Should a student use Quizlet?

Quizlet is a study tool that many teachers and students have used to create study guides and interactive reviews for quizzes and tests. The content is not generated nor monitored by Quizlet. Each individual creates the content that helps him. However, once created it is available for others to use. Some of my students in our school like using Quizlet to help them study for a science or history check-up or Self Test because it will keep reviewing the content until they have mastered it and feel confident enough to actually take the test.

There are some “down sides” to using Quizlet, however.

1. If a student finds a study set that another student has created then it short-circuits part of the learning process for that student — that of having to think through the question, find the answer in the PACE themselves, and verify that their answer is correct.
2. Using a study set created by another student often includes incorrect answers, so the student using it is actually hurting their own understanding and preparation.
3. Sadly, it appears that some students have actually taken the top-secret PACE tests and created study guides for them, which is definitely cheating. The PACE test — never before seen by the student — is the only guarantee that the student has correctly worked through the PACE and learned the material. Just memorizing and regurgitating answers on a PACE test is not learning. We certainly do not want to encourage students to be cheating on tests.
4. The ACE administration has officially taken the position that Quizlet content which uses their PACE questions and answers and tests is a violation of copyright law. They have asked Quizlet to remove their testing material from their site, but the Quizlet company has not agreed to do that yet.

My recommendation

Since learning recently that actual PACE Test content has been posted on Quizlet’s site, and learning of ACE’s legal action against Quizlet, I am no longer comfortable recommending that students use their site. There are plenty of other ways that students can prepare for and study for Check-Ups and Tests that will help them with the learning process!