Graduated quizzes in a diabetes mellitus therapeutics module and impact on student learning

ObjectiveTo design a module that students reacted favorably to on diabetes mellitus medications that increases student retention of medication names (including brand and generic), mechanism of action, indications, side-effects (Black Box Warnings), route (and dose), and aids them in their ability to apply that knowledge to “real-world” patient cases.DesignA graduated series of quizzes was created at three different levels based on Bloom’s Taxonomy. Each quiz was opened once for students, followed by in-class feedback, and then re-opened for mastery.AssessmentStudents were surveyed and interviewed to better understand their use of and reactions to the graduated quizzes. Quiz and exam scores were also collected and analyzed.ConclusionsStudents responded favorably to this method of quiz taking. While there was no direct correlation between exam score and number or duration of quiz attempts in the population under study, nearly all students (about 95%) took the quizzes until they received a perfect score and many (about 36%) continued to use the quizzes as study guides. Culminating exam scores were compared between two student populations: students in the present study, who were given the graduated quizzes, were compared with students from the previous year, who were not given the mastery quizzes. The t-test showed a difference at the significance level of 0.05 in the scores for those who were given the graduated quizzes (M = 84.24, SD = 9.94), as compared to those who took the class before the graduated quizzes were instituted (M = 82.58, SD = 10.44), p = 0.05.