Examining the Impact of Multiple Practice Quiz Attempts on Student Exam Performance

Marnie C. Davis, Grand Canyon University
Lisa A. Duryee, Grand Canyon University
Alli H. Schilling, Grand Canyon University
Elizabeth A. Loar, Independent Scholar
Helen G. Hammond, Grand Canyon University

Abstract

Assessment of learning within the online classroom is a growing point of discussion, particularly with regard to student exam performance. In 2017, an online Organizational Behavior course offered by a large, Christian university was revised to include a change in the quizzes offered to students to prepare for each of four exams. This study examined historical exam data to determine whether changing the number of quiz attempts from one attempt to unlimited attempts significantly improved learning outcomes. To address whether unlimited exam attempts impacted exam scores, the means for exams in the Limited Quiz and Unlimited Quiz groups were compared. Second, we asked whether the change from limited to unlimited quiz attempts impacted performance specifically on the first and last exams. The results indicate that unlimited practice attempts on quizzes improved student exam performance overall. Additionally, significant improvements were found in the Unlimited Quiz group on the first and fourth exams. Based on the research and our findings, suggestions for the application of this information for faculty, curriculum developers, and administrators are discussed.

Keywords: continuous assessment and feedback, higher education, instructional technology, online assessment, online teaching, online testing, retrieval practice