Inserting questions into texts or recordings and providing students with regular quizzes and discussions during a course are both forms of engagement that serve several purposes.

First, they make introducing new content and revising more active than passive, thus improving learning outcomes.

Second, they provide teachers and students an opportunity to gauge progress. Students can reflect on their comprehension by answering questions in documents, on quizzes, or by thinking about how easy or difficult a discussion question is. Teachers can use this information to see where more input is needed or where to move faster.

Lastly, class-wide quizzes or discussions give students the opportunity to interact as a group and learn from each other.