Prompt

This article is about a question format; questions may be used in many ways in learning: as part of in-exposition feedback format, as part of in-class desk work or homework, or as part of criterion-referenced or norm-referenced assessments.
View list of question formats

Definition

A prompt is a simple question with a short, simple answer that a learner with mastery of the underlying topic should be able to answer quickly and accurately.

A prompt can be considered a form of exercise, though it is sufficiently different from other exercises that it may be best thought of as a different category.

Prompts can be asked as multiple-choice questions (MCQs) where the possible answers are enumerated, or they can be asked without providing choices.

Execution contexts

Execution context	Backdrop	More details
quiet prompt	class, video exposition	This is the prompt where the learner is not expected to submit an answer to the explainer; rather, the explainer asks the question, waits for the learner to think of the answer, and then continues to give the answer.
cold calling	class	Used in the context of a class, cold calling involves the explainer (instructor) asking questions randomly of learners. Given the time constraints placed by this kind of setting, prompts are far more ideal for cold calling than other kinds of question.
polling	class	Used in the context of a class, polling involves asking a question of all the learners (students) and getting their answers by a show of hands or a clicker. Given the time constraints placed by this kind of setting, prompts are far more ideal for polling than other kinds of questions; moreover, MCQ prompts are easier than other kinds of prompts.
quiz and recall	(multiple, but in particular ideal for self-learning with spaced repetition)	With quiz and recall, the learner or somebody else prepares a set of questions and answers during initial learning of the material. Then, at a later time, the learner looks at each question and tries to answer the question. Prompts are preferable to more complicated questions for the quiz and recall setting, in order to be able to get through a larger number of questions and thereby cover more material.

External links

• How to write good prompts: using spaced repetition to create understanding by Andy Matuschak (this focuses on prompts for the purpose of quiz and recall as part of a spaced repetition strategy for self-learning); see also this