Using Class Quizzes for Weekly Review

Abstract

This article describes the use of classroom quizzes as a way of promoting student learning in the Department of Geography at Oxford Brookes University. Starting each class with a quiz on the previous session’s work encourages students to review their course notes ahead of each session, removes the need for any spoken review of course progress, and abets attempts to help students convert surface memorisation into deep learning through classroom discussion. Class quizzes are popular with most students, who mainly agree with the above analysis. Quiz scores correlate significantly with most other types of assessment, including those from formal essay examinations, so they may be considered valid as a mode of assessment. The exercise described in this paper will have transferability to other degree programmes, including earth and environmental sciences.