Abstract
Active participation of students is paramount not only for their learning experience, but also for their academic performance. However, several shortcomings in the methods developed to promote active learning have increased students' sense of burden and discomfort. This study attempted to determine the efficiency of a low-load web-based review quiz built to enhance students' reviewing habits and facilitate active class participation. The participants were 53 first-year dental hygiene students in a 10-session microbiology course. After each class, all students were given a web-based quiz to prepare them for a paper-based review test that assessed the learning of the content covered in the previous classes. We then analyzed the correlation between frequency of participation in the web-based quiz and the average score of the weekly review tests or the final examination score. The average scores on the review test correlated positively with the final examination. Consequently, voluntary participation in the web-based quiz correlated positively with both the short-term and long-term learning outcomes of the students. The blended learning including this web-based quiz enabled students to develop the "self-learning attitude" needed to pass the National Dental Hygiene Examination. We concluded that a method for increasing student participation in such a quiz would encourage students to achieve active learning. (J Osaka Dent Univ 2020; 54: 239-244)
