Quizzes

Quizzes are pedagogically similar to drills in that they are based on a behaviourist approach of mastery through repetition, and they are thus aligned with web 1.0. However, they may be more motivating than drills as they frequently incorporate an element of scoring or competition, and they may even take the form of puzzles (such as hangman, crosswords, or worth sleuths) or simple games (where gamification elements have been overlaid on traditional learning activities). Quizzes, puzzles and simple games may incorporate multimedia elements, and they generally involve some limited weak interaction (that is, student-machine rather than student-student interaction, as defined by Lindsay Clandfield and Jill Hadfield).

A quick online search will turn up a large number of websites containing educational quizzes, puzzles and simple games; many of these now charge a subscription fee, though some are freemium sites (which provide a certain level of access for free). You might like to check out the free materials on language sites like 20Q and Dave’s ESL Cafe, or maths and science sites like GeoGebra and Shodor. Some of these, and many similar services, are available in the form of mobile apps.

While they are underpinned by behaviourism and are web 1.0 in nature, quizzes, puzzles and simple games could conceivably be employed as part of a more complex guided discovery approach to learning. Moreover, if students are tasked with creating revision quizzes, puzzles or simple games for each other using one of the many free quiz creation services (such as Armored Penguin, Hot Potatoes, Puzzlemaker, Quenti, Quizlet or Quiz Maker, which range from simple older tools to more sophisticated newer ones), this will introduce a more constructivist approach. For more on quiz creation services, see the Common Sense Education general overview of The Best Quiz and Game Show Apps for Classrooms.

Thanks to the recent wave of generative AI tools that began in late 2022, we are now seeing the emergence of AI quiz generation services such as Meiro and QuizGecko. Mainstream generative AI chatbots like ChatGPT can also generate revision and other quizzes; for more tailored outcomes, users could collaborate with AI chatbots to optimise such quizzes for given target audiences (for example, students could work with generative AI to create a gamified quiz for their peers).

Note that complex, collaborative games, which are more web 2.0 in nature, are discussed on the main gaming page.

Last update: March 2025.