Question formats in Team-Based Learning (TBL) can develop critical thinking and higher order thinking skills among students. It also influences the kinds of discussions teams have during application exercises.
If every activity relies on the same question style, you may end up testing what’s easiest to score (often recall), rather than skills that matter more: prioritization, relationships between concepts, and evidence-based reasoning.
That’s why InteDashboard offers a range of question types. Each one is designed to match a different learning outcome. Below is a breakdown of InteDashboard’s question types, along with when to use each and what it helps you achieve in your classroom.
What it is: Students select one correct option from a list.
Best used when: You need a fast, reliable check of foundational understanding.
What it achieves: Single-answer MCQs make it easy to identify misconceptions and pinpoint which distractors are most tempting. That clarity supports sharper debriefs and more focused clarification.
What it is: Students select all options that are correct.
Best used when: The concept has nuance—multiple correct principles, exceptions, or “select all that apply” reasoning.
What it achieves: Multiple-answer MCQs reduce lucky guessing and reward careful discrimination. They also prompt richer team discussion because teams must justify each choice rather than rally around a single option.
What it is: Students arrange items in the correct order.
Best used when: You want to assess procedural knowledge—steps, workflows, protocols, timelines, prioritization, or decision sequences.
What it achieves: Sequencing reveals whether students understand not only what to do, but when and why.
What it is: Students pair each prompt with exactly one correct match.
Best used when: You want clean, precise relationships—term to definition, concept to example, structure to function, or principle to outcome.
What it achieves: One-to-one matching builds accuracy and differentiation, especially when students tend to confuse similar concepts. It’s also a great way to reinforce vocabulary and core frameworks without relying on pure memorization.
What it is: Students match one item to several related items, or classify items into categories.
Best used when: You’re targeting deeper structure—classification, grouping, linking evidence to claims, or connecting scenarios to multiple correct principles.
What it achieves: This format assesses “networked understanding,” where students must recognize patterns and relationships across several ideas. It’s especially effective when the learning outcome is about applying criteria, not recalling isolated facts.
What it is: Teams brainstorm, sketch, and organize ideas on a shared whiteboard space.
Best used when: You want visible thinking—concept maps, diagrams, prioritization matrices, flowcharts, or models that show how teams are reasoning.
What it achieves: The whiteboard makes team reasoning inspectable, which elevates your debrief. Instead of discussing only final answers, you can address assumptions, logic gaps, and alternative approaches—great for application exercises.
What it is: Teams co-write and refine a shared written response.
Best used when: You want structured justification—short explanations, decision memos, critiques, comparisons, or evidence-based arguments.
What it achieves: Document editing captures the “why,” not just the “what.” It supports higher-order outcomes like defending a choice, explaining tradeoffs, or revising reasoning after feedback. It’s also an excellent way to make team thinking concrete for grading and reflection.
Want a quick reference you can share with colleagues or keep beside you when designing activities? Download our infographic summary of InteDashboard’s question types below.
If you’d like a walkthrough of our platform, you can reach out to us at support@intedashboard.com or book a call with one of our customer advisors here.