Introducing Variability into Multiple-Choice Exercises: A Desirable Difficulty to Enhance Technology-Based Practice Testing

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 1:45 pm - Gold 4
  In Roundtable Session: Feedback and Assessment in Digital Learning Environments

Abstract

Variability in practice has been introduced to leverage the effects of practice testing, and the present research aims to transfer this to multiple-choice practice testing, which is a popular format in technology-based learning environments. We propose multiple-choice practice testing exercises with variable answer options (by inversion or interchange of concepts) as a desirable difficulty to foster learning outcomes. Two laboratory experiments with N = 113 and N = 117 participants provide evidence for this assumption. Furthermore, we revealed the effects of variable answer options on indicators of deeper levels of processing and elaboration as well as metacognitive experience across thousands of practice testing exercises conducted within a digital tutoring system in two separate field experiments.
 

Authors

• Marc Philipp Janson, Karlsruhe University of Education

• Paula Schmelzer, University of Mannheim

• Samuel Wissel, University of Mannheim

• Benedict C.O.F. Fehringer, University of Mannheim

• Stefan Munzer, University of Mannheim