In week seven, 2026, as part of the midterm evaluation, we asked students specifically about their thoughts about the weekly quiz.
As we put it: The weekly quiz is a new feature that we have added to the course, so we are particularly interested on your views about how it is working…
We asked the following questions:
- Do you find the weekly quiz a) too easy or b) too hard or c) about right?
- Do you worry about whether you will pass the quiz? If so, say more.
- Does the quiz help to make you think twice about relying on aids such as AI?
- Does it help to encourage you to come prepared to class?
- Does it help you to focus better on the books and/or the lecture/conversation videos?
- Write down two comments/observations about the quizzes. At least one should be positive; at least one should be a suggestion for improvement.
| too easy | too hard | about right | other/comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | 2.5 | 21 | love them It's good! Mostly about right, sometimes hard. I stress about it too much. Extremely easy if you watch all lectures / complete all readings, though I find it perfect for a course like this, where we're also assessed on the blogs/discussions. About right, but sometimes tricky. Language-related questions are difficult. In between too easy and about right. |
| yes | no | other/comments |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 15 | The contract grading gives me reassurance! A little bit? I mostly get worried when I read the text and did all the work but don't understand the text. Yes, because I'm bad at names or specifics. Sometimes. Not often, only when I try to get ahead and forget things from the book or the week. No, because it's usually the same kind of questions so I'm ready. No, if you read the book, watch the videos, I think you're guaranteed at least a 4 out of 5. Not really worried. Always, but I'm always pleasantly surprised. Yes, sometimes I feel like some of the answers are details that could be forgettable. Even when reading the book and watching lecture and conversation videos, I have some fear/anxiety of the quiz. Yes I do worry cuz idk what details will be tested. yes, sometimes I miss tiny details and get them wrong. Sometimes I get stuck on a question, but nothing too serious. At first yes, but not anymore. 🙂 |
| yes | no | other/comments | 11 | 11 | I feel like this whole class is more a personal reflection, so I've never thought of using it. I don't but no. Not really. My goal is to read many books, and regardless if there's a quiz or not I would be doing the work. Not really (I don't use it, maybe that's why). I don't use AI for this class. To be honest, I find no correlation between the two, though I may be biased as an AI HATER. No, and I am personally against AI (I believe many people are as well). Yes, because I have to listen to the videos myself to not miss details. Yes, I don't think you need AI for these quizzes, just your understanding of the text. Yes, as Jon said, if you read the book and watch the videos, you'll be fine. Yes, but how would you use AI in class anyway? I guess it's working. yes, though it also encourages me to read the entire book actively instead of skimming. Yes, I realized I must read the book to complete the quiz. No, I don't use AI. Yes! And summary websites such as Spark Notes. Quiz motivates me to fully and carefully reading of text as opposed to skimming. Yes, I feel that it compels everyone to read the text / watch the lecture. I don't use AI to begin with, much less on quizzes. |
|---|
| yes | no | other/comments |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | A little, yes. Yes for sure. To an extent, I worry about being on time, but besides that, the lectures/readings prepare me well. Kind off, I come prepared anyways. Yes, makes me read details more thoroughly rather than gloss over the text. Yes, but I find the discussion also encouraging for attending class. Yes, I pay more attention to videos. Sure, but it's a hurdle to jump every class. yes, it makes me stressed so I destress by reading within the lines [?]. Always. It does. It acts as a checklist for class. |
| yes | no | other/comments |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | 6 | Especially for the conversation videos Uh both as both are mentioned. I get more stressed trying to memorize small details. Not really. Not necessarily, but does make me more prepared. Not necessarily, I guess only the areas I will be tested on (drinks parings etc.). No, small bits of info ≠ complex modernist literature. Yes, you never know what details are going to pop up on the quiz! Makes me pay attention and be more aware. Yes for the lecture videos; I read the book anyway. Yes for sure. It does tree me out if I feel like I have missed an important detail though. Not focus better on the book but yes to lecture/conversation videos. Yes, though sometimes I find the testing is on very niche details. Yes! I take lots of notes for the quiz. It helps me focus better on the text and lecture. Not the book, yes to videos. |
| Positive | Negative / Suggestions for Improvement | Other | Jon's comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not too much pressure 🙂 | Sometimes referencing specific quotes can get tricky. | ||
| Good level of testing, easy if you've read the book. | Sometimes I can't remember exact wording from the book, so perhaps more content-based questions are not ones about exact sentences. | ||
| Tests for reading comprehension well. | |||
| I like it has they key answers right after the quiz, so we can check our answer immediately. | I wish we can have all screens showing the question... sometimes I can't see it clearly. | I can put it on all screens, no problem. | |
| I think it's a good way to verify if students are actually doing the work. | Stress-inducing (a bit). | ||
| I like how short/simple they are. | Less on specifics like names, more about themeless which is really what I focus on while reading. (No cold calling.) | When I ask about names, I do try only to ask about key characters, rather than minor ones. | |
| The questions are pretty straightforward. I liked how for the Bombal quiz, you asked an open-ended question, related to theme. |
Yes, I liked that, too. I should do it again. | ||
| It's helpful in understanding the book more. | Last line question might be too hard to remember. | I should say that (almost?) always when I ask a question about a book's last line, as today in the quiz on Rodoreda, I have also specifically discussed that line in the lecture video. | |
| They are easy, but good assessments for those who don't do the work. | Could be a little more difficult/thought-provoking. | ||
| Not too difficult. | Too many negligible details. | ||
| I like that there's one question for each video and one drinks pairing and from the book. | We can have one continuous scan-torn sheet for the entire term so we don't waste so much paper. | I can look into the scan-tron idea, but I think this may be too complex / time-consuming, especially as there are always a different mix of students attending every class. | |
| Always one is on a drinks pairing, which I love. | Maybe could be a bit more in depth? But that might defeat the purpose of the quiz. | ||
| I think the drinks pairing questions are fun. | There is a pattern to the quiz in some way: last word / first word; conversation video guests | ||
| I like how I know one question and can "study" for it: drinks pairing / conversation guest. | Have a handout or something rather than wasting so much paper. | Wouldn't a handout use up the same amount of paper? | |
| The questions are very clear, consistent so you know what to expect. | Maybe exact-details-type questions are somewhat arbitrary, but not usually, they are usually relevant; also somewhat paper wasteful, but I cut them small. | ||
| I like that there is a standard question about the drink / who the guest lecturer is. | For improvement, I genuinely have no notes. | ||
| I like that they're simple. | I suggest to be more on general stuff rather than detail. | ||
| Quizzes are good check-ins, mainly to see if someone read the book / put effort toward the course material. | Quizzes can cause unnecessary stress when they are just on small details and less on major themes. | ||
| Quiz made me memorize more about the books. | I wish we could double-check the questions and our answers before submitting it. Cuz I put wrong alphabet before accidentally but I actually knew the correct answer. | ||
| Encourages me to be more prepared coming to class. | Language questions even if explicitly mentioned are difficult: I don't speak any of the languages. | I should say that always when I ask a question about language or translation, as today in the quiz on Rodoreda, I have also specifically discussed that issue in the lecture video. | |
| Quiz includes details about author or of novel contextualized, which provide insight on authorial process of novel. | I find questions such as "what is this week's drinks pairing?" inconsequential. I think a quiz is a mental exercise, a recall, and using my memory to remember text is fin. Then I prefer questions about the text. | ||
| It helps eliminate common confusions since it gives you tow options sometimes that both seem like the right answer, but if you think harder you'll find the right one. | It could test more significant details of the text/lecture, rather than facts of lesser importance. | ||
| The quizzes are fun but also remind me to prepare for class. | I think the quiz could have a couple more questions. | ||
| They're not stressful! Yay! | It would be useful if we could double-check answers before submitting. | ||
