Self-assessment is the ability of a student to observe, analyze, and judge his/her performance based on criteria that you supply. At its best, self-assessment also means that the student can determine how to improve his/her performance. Supplying the students with quizzes that they can take themselves fulfills the first part of that goal. Using feedback during the quizzes helps fulfill the second.
Self-assessments are typically not graded. The goal of a self-assessment is usually not to achieve a grade but to practice for a graded activity.
Adding self-assessment to your course has several advantages for you and the students:
First, self-assessments are a chance for students to become more actively involved in their learning.
Second, students learn to identify their errors as they make them, assuming the self-assessment quiz provides immediate feedback. This feedback during self-assessment reduces the errors students make when it counts, that is, when...