Quiz design as assessment in non-STEM undergraduate law courses

Abstract

ABSTRACT In 2020, the author introduced an assessment at the University of Auckland, Faculty of Law in which students design a multiple-choice question (MCQ) quiz on a course reading. The assessment was inspired by the PeerWise tool (primarily used and studied in STEM subjects) and informed by contributing student pedagogy. The assessment was offered in three courses, each time requiring less workload (questions to write) relative to course points, and students were surveyed in each instance. This article surveys the literature on quiz design as assessment, describes how the assessment works, presents and discusses the students’ responses to it, and recommends how other law teachers could use the assessment. The survey findings include that: the assessment increased student interest in the content of their assigned reading; the assessment increased student engagement with the course materials generally; the assessment was more enjoyable than working on a typical research essay or problem question; the time required was similar to or less than that required for a typical law assessment; and the assessment was valuable for their learning. The study endorses a five-MCQ quiz for 10% on a reading, comprising multiple sources or a varied source, in a course requiring 150 hours of learning.