Name
Student Engagement and Performance with Formative Practice Quizzes in
Preclinical Medical Education
Date & Time
Sunday, June 7, 2026, 4:19 PM - 4:34 PM
Location Name
Lamar B
Speakers
Authors
Tyler Hattaway, Mercer University School of Medicine
Edward C. Klatt, Mercer University School of Medicine
Carolyn Klatt, Mercer University School of Medicine
Kim Meeks, Mercer University School of Medicine
Presentation Topic(s)
Curriculum
Description
PURPOSE
As medical education increasingly emphasizes the importance of
self-directed learning, it is informative for educators to focus on the
impact of formative assessment with practice quizzes throughout the
curriculum. We examined how students utilized weekly practice quizzes to
understand resource-use patterns in order to support self-directed learning
and curriculum assessment development.
METHODS
Faculty developed 18 practice quizzes with 13 to 53 questions covering three
modules, 6 weeks each, in one semester with 176 first year medical students.
Descriptive statistics were used to analyze weekly metrics of quiz scores,
participation quantified by student quiz submissions, and total time elapsed.
Pearson’s correlation coefficients were utilized for comparing quiz length vs
score on summative assessment. To compare participation and score differences
between shorter and longer quizzes, we utilized two-sample t-tests. Short
quizzes were determined a priori to have fewer than twenty-five questions.
RESULTS
Quiz scores moderately correlated with mid-module summative exam scores (r
= 0.5131) but demonstrated a weak relationship with end-of-module exams (r =
0.2803). Quiz length negatively correlated with the number of zero scores (no
questions answered) per quiz (r = -0.5533, p = 0.0269). A comparison of short
versus long quizzes revealed a statistically significant difference in the
number of zero scores (p < 0.05). Students more often failed to complete
shorter quizzes.
CONCLUSIONS
Our analysis suggests weekly formative quizzes are not predictors of graded
exam performance. Quiz scores decreased as assessment length increased.
Shorter quizzes may be skipped more often, whereas longer quizzes fostered
more engagement. Differences in participation based on quiz length highlight
the importance of quiz design in fostering consistent student engagement.
Understanding how quiz length impacts participation can help medical educators
optimize formative assessments to promote engagement. Future work can focus
on how adjusting quiz length impacts completion rates.
As medical education increasingly emphasizes the importance of
self-directed learning, it is informative for educators to focus on the
impact of formative assessment with practice quizzes throughout the
curriculum. We examined how students utilized weekly practice quizzes to
understand resource-use patterns in order to support self-directed learning
and curriculum assessment development.
METHODS
Faculty developed 18 practice quizzes with 13 to 53 questions covering three
modules, 6 weeks each, in one semester with 176 first year medical students.
Descriptive statistics were used to analyze weekly metrics of quiz scores,
participation quantified by student quiz submissions, and total time elapsed.
Pearson’s correlation coefficients were utilized for comparing quiz length vs
score on summative assessment. To compare participation and score differences
between shorter and longer quizzes, we utilized two-sample t-tests. Short
quizzes were determined a priori to have fewer than twenty-five questions.
RESULTS
Quiz scores moderately correlated with mid-module summative exam scores (r
= 0.5131) but demonstrated a weak relationship with end-of-module exams (r =
0.2803). Quiz length negatively correlated with the number of zero scores (no
questions answered) per quiz (r = -0.5533, p = 0.0269). A comparison of short
versus long quizzes revealed a statistically significant difference in the
number of zero scores (p < 0.05). Students more often failed to complete
shorter quizzes.
CONCLUSIONS
Our analysis suggests weekly formative quizzes are not predictors of graded
exam performance. Quiz scores decreased as assessment length increased.
Shorter quizzes may be skipped more often, whereas longer quizzes fostered
more engagement. Differences in participation based on quiz length highlight
the importance of quiz design in fostering consistent student engagement.
Understanding how quiz length impacts participation can help medical educators
optimize formative assessments to promote engagement. Future work can focus
on how adjusting quiz length impacts completion rates.
Presentation Tag(s)
Student Presentation