Okay

Good

If you discover a problem with lighting (you can’t turn if off), what should you do?

You are about to leave a room and discover there is a problem with the lighting (you can’t turn it off). Whose responsibility is it to get it fixed?

Answers: (correct in bold) 

1. Tell the first person you see in the office
2. Inform the maintenance manager
3. Ignore it and let someone else sort it out

Answers:

1. Yours
2. The Maintenance Manager
3. Your Line Manager

Conclusion: The question on the left is okay, but it’s fairly simple. However, the one on the right sets a scene for the learner which puts them in the situation, and they need to think harder about the correct answer.

Okay

Good

If the air conditioning was left on for an extra two hours per day (when it didn’t need to be), how much do you think this would cost over a year?

As part of our energy strategy, you are often reminded to keep windows closed. But why is closing windows important for saving energy?

Answers:

1. £650
2. £6,100
3. £4,500

Answers:

1. If left open when the heating or air-con is on, the system works harder to maintain temperature, therefore wasting energy
2. If left open, the appliances in the room use more power to keep at the right temperature
3. If left open, the housekeepers work more slowly, so by closing windows their speed increases to save energy

Conclusion: The answer on the left could be summarised in the learning visually as an infographic or in the text. Although an interesting figure, it’s not something the learner will relate to and it won’t help them save energy, so it shouldn’t be a quiz question. The question on the right encourages the learner to read the options rather than just making a guess. It helps them understand that they can take responsibility. And it also reinforces the company’s strategy, which is always useful!

Okay

Good

What are the top three things you can do to save energy?

What are the top three things you can do to save energy?

Answers:

1. Turn off the lights, turn off the heating and cooling and watch out for appliance on standby
2. Work in the dark, turn off the over and make less tea
3. Cycle to work, use less paper and switch off your computer

Answers:

1. Turn off the lights
2. Turn off the heating and cooling
3. Watch out for appliances on standby
4. Work in the dark
5. Unplug the fridges

Conclusion: Bunching all answers into one option makes it more difficult for the learner to read. Although the answers are the same, splitting them into different options will help embed the learning more effectively. Humour in the options is a good way to keep them engaged, but be careful not to make the correct answers too obvious.

Okay

Good

Who is responsible for switching equipment off and saving energy at your site?

Who is responsible for switching equipment off and saving energy at your site?

Answers:

1. Your Maintenance Manager
2. Your General Manager
3. Everyone

Answers:

1. Your Maintenance Manager
2. Your General Manager
3. You and your colleagues

Conclusion: This is the same question, but the correct answer is worded differently. ‘Everyone’ could include guests or visitors, so it’s important to highlight that the responsibility belongs just to staff members, specifically the learner.

Okay

Good

How much does our company expect to save on our energy bills through our energy programme?

We have a target of saving 9% per year on our energy bills, that’s £612,000, but it doesn’t stop at work. To build a sustainable future for our environment, we all need to think about what we do at home. Which three of these are true about average home energy use?

Answers:

1. 9% per year
2. 2% per year
3. 12% per year

Answers:

1. £80 per year can be saved by turning off TVs and chargers at the plug
2. £25 per year can be saved by not over filling the kettle and by keeping lids on pans when heating
3. £75 per year can be saved by turning the heating down by at little as 1°C
4. £80 per year can be saved by washing everything at 40°C
5. £75 per year can be saved by using LED bulbs

Conclusion: Rather than focusing just on the figure the company wants to meet, relate this to the learners’ personal lives. It’s likely that learners won’t know much about figures, so will just end up guessing the answer! Giving the learner the chance to relate what  they’ve learned to their own life is a good way of showing how behaviour change could financially impact them, as well as their employer. The answers are all possible, too, so it requires them to really draw on the learning or revisit the information in the course.

Example:

A customer wants to return an item of clothing to a shop. Select the video clip here to listen in to the customer and the sales assistant. What's your opinion of the assistant's advice? (Choose two answers)

This is the video script:

Shop assistant (in a consistently friendly tone): "Hello madam – how can I help you?"

Customer (older female voice): "Uh, can I return these leopard-print trousers my husband bought me, please? They’re just not my style…"

Shop assistant: "No problem! So, were they bought through our site, or did your husband get them in person?"

Customer: "Er, sorry?"

Shop assistant: "I mean, everyone’s caught up in the whole digital commerce thing these days, aren’t they? But if he actually picked them up then it affects the Ts&Cs re the returns window."

Answer options are:

It was useful, specific and detailed in terms of asking where the item was bought

The language was too complex, lengthy and contained jargon

It was friendly and polite, the tone was appropriate for the situation

It was badly structured, the explanation started halfway through

Conclusion: The video focuses on best practice covered in the course, so the learner can eliminate the incorrect answers. In this scenario, the sales assistant failed to choose their words appropriately, so the response was too complex for the customer. But their tone was good.

Example:

A family restaurant has a special offer, which is unlimited soft drink refills for all and a free kid's dessert (maximum of 3 children), when having fish and chips at lunchtime. What would be the best way to write this offer up on the specials board? CLICK HERE to see the options.

Answer options are:

1. Blackboard 1
2. Blackboard 2
3. Blackboard 3

Conclusion: The options for the learner to choose from are displayed graphically, so they can review and come back to the quiz to make a choice. Two options include mistakes which will have been highlighted during the course. For this scenario, the message needs to be concise, clear and simple. But it’s aimed at families with kids, so the tone needs to be right for children too. Clarity is important to it needs to say exactly what is free.