Shawn R. Simonson
The modified Monte Carlo Quiz
format for increasing student
motivation, participation, and
content retention.
Abstract
Purpose
The Monte Carlo Quiz (MCQ)
format was developed by
Fernald to enhance retention,
encourage students to
prepare for class, read with
intention, and organize
information in psychology
classes. It has been modified
here with the same intentions
and applied to the exercise
science classroom. Dice are
rolled to determine if the
student prepared quiz will be
taken on particular day. If
yes, the dice are rolled again
to determine which questions
will be answered. Students
favorably report that this
format increases their out-ofclass preparation and content
retention.
Introduction
•Students learn and retain
new content when they
have:
• Multiple interactions with
the material
• Are assessed regularly
• Receive timely feedback
• Contribute
• Have some control
• Attend class1-3
• Random quizzes provide
regular assessment,
feedback, and encourage
attendance4,5
• Prompt feedback,
encouraging student
contributions, and giving
students control in the
classroom takes time
• Difficult to ensure that
students attend class
regularly
• Difficult to persuade them
to interact with the material
outside of the classroom5
• Two approaches were
explored in an effort to
address the abovementioned issues
• Monte Carlo Quiz (MCQ)
format developed by
Fernald to enhance
retention, encourage
students to prepare for
class, read with intention,
and organize information
in psychology6
• Students become more
engaged with the material
and each other
• Report completing
assigned reading and
paying more attention
• Minute Paper (MP) used
to rapidly gather feedback
from students as to what
they had learned in a
class period and what was
still unclear7
Selected References
To provide an assessment
method that encourages
student preparation and
content retention with little
instructor time commitment.
Methods
•Combined MCQ and MP to
create a time-efficient rapid
response/assessment
device.
• Quiz development begins
with last few minutes of
preceding class.
• Student groups complete
a MP:
• Most Important concept
learned in class
• Written as multiple
choice or True/False
question with correct
answer provided
• Most unclear (Muddiest
Point)7
• Group responses collected,
collated, and counted
• Muddiest Points
addressed at beginning of
next class
• Most Important questions
matched to course
objectives and put into a
Turning Point /
PowerPoint clicker quiz
(Turning Technologies,
Youngstown, OH and
Microsoft, Redmond, WA,
respectively)
•At the beginning of next
class, one student rolls a
die.6
• Even number rolled = no
quiz
• Questions posted as a
study guide
• Odd number rolled =
quiz
• Die rolled a second
time
• Corresponds to quiz
question number
students will answer
• If six is rolled = all
five questions
• All questions are posted
after quiz
• Make corrections
• Study guide
• Report downloaded and
scores recorded and posted
• If students do not get the
question(s) right, they are
encouraged to look up
answer and prepare quiz
corrections to earn back half
of missed points
Discussion
• Students intentionally
interact with course content
and increase frequency of
interactions
• Students assessed daily
and receive prompt
feedback
• Students contribute and
have input into
assessments
• Absenteeism < 10%
• Reduces number of
responses instructor
reviews
•Most Important concepts
are discussed again and
articulated more clearly
• Muddiest Points are often
clarified by discussion
• Identifies discrepancies or
correspondences between
what students learning and
objectives
•Instructor preparation and
grading time significantly
reduced
• Reduced class time
dedicated to assessment
• Students get excited and
take pride when their quiz
question shows up
• Students think about their
understanding and selfassess learning and
retention
Student
Comments
•The quizzes help you keep
up with the material.
•I also liked the quizzes
because it gave you more
material to have to prepare
for the exams.
•The quizzes also helped
make sure I was on track.
•The quizzes were helpful and
provided good feedback on
what we were learning.
•The point distribution for
some quizzes seemed unfair
because in some cases you
either passed or failed the
quiz.
Conclusions
• The combination of the MP
and the MCQ format
encourages students to
prepare for class, read with
intention, organize
information, and enhances
retention in the exercise
science classroom.
• It is a time-efficient tool for
tracking student progress
and providing frequent, lowstakes feedback. Students
favorably report increased
out-of-class preparation
and content retention.
1. Credé M, Roch SG, Kieszczynka UM. Class attendance in college: A meta-analytic review of the relationship of class attendance with grades and student
characteristics. Review of Educational Research. June 1, 2010 2010;80(2):272-295.
2. Bransford JD, Brown AL, Cocking RR, Donovan MS, Bransford JD, Pellegrino JW, eds. How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition.
Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press; 2000.
3. Medina J. Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School. Seattle, WA: Pear Press; 2008.
4. Ruscio J. Administering quizzes at random to increase student reading. Teaching of Psychology. 2001;28(3):204-206.
5. Burchfield CM, Sappington J. Compliance with required reading assignments. Teaching of Psychology. 2000;27(1):58-60.
6. Fernald PS. The Monte Carlo Quiz: encouraging punctual completion and deep processing of assigned readings. College Teaching. 2004;52(3):95-99.
7. Davis BG. Fast feedback. Tools for Teaching. San Francisco, CA: Josey-Bass; 1993:345-354.
8. Doyle T. Helping Students Learn in a Learner-Centered Environment. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, LLC; 2008..