Frequently Asked Questions - General
This is the list of general Frequently Asked Questions. There is also an authoring FAQ available.
What is spaced education? Show answer
Spaced education is a new method of online education delivered by SpacedEd that has been shown in randomized trials to improve learning and boost knowledge retention. Spaced education combines two core psychology research findings: the spacing effect and the testing effect. Learners ranging from students to professionals find spaced education to be quick, effective, enjoyable, and addictive. SpacedEd courses are constructed as a series of questions and answers which are delivered to you on a regular schedule. As you answer the questions and learn from the answers, the spacing and content of future questions are adapted to your knowledge level. Over time, the course material is reinforced until you master and remember it.
What is the "spacing effect"? Show answer
The "spacing effect" refers to the psychology research finding that information which is presented and repeated over spaced intervals is learned and retained more effectively, in comparison to traditional bolus ("binge-and-purge") methods of education. SpacedEd harnesses the spacing effect by presenting and reinforcing course content over spaced intervals of time.
What is the "testing effect"? Show answer
The "testing effect" refers to the research finding that the long-term retention of information is significantly improved by testing learners on this information. Qstream harnesses the testing effect by utilizing a question-answer format for all course content. Asking thought-provoking questions worked for Socrates, and it is extremely effective within Qstream.
Will answering a few questions each day really teach me anything? Show answer
Definitely Yes! Multiple randomized trials conducted at Harvard Medical School have proven the efficacy of this approach. In the coming months we will make the published research findings available on the Research section of the Qstream web site.
What is "fixed spacing"? Show answer
Fixed spacing refers to Qstream courses in which the questions are presented and reinforced in a fixed pattern of spacing. Whether you answer a question correctly or not, the spacing and reinforcement of the material does not change.
What is "adaptive spacing"? Show answer
Adaptive spacing refers to Qstream courses in which the questions are presented and reinforced in a pattern which is customized to the knowledge level of the learner. The spacing and reinforcement of the material adapts based on whether you answer a question correctly or not. Here is an example:
- You enroll in a 40-question course on how to grow the perfect tomato.
- You receive and answer 2 Qstream questions each day
- If you answer a question incorrectly, it is repeated in 7 days.
- If you answer a question correctly, it is repeated in 21 days.
- If you answer a question correctly twice-in-a-row, it is retired and is no longer repeated.
- You complete the course once all 40 questions are retired.
Do learners really like the reinforcement of course content? Show answer
Yes! Learners ranging from students to physicians see the repetition of questions to be a valuable opportunity to solidify their knowledge and to demonstrate that they have learned the material. They do not view the reinforcement of course content as a burden.
I do not want certain questions to be repeated. What should I do? Show answer
Please click on the "Do not repeat this question" button on the answer page for a question. That question will be retired and you will not see it again.
What does it mean to retire a question? Show answer
A question is "retired" if it will no longer be repeated in the course. In a "fixed spacing" course, this occurs after the final scheduled repetition of a question. In an "adaptive spacing" course, this occurs when you meet the retirement criterion in the course settings (e.g. answering a question correctly twice-in-a-row).
Why do questions expire in adaptive courses? Show answer
In Qstream courses which use "adaptive spacing", the learner must answer a question within the timeframe of the shortest spacing interval. The Qstream system is set-up in this manner to ensure proper spacing intervals are maintained even if a learner falls behind in a course. Consider the following example: You are in a course in which a question is repeated in 7 days if it is answered incorrectly and in 21 days if answered correctly. If you do not answer a question within 7 days of it being sent to you, it will be marked as incorrect and will be re-sent to you.
How long does it take to complete a Qstream course? Show answer
This depends on the settings you select for a course. While the courses usually take only a few minutes each day, they can take several weeks or more to complete. For fixed-spacing courses, the completion dates can be calculated with certainty. For adaptive-spacing courses, the duration required to complete a course depends on how well you are doing in a course.
In an adaptive-spacing course, are questions repeated based on the date I answer it or the date on which it was sent to me? Show answer
Questions are repeated based on the date it was sent to you. The Qstream system was designed in this manner to reduce the clustering of course questions.
What are the green bars on the dashboard? Show answer
The green bars represent your progress in a course. The top bar represents the percentage of course questions that you have answered at least once. The bottom bar represents the percentage of questions that you have retired.
Why are there gaps in the scheduling of questions? Show answer
In adaptive-spacing courses, gaps may appear in the delivery of questions once you have answered all of the questions at least once. This is expected. You can see when future questions will be delivered by clicking on the name of any course you are taking on your Dashboard and then selecting the Course Schedule tab.
Why do I have to wait a day or more until I can answer the next question? Show answer
Learning small amounts of material over multiple sessions ("distributed practice") can significantly improve knowledge retention compared to "bolus" learning of large amounts at a single time point. (Unfortunately, the bolus "binge-and-purge" approach is extremely common in education.)
Which is better, fixed spacing or adaptive spacing? Show answer
The answer depends on the course material and how you like to learn. A fixed spacing course is a defined length of time, and the course material is reviewed a consistent number of times. The duration of an adaptive spacing course depends on whether you answer the questions correctly or not. One Harvard randomized trial showed the adaptive algorithm increased learning efficiency by more than 35%.
What is the optimal number of questions to receive each day? Show answer
The randomized trials suggest that a nice balance is 2-3 questions per day. This number allows you to cover all the course material in a reasonable amount of time, but still allows you to complete your course material in just a few minutes each day. While the course author will assign some suggested defaults settings for the course, the ultimate decision is up to you.
What are the optimal spacing intervals for the questions? Show answer
The spacing intervals should be selected based on when you want to optimize retention of your learning. In the Harvard research trials, the spacing intervals have varied from 5 days to 6 weeks. Ideally, the spacing interval should be about 4-10% of the retention interval. In other words, if you want to optimize your retention of learning one year (50 weeks) later, the spacing interval should be between 2-5 weeks long.
How frequently should I receive the questions? Show answer
We suggest receiving 2-3 questions every 1-2 days. These settings make it easy to stay up-to-date in your course while covering all the course material in a reasonable amount of time. The Harvard studies have used frequencies ranging from once-a-day to once-a-week. While the course author will assign some suggested defaults settings for the course, the ultimate decision is up to you.
What is the optimal criterion for retiring a question in an adaptive spacing course? Show answer
Most of the Harvard studies have used the following criteria: a question is retired if it is answered correctly twice-in-a-row. We recommend using this criterion, although we acknowledge that this is not a perfect criterion for "mastery" of the content. It requires that learners demonstrate their consistent learning and retention of the material covered in a question, while allowing learners to retire all of the questions in a reasonable amount of time.
What should I do if I fall behind in my course? Show answer
There are several things that you can do:
- Answer the backlog of questions --- either all at once or a few each day.
- Put the course on vacation hold until you have more time to answer the questions
- Re-start the course with new course settings: fewer questions delivered less frequently. If you do this, you will unfortunately lose your progress in the course.
Can I change the course settings once I have started my course? Show answer
Learners currently cannot change the course settings once the course has started. We are working to add this functionality in the coming months.
I do not want to receive questions on the weekend. How can I set this up? Show answer
This functionality is currently not available, but will be added to Qstream soon.
How does a "vacation hold" work? Show answer
A vacation hold freezes your entire course in time. You will not be sent any new questions or any review questions. You will not lose any progress in your course. The spacing intervals of already-answered questions will be prolonged by the duration of the vacation hold. To set a vacation hold, click on a course in the "Courses you are taking" section of your dashboard, and then go to the "Course Options" tab. Enter the start date and duration of your vacation.
I no longer want to take a course I signed up for. How do I remove it? Show answer
If you want to temporarily suspend questions for a course, you can use the vacation hold feature mentioned in the previous question. If you are sure you want to permanently drop a course, simply click on the course name on your dashboard, then select the "Course Options" tab. Click on the "Drop this course" button. You will be asked to confirm that you really want to drop the course. If you proceed, you are removed from the course and all progress information on that course is deleted.
Can I do research with the courses on Qstream? Show answer
Definitely Yes! We encourage you to help us learn how Qstream courses can best be constructed to boost learning and retention. In particular, we need to learn how best to use video and audio in the Qstream courses to improve the learning experience. Please share your research results with us!
