How a Self-Test and a Full-Test and Incentives for Learning Can Help You

Self-tests are to help you discover what you know and do not know. Research supports that this one of the keys to learning successfully. You are not to look anything up or to worry, but just force your brain to answer what it thinks now.

The Self-Tests have questions at .01 each and those are not part of the 1000 total points. In other words, you can test yourself to find out what you know and do not know at no loss in points.

The Full-Tests have questions at 1 each (or 2 each if the test is in sets where you may see one of two or more possible questions). Unlike Self-Tests, you can take the Full-Tests as many times as you want. The highest score counts.

1st Incentive for Persistence

Making the highest score count means it pays to persist. In other words, the course provides an incentive so that it pays to persist until you learn all the words or locations.

What is an incentive?  Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary defines the word incentive as:

“something that makes a person try or work hard or harder”

Why is persistence so important? In the same way that knowing what you know and do not know helps learning, persistence helps. My experience is that it is persistence that saves you most of the time: never give up when you just start to sweat. This is one of my favorite advocates for students and for how to help them.  Click on this video of a Ted Talk by Angela Duckworth   (URL: https://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_grit_the_power_of_passion_and_perseverance )

2nd Incentive for Persistence

Another incentive is also meant to encourage you to persist. With Learning Quizzes and Evidence Quizzes, you earn 1 incentive point for each quiz (small but it adds up):

1.       If you take both of a quiz's parts:

·         Its Self-Test

·         Its Full-Test (You have to make the level of grade on the Full-Test that you want to make for your letter grade for the class. Example: If you want an A, then you need to work until you have 90% or more on the quiz; if you want a C, 70% or more.)

2.       If you complete both 5 days before the Unit Exam starts

What If You Already Know the Content?

If you already know the content on the Self-Test, you do not need to persist by taking the Full-Test. Instead, use your persistence to learn something new.

 

For example, if you made 100% on a Self-Test (and especially on many Self-Tests), I have an alternative way of grading that means two things for you:

1.       You do not have to take a Full-Test when you already know the content and you can still earn all the points.
What happens: You score 100% on the Self-Test. At the end of the Unit, I enter the points you would have earned from the Full-Test in the Incentive grade for that Learning Quiz + 1 point for having done it early.
Example:  You take a Learning Quiz that is worth 6 points.
Your Self-Test score is 0.60 points

Your Full-Test score shows - - since you did not do it.

Your Incentive for that Learning Quiz shows – until the end of the Unit. Then I enter 7 points (6 for the Full-Test and 1 for having done it early).

 

2.       If you wish, you may even take the Full-Test for a review before the exam and you do not need to make sure you earn the full points.
What happens: You score 100% on the Self-Test. You decide to do the Full-Test as a quick review before the exam, but you did not even try to make a 100% on the Full-Test.
Example:  You take a Learning Quiz that is worth 6 points.
Your Self-Test score is 0.60

Your Full-Test score shows 5 points since you did a quick review before the exam– until the end of the Unit. Then I exempt—the symbol looks like --that grade from your Total.

Your Incentive for that Learning Quiz shows – until the end of the Unit. Then I enter 7 points (6 for the Full-Test and 1 for having done it early).

Once I finish all entry, I will post an announcement. Then you will need to check my work. Everyone makes mistakes so check. If you think I did something wrong, I can always display the grade I exempted.

 

Tip: How Can You Tell If You Did Not Take a Quiz?

1. Click on My Grades
2. Make sure the upper right corner shows Course Order.
3. Look above Unit 1 Exam.

FYI: In the last few years Blackboard stopped displaying a grade if the date had passed that you can do it. For example, if you did not do the Constitution quiz  self-test or full-test, then Blackboard would not show it anymore at  My Grades. On the other hand, if you see a 0 for the 1-point Incentive I give for doing that Constitution quiz, then you can spot that you never did it.