The Effectiveness of Computer-Based Quizzes in a PSI Introductory Psychology Course

Abstract

The personalized system of instruction (PSI) replaces lectures with written materials and frequent testing and feedback to insure that students master the material [1]. Student volunteer proctors typically provide most student-staff contact by correcting students' quizzes immediately and suggesting remediation. Numerous studies show that PSI is highly effective but necessitates a course structure that is difficult for instructors to manage. This study extends the work by PSI practitioners to computerize the testing procedures to provide feedback and guide further study. Students in our PSI introductory psychology course improved their subsequent performance on computer-based quizzes that gave feedback. They also improved their quiz performance as the term progressed. We discuss these results in the context of helping students improve as learners.