This paper investigates how incorporating interactive activities into a marketing course affects students’ academic performance. Specifically, the study evaluates the effectiveness of online interactive formative quizzes in enhancing the student learning experience and academic outcomes, aiming to promote more engaging teaching methods in both classroom and online settings. The findings indicate that these interactive activities significantly improve student learning, leading to better academic performance. Moreover, the results reveal no notable differences in outcomes between traditional in-person and remote online teaching.

This study involved first-year students in a 12-week introductory Marketing course at a public university. Online multiple-choice quizzes (MCQz), created using open-access platforms, were used as formative assessments. To enhance student engagement, quiz results were displayed after completion, followed by a feedback session to improve understanding. The low-stakes quizzes were administered in two course sections: one in-person and one online. Quizzes were given before the mid-term exam (treatment condition) but not before the final exam (control condition). A 2 x 2 repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare student performance across both sections.

The results show that using interactive online MCQz improves student performance on summative assessments, with similar effects observed across in-person and online settings. While previous research highlights the benefits of interactive elements in marketing courses, further exploration of different formative assessment formats is needed. This study contributes to the ongoing discourse on effective teaching methods, offering educators evidence-based insights on integrating interactive activities to enhance learning outcomes and better prepare students for the modern business environment.

Keywords: Interactive activities, online teaching, distance education, formative assessment.