Context
Students are very smart, and they realize very quickly when I am not quizzing them on videos I’ve embedded into my online course. Using Quick Checks as an assignment following an embedded video offers small-stakes credit encouraging students to watch the videos.
Step-by-Step Implementation
1. Quick Check is a tool for creating assessments in Canvas, allowing instructors to integrate frequent low-stakes assessment into their courses. Quick Check is used in combination with Assignments only. For more detailed directions about using Quick Check, please see the Knowledge Base document on this tool.
2. Enable Quick Check in the course, since it is an external tool.
- To do this, go to settings in the left navigation bar of your Canvas course site.
- Click on Navigation at the top of your page.
- Scroll down to find Quick Check.
- Move Quick Check up so it is enabled.
- You may drag and drop Quick Check to your preferred location.
- You may click on the three vertical dots to the right, click on Move, and use the drop-down bow to place the Quick Check in your preferred location.
- Save.
3. Create a set of questions for students to complete after viewing each video.
- First, I click on the Quick Check Tool in the left navigation bar.
- Then I click on Add Quick Check.
- Click Set.
- Click Add New Set.
- Type a name for your new set (The title of your course works well here).
- Type a subset name (The course module number or topic works well here).
- Final box, type the name of the Quick Check question (something like Video 1 Quiz works well here).
- Click Save.
- Click Add Question.
- You will see a page titled, Edit Quick Check allowing you to select the type of question you would like from a drop-down box.
- Type your question and responses.
- Save.
- Continue adding questions until you are finished, remembering to save.
- Click Return to set (whatever you named your set).
4. Create a new assignment. In this assignment, I add the video I want students to view, along with any instructions about watching the video or the learning outcomes associated with the video.
5. In the drop-down box for Submission Type, click on External Tool.
- Click on Find to find the External Tool (Quick Check).
- Scroll down to find Quick Check; Select.
- Select the question set you created.
- Select.
- Save and publish.
Effectiveness
Even though each Quick Check quiz is small-stakes in the overall grade, these points encourage students to work through the materials in the modules. I’ve found that I can use the Quick Check quizzes toward participation points in the course or as a graded assignment.