A Natural Experiment on the Effect of Time Given for Quizzes on Veterinary Student Performance in a Required Principles of Anesthesia Course

Abstract

Assessments can cause significant distress in veterinary students and are listed as some of the greatest causes of academic stress. The purpose of this natural experiment was to determine if there is a relationship between amount of time given to complete quizzes and the students' score on the quiz. The Principles of Anesthesia course is required of all students. Quizzes are administered at the start of a class period and spaced throughout the course to cover 2–4 lectures per quiz. Once the allotted time has passed (3–6 minutes), students are notified they have 2 minutes to return the quiz to the instructor. To complete the quiz, students had 3 minutes in 2012 and 2013, 4 minutes in 2014, 5 minutes in 2015, and 6 minutes in 2016. The average quiz score was significantly lower with 3 minutes than with 4 or 6 minutes. Students in the bottom quartile scored significantly higher with 4, 5, or 6 minutes than with 3 minutes. Students in the upper quartile scored significantly higher with 4 minutes than with 3 minutes and with 4 minutes than with 5 minutes. The time provided for students to complete a free-response quiz was not associated with student performance once a certain minimum time (4 minutes) was provided. Providing students an appropriate, but not excessive, amount of time to complete assessments will allow for appropriately applied assessments and preserve time dedicated to instruction.