Using Electronic Quizzes to Promote Self-Reliance in Minicase Analysis in a Decision Support Systems Course for MIS Majors

Abstract

This article reports on the use of electronic quizzes to test student understanding of minicases in an undergraduate decision support systems course for MIS majors. Because very little faculty time is needed for grading, many cases can be assigned for self-reading and self-analysis followed by efficient assessment of student comprehension. Scores on electronic quizzes were on average similar to scores on regular nonelectronic tests, suggesting that the technology does not harm performance on the quizzes. Female students typically performed better than their male counterparts on the electronic quizzes, but not on the nonelectronic tests. Other advantages and limitations are discussed.