The performance of first year engineering mathematics students at universities of technology in South Africa is a serious problem. These institutions allocate resources, invest in and implement a variety of methods to improve students’ mathematics results. A longitudinal study is presently in place investigating the implementation of a comprehensive online learning unit for the mathematics department at a university of technology. The primary aim is to improve basic mathematical skills through diagnostic testing. Additional aims of the project include the development of in content material to enhance e-learning and strategies to devise formative online assessment methods. The online quiz facility of the learner management system, Moodle, can be used to engage students off campus as well as encourage self-assessment. Improving students’ recall of basic derivatives via online testing is one method of improving students’ procedural fluency in differentiation. The cognitive demand associated with memorization of mathematical rules, formulae and facts cannot be ignored in the learning of mathematics. The calculus section is a major portion of a first semester university of technology mathematics course. This paper reports on the progress and implementation of an online standard derivatives quiz test as an effective assessment tool. The online quiz test was designed to test students’ recall ability of standard derivatives. The results of first year engineering mathematics groups are analysed and the recommendations used as a basis for the design of quizzes as well as items within the quizzes that will be developed in the larger study. A comparative analysis of the statistics of students’ performance in the test is conducted. Psychometric analysis of the items of the quiz is performed for consistency. Results indicate consistency in performance of the groups and consistency within the items of the quiz. The paper concludes with a discussion on the recommendation for using quizzes as an effective online learning strategy in the mathematics department.

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