Less to produce and less to consume: the advantage of pure question-based learning

This study is the first to investigate how an online course consisting solely of multiple-choice questions and detailed formative feedback compares to an online course format that was previously shown to be highly effective. Specifically, a pure question-based learning (pQBL) version of a course was compared to a question-based learning course (QBL) which consisted of the same questions and feedback as the pQBL course, but also included ordinary texts about the subject. To explore how pQBL and QBL compared in terms of learning outcomes and completion time, 492 employees at the Swedish Employment Agency were randomized to either a pQBL or a QBL version of a course about IT security. The results indicate that the pQBL course resulted in equally good or better learning outcomes compared to the QBL course. This result was robust to changes in how course quality was defined. In addition, participants completed the pQBL course slightly faster. Because a pQBL course requires less resources to produce, there are benefits to relying on the pQBL method when teachers or students have limited time. Further benefits that come with the flexibility of the pQBL method are discussed.