JazzQuiz use cases

JazzQuiz use cases

There is no one way to use JazzQuiz. This page documents the different use cases that I have actually used in my own teaching.

Diagnostic test

A quiz consisting of pre-defined questions on a topic is a simple way to check if the students know what they should. Any quiz tool can be used for this, but the emphasis will vary.

JazzQuiz focuses on a joint review of problems encountered between the teacher and the class.

1. Both the students and the teacher can review the response statistics for each question. Thus the students see immediately, not only how they perform, but also how many of their class mates succeed on the particular question.
2. The quiz is taken in class, which tends to motivate participation even when it is not compulsory.
3. The questions are taken one at a time, giving the students time to reflect on their answers and potential errors. This is important for learning. Optionally the teacher can discuss problems and give feedback on typical mistakes straight away.
4. The focus is on each question, rather than on each student. Thus it is excellent to identify matters which are not well understood by the majority of students.
5. Students who are seriously behind the rest of the class will see that they are, but no point is made thereof. Thus there is no stigma, but the person who can do something about it (the student himself) will know.

Step by step problem solving

Presenting an example or pattern solution very often fails to engage the students, and we know that learning depends on the students reflecting upon the solution. JazzQuiz can be used to engage the students, and motivate them to reflect upon individual steps of a solution. The example should be presented as a problem, with a clear question to answer, but asking for a complete answer in the quiz system will produce little activity if the problem is complex. However, one may ask for input for every step of the solution. For instance,

1. Initial brainstorming. Any ideas for solution approach? Often, there is more than one approach, and it is worth hearing them all, before any is developed. It makes sense to let the students see the responses as they come in, and allow them to propose follow-up ideas. During the review, ideas can be compared. Futile ideas can be rejected explored and explained before they are rejected, and promising ideas can be developed in subsequent questions.
2. Given an algebraic expression. How can we simplify this? Often, this will produce several non-equivalent but good answers, which can be combined in any way.
3. What rule do we need to differentiate this expression?

Generally, I find it useful to let the students discuss the answer with the neighbours before answering. This is not a contest, but a collective, creative exercise. Each question should be sufficiently simple so that most students can make an intelligent contribution. Very hard and complex questions leave the students lost.

This is an excellent approach to meet the students where they are, and build new knowledge on what they already know. It does not work with a lecture from the script though.

Questions from the audience

An improvised short answer question is a quick and simple way to solicit questions from the audience. Optionally, it can be open for feedback as well as questions.

Evaluation

End-of-term evaluation

Since JazzQuiz does not assume auto-grading, any kind of questions can be asked. It can be used for an evaluation survey.Doing the survey in class is likely to attract the most answers.

Since each question is reviewed immediately by the whole class, the teacher has the option to inject spontaneous follow-up questions, and since the class see the responses as well, the results may be used to spawn a discussion to review issues in greater depth.

There is a cost. Since the whole class needs to do the same question at the same time, the time used will be longer than a traditional survey with the same number of questions. JazzQuiz is only a good tool, if one really wants the flexibility to change the questions depending on the first answers.

Quick mood check

Continuous evaluation through-out the semester is often difficult to arrange. If JazzQuiz is already used in the session, it is very simple to inject quick evaluation questions in the lecture. For instance, what does the students think of the progression? A. Too quick. B. Fine. C. Too slow.