing performance, and students like it more than the other types of feedback.