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The Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Quizzes

Are online quizzes your best ESL allies or a complete waste of time? Let’s take a closer look.

There have been quizzes for ESL learners available online right from the start. But not everything that is available online is appropriate for your students.

The Advantages

Computer Literacy. Most ESL students know how to, at the very least, navigate the Internet and have basic computers skills. Most feel absolutely comfortable in an online environment and will not only enjoy completing quizzes online, they will work through them quickly and efficiently.

Timely Feedback. Most online quizzes either show the correct answer after each question or correct them all at the end. Most also give students a “result” usually as a percentage of correct answers. They get their feedback while their doubts are still fresh on their minds.

Self-Pacing. Students are able to progress at their own pace. They may take as long as they need for particularly difficult questions; there’s no pressure from the teacher or peers to respond quickly, as there might be in an oral Q & A. This creates a very safe, non threatening environment that is ideal for classes where you have students who process information at different speeds.

Variety. The Internet probably has hundreds of online quizzes for us to choose from, in a wide range of topics from grammar to specific vocabulary, listening to reading quizzes.

Individualized Learning. You may choose to give each student a different one to target specific needs, instead of making the entire class do the same quiz.

Availability & Autonomy. Online quizzes may be accessed by students any day, any time. They are also great for developing learner autonomy and helping them take control of their learning.

The Disadvantages

Technology. The one obvious disadvantage is that not every ESL classroom has a computer, let alone access to a computer lab with one computer for each student. 

Quality. The astounding variety of materials available in the Internet – not all of them are good quality. Some may have mistakes, others may not be challenging enough and in otehrs there are distracting ads or banners with content that is inappropriate.You must take the time to conduct a proper screening to make sure the quizzes and links work properly.
to make sure online quizzes are not a waste of time, you have to take the time to pick the right ones for your class.

Conclusion:

Like any online tool, it is not the tool itself that is either good or bad, it is the use you give it. Choose the right one, and you’ll have a trusty ally to help you in your English-teaching efforts.Choose online quizzes that are not only appropriate for your students’ level, but also challenging enough so that they may learn something from them. Don’t just look at the website and list of quizzes, try completing an entire quiz yourself. If possible, choose quizzes from well-known, established sites like:

Level Test of English:

Extracted from: http://busyteacher.org/

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