Member Sharing Session presentation delivered at the 2008 BBSLG Conference, hosted by Leeds University and Leeds Metropolitan University, 9-11 July

1. Lorna Hibbert and Michelle Walker
Information Specialists

2. •Quizzes housed within modules on the VLE – Blackboard (Version 7.0)
•Use of VLE to create , deploy and record marks for large cohorts
•Undergraduate
1st years as part of year long skills based module
 running for several years, standalone quiz due to large cohort (800
students)
 1 of a number of assessments for the module
•Postgraduate
 1st Semester as part of year long dissertation module
running for 2 years introduced to reinforce information skill based
lectures (400 students & overseas franchises)
quiz and dissertation proposal 10% of total marks for module

3. •Promoted our online information skills module - Skills Plus through
the quizzes - Students required to work through Informs tutorials to
answer some of the questions
Undergraduate
15 Qs - mainly multiple choice, multiple answer and true/false
Pass rate - 12/15, 1 attempt
given Qs in advance
Blackboard used to record answers in gradebook
•Postgraduate
15 Qs same as UG but also use of ‘correct order’ & ‘hot spot’
Pass rate - All correct, multiple attempts
given Qs in advance
Blackboard used to record answers in gradebook

6. •Undergraduate
worked with module leader. Emails sent to teaching staff on
module
 announcements and supporting material on Blackboard.
workshop for 3rd attempt for UG students
•Postgraduate
worked with module leader to ensure students completed quiz
lectures main way of delivery IL. Quiz was an addition to
reinforce understanding of concepts
announcements and supporting material on Blackboard
non completion resulted in non allocation of dissertation
supervisor until completed

7. •Opportunity to promote help available in the library
and tutorials in Skills Plus
•Ability to easily re-use questions
•Most Qs can be automatically marked
•Instant feedback for students and they found the
content useful in their studies
•Undergraduate – able to attempt the quiz total of 4
times (early in semester 1, assessment periods in
semester 1 & 2 final re-sit during summer vacation)
•Workshop for UG re-sit students in semester 2

8. •Inability to deliver instructions or IL skills face to face
for UG students
•Time intensive to write and test Qs
•Limitations of Blackboard Q options
•Not truly embedded or contextualised within module
•Technical issues within Blackboard beyond our control
•Time intensive to monitor – locked out, queries,
checking all completed
•Constantly aware of interface updates, any changes to
services or resources

9. •Explicit instructions on completing the quiz
•Careful phrasing of Q
•Don’t ask questions about colours!!!
•When using multiple answers make very clear how
many correct answers there are
•Tailoring Q to student body i.e. use of You Tube
•Use a student dummy account to test Quiz
•Benefits from a champion

10. •Progressing towards true embedding of IL within
more than 1 module both at UG and PG.
•More contextualised questions
•More use of eLP for learning objects embedded in
targeted module (part of IL Framework)
•Randomise questions to avoid collusion
•Moving to a number of smaller quizzes at point of
need
•Using a variety of assessment types