As millions of educators are settling into virtual learning, they are exploring different strategies like interactive quizzes to engage students. Instead of attempting to fully re-create in-person teaching, remote learning challenges instructors to think creatively and build a virtual environment for students to thrive.
This summer, I had the pleasure of collaborating with Professor Ines Maria Marino to develop 20 new interactive quizzes for her Nonverbal Communication course, as part of FIU’s Panther Quality Initiative.
Professor Marino’s top priority as an instructor is teaching students how to write and present like communication scholars. Recently, she contacted the FIU Online team for ideas to improve students’ writing. Specifically, she sought how to encourage students to re-use vocabulary from their textbook and research findings.
H5P was my tool of choice since creating interactive content for another Department of Communication course. H5P is a quick way to build interactivity into any online course. It has easy-to-read instructions and pre-populated HTML embed codes, making it a good choice. I presented the solution of non-graded interactive vocabulary quizzes.
Interactive Quizzes
Assigning a vocabulary quiz may sound like an activity for middle schoolers. However, H5P’s various quiz types helped transform this activity into a college-level success. Interactive assessments such as Fill in the Blank and Drag the Words were perfect assessments to utilize the course textbook’s glossary list. “Drag the Words” was the most requested assessment by Professor Marino due to it’s focus on word context. Students completed various expressions by dragging the correct vocabulary terms into the appropriate sentence. Additionally, all 20 quizzes were designed to prepare students for writing communication research. They tested student’s memory, and showcased how to properly use each word a sentence.
Low-stake Learning Activities
Interactive activities are a helpful way to build confidence on course materials and concepts in a “low consequence” environment. H5P’s score meter tells students if they’re on the right track. Also, it gives them infinite chances to try again. Not only is it one less assignment for professors to grade, but it also takes students from passive learning activities – such as reading their textbook to an active low-stake activity prior to their graded assignment. Simply, the 20 non-graded interactive quizzes were designed to help students familiarize themselves with the language of their profession.
H5P has over 20 interactive assessment types to simple and engaging content for student learning. Collaborate with your instructional designer to learn more about which H5P interaction type would work best as part of your course.
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