Information and digital literacy in education via the digital path

While multiple-choice quizzes can be useful for gauging how well students understand a topic, they can interfere with learning if poorly designed, according to a review of recent research.

Andrew Butler, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Washington University, specializes in the malleability of memory—how memories can fade or be reinforced over time. In a recent article in Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, he explains that despite the popularity of multiple-choice quizzes, they’re often not aligned to the latest scientific findings about how students process and retain information.

Multiple choice questions are easy to grade and provide a general overview of online learners' progress. Though they may not gauge how well online learners know the topic, they can tell you how much they know. As such, you're able to provide them with targeted eLearning activities and resources to meet their specific needs. For example, offer them a list of microlearning tools to bridge a skill gap. Here are 10 best practices for creating effective multiple choice questions to assess online learner progress.

Given class sizes, teaching loads, and a host of other academic responsibilities, many teachers feel as though multiple-choice tests are the only viable option. Their widespread use justifies a regular review of those features that make these tests an effective way to assess learning and ongoing consideration of those features that compromise how much learning they promote.