After each BRAKE Module, students are assigned a brief quiz designed to reinforce the fundamental concepts of the module their teacher has just presented to them in class.
The use of success-oriented reinforcement quizzes following each BRAKE teaching module is an integral part of our educational strategy. The quizzes are designed to reinforce the critical road safety messages just introduced to students in each of BRAKE’s six training modules.
The quiz consists of 5 multiple-choice and two free-text questions, answered online. Links to the quiz are automatically emailed to students when the lesson is completed. The students receive immediate feedback on their scores and information prompts if they get a question wrong. Students can retake the quiz as often as necessary to get a passing grade.
“We don’t want students ever to fail a BRAKE quiz,” says BRAKE founder and CEO Rob Duncan. “Our educational goal is to reinforce the key concepts of each learning module, and our feedback shows that students overwhelmingly do recall these important concepts.”
Why are these quizzes so effective?
The traditional view of quizzes as merely evaluative tools is being replaced by a recognition of their role in the learning process itself. Quizzes can act as a form of active learning, requiring the student to engage with the material on a deeper level.
Cognitive science tells us that retrieving information from memory enhances future recall, in what psychologists term the “testing effect.” Each time a student retrieves a piece of information, the neural pathways associated with that information become more robust and accessible.
When preparing students for safe, independent road use, this quick recall of rules and best practices can make the difference between safety and peril on the road.
When the quiz is taken is important
Research also shows that the testing effect is amplified when reinforcement is aligned with the timing of information presentation.
By presenting quizzes shortly after new modules, BRAKE ensures that the information is still fresh in the student’s mind, allowing for an immediate assessment and reinforcement of the material.
The graph shows the assignment distribution of quizzes over the 2023 school year.
Success-oriented design.
BRAKE Driver Awareness program uses quizzes that are success-oriented and crafted to build confidence as well as competence.
Rather than serving as a punitive measure for what students do not know, these quizzes provide immediate feedback, highlighting what has been mastered and gently guiding the learner to revisit and re-engage with material that may not have been fully assimilated.
For this reason, the questions are designed not to intimidate or overwhelm but to bolster confidence and encourage a positive learning environment.
When students associate learning with success, their motivation to engage with the material increases, enhancing knowledge retention and instilling habitual safety-focused behaviour in students.
Long-Term Recall and Mastery
We aim to move BRAKE’s Driver Awareness information from short-term memory into long-term memory, making it more accessible and more likely to be used when needed.
Road safety education is about developing a deep, intuitive understanding of safe practices that can be relied upon even in high-pressure driving situations.