Research suggests that those teachers who inflicted weekly quizzes on their students knew what they were doing from an instructional design perspective. The latest instructional design consulting work claims that taking tests repeatedly may be more effective in retention of information than simple studying.
Researchers at St. Louis’ Washington University explain this phenomenon as a consequence of being able to ensure that the information learned was correct. Without the tests to confirm understanding, students often become overconfident and erroneously move forward thinking they have adequately absorbed the knowledge.
The implications for instructional designers are obvious. Frequent testing of knowledge and skills helps retention for individuals better than solely pre-work, discussion or study. Incorporate quick checks into your development programs to give students an opportunity to confirm they are learning the concepts completely and accurately. If they get the answers wrong, they have a chance to review the material and try again. This way they won’t get far off track and will have the satisfaction of realistic confidence in their learning.
Then use more complete performance tests to ensure that your target audience “knows what it needs to know” and “can do what it needs to do” in order to fulfill your learning objectives.
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