Assessing the Impact of Testing Aids on Post-Secondary Student Performance: A Meta-Analytic Investigation

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 429-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen H. Larwin ◽  
Jennifer Gorman ◽  
David A. Larwin
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooke Linden

BACKGROUND The prevalence of mental health related problems including stress, psychological distress, and symptoms of mental illnesses continue to increase among Canadian post-secondary student populations. Excessive stress in this population has been linked to a number of negative academic and health outcomes. Despite attempts to improve mental health at post-secondary institutions, a persistent gap exists in the evaluation of the specific sources of stress for students within the post-secondary setting. OBJECTIVE A cross-Canada, multi-site launch of the Post-Secondary Student Stressors Index (PSSI), engaging post-secondary institutions across the country as partners, will facilitate improved measurement of the sources of student stress in addition to contributing towards improved tailoring of upstream mental health services and supports. METHODS Created in collaboration with students, the PSSI is a validated 46-item tool assessing stressors across five domains: academics, learning environment, campus culture, interpersonal, and personal. The tool was designed to be applicable to students at all years, levels, and areas of study. At each participating institution, students are recruited to participate in an online survey including questions concerning sociodemographic characteristics, stress, mental health, and resiliency. Data is collected longitudinally at multiple time points over the course of each academic year. Analyses, including appropriate data visualization, will be conducted to determine the impact of specific stressors on mental health, linking responses over time to allow for the observation of changes in trends over time. RESULTS N/A CONCLUSIONS The PSSI is an intuitive and evidence-informed tool that can aid post-secondary institutions in evaluating the sources of student stress on their campus. This multi-year project will make a significant contribution to the current literature regarding post-secondary student stress, and allow institutions across the country to improve the tailoring of upstream mental health services to directly support the unique needs of their student body. Opportunities for knowledge translation and exchange are discussed. CLINICALTRIAL N/A


Author(s):  
Rajiv S Jhangiani ◽  
Farhad N Dastur ◽  
Richard Le Grand ◽  
Kurt Penner

The increase in the cost of college textbooks together with the proliferation of digital content and devices has inspired the development of open textbooks, open educational resources that are free, openly licensed, and often peer-reviewed. Although several published studies have investigated the impact of open textbook adoption on educational outcomes, none have separated the effects of textbook openness and format and only two have taken place in Canada (Hendricks, Reinsberg, & Rieger, 2017; Jhangiani & Jhangiani, 2017). This study investigates the perceptions, use, and course performance of Canadian post-secondary students assigned a commercial or open textbook in either print or digital format. Results show that students using the print format of the open textbook perceive its quality to be superior to the commercial textbook. Moreover, students assigned an open textbook in either format perform either no differently from or better than those assigned a commercial textbook. These results are consistent with the existing literature and support the conclusion that the cost savings to students associated with the adoption of open textbooks do not come at the expense of resource quality or student performance. L’augmentation du coût des manuels universitaires ainsi que la prolifération du contenu numérique et des appareils électroniques ont inspiré le développement de manuels ouverts, des ressources éducationnelles qui sont gratuites, dont les licences d’exploitation sont ouvertes et qui sont souvent évalués par les pairs. Bien que plusieurs études publiées aient étudié l’impact de l’adoption de manuels ouverts sur les résultats éducationnels, aucune n’a séparé les effets du caractère ouvert des manuels et du format et seulement deux études ont été menées au Canada (Hendricks, Reinsberg & Rieger, 2017; Jhangiani & Jhangiani, 2017). Cette étude examine les perceptions, l’emploi et les résultats des étudiants dans des établissements d’enseignement supérieur canadiens à qui on avait assigné un manuel commercial ou un manuel ouvert en format imprimé ou numérique. Les résultats ont montré que les étudiants qui avaient utilisé le format imprimé du manuel ouvert avaient perçu que sa qualité était supérieure à celle du manuel commercial. De plus, les étudiants à qui on avait assigné un manuel ouvert dans l’un ou l’autre des formats avaient obtenu des résultats semblables à ceux des étudiants à qui on avait assigné un manuel commercial. Ces résultats concordent avec les publications existantes et confirment la conclusion que les économies de coûts pour les étudiants liées à l’adoption de manuels ouverts n’entraînent pas une dégradation de la qualité des ressources ni des résultats des étudiants.


2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nanette P. Napier ◽  
Sonal Dekhane ◽  
Stella Smith

This paper describes the conversion of an introductory computing course to the blended learning model at a small, public liberal arts college. Blended learning significantly reduces face-to-face instruction by incorporating rich, online learning experiences. To assess the impact of blended learning on students, survey data was collected at the midpoint and end of semester, and student performance on the final exam was compared in traditional and blended learning sections. To capture faculty perspectives on teaching blended learning courses, written reflections and discussions from faculty teaching blended learning sections were analyzed. Results indicate that student performance in the traditional and blended learning sections of the course were comparable and that students reported high levels of interaction with their instructor. Faculty teaching the course share insights on transitioning to the blended learning format.


Author(s):  
Lisa Daniels ◽  
John C. Kane ◽  
Brian P. Rosario ◽  
Thomas A. Creahan ◽  
Carlos F. Liard-Muriente ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia J. Khanlarian ◽  
Rahul Singh

ABSTRACT Web-based homework (WBH) is an increasingly important phenomenon. There is little research about its character, the nature of its impact on student performance, and how that impact evolves over an academic term. The primary research questions addressed in this study are: What relevant factors in a WBH learning environment impact students' performance? And how does the impact of these factors change over the course of an academic term? This paper examines and identifies significant factors in a WBH learning environment and how they impact student performance. We studied over 300 students using WBH extensively for their coursework, throughout a semester in an undergraduate class at a large public university. In this paper, we present factors in the WBH learning environment that were found to have a significant impact on student performance during the course of a semester. In addition to individual and technological factors, this study presents findings that demonstrate that frustration with IT use is a component of the learning environment, and as a construct, has a larger impact than usefulness on student performance at the end of a course. Our results indicate that educators may benefit from training students and engaging them in utility of co-operative learning assignments to mitigate the level of frustration with the software in the WBH learning environment and improve student performance.


2021 ◽  
pp. 875687052098230
Author(s):  
Kelly Ann Swindlehurst ◽  
Ann Bassett Berry

The need for special educators who can support students with disabilities in the transition to adulthood is well documented in the literature. In this article, we will report on the program improvement efforts by one university to embed more evidence-based transition practices into their pre-service teacher preparation program with the support of a state personnel development grant. Key aspects of the program revision will be outlined and accompanied by online resources for faculty to utilize when seeking to improve their special education preparation program in the area of post-secondary transition. The pre-service teachers’ perceptions of the impact of the revision are included in the discussion; along with suggestions for future directions, research, and work in rural areas.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 128
Author(s):  
Sergej Lackmann ◽  
Pierre-Majorique Léger ◽  
Patrick Charland ◽  
Caroline Aubé ◽  
Jean Talbot

Millions of students follow online classes which are delivered in video format. Several studies examine the impact of these video formats on engagement and learning using explicit measures and outline the need to also investigate the implicit cognitive and emotional states of online learners. Our study compared two video formats in terms of engagement (over time) and learning in a between-subject experiment. Engagement was operationalized using explicit and implicit neurophysiological measures. Twenty-six (26) subjects participated in the study and were randomly assigned to one of two conditions based on the video shown: infographic video or lecture capture. The infographic video showed animated graphics, images, and text. The lecture capture showed a professor, providing a lecture, filmed in a classroom setting. Results suggest that lecture capture triggers greater emotional engagement over a shorter period, whereas the infographic video maintains higher emotional and cognitive engagement over longer periods of time. Regarding student learning, the infographic video contributes to significantly improved performance in matters of difficult questions. Additionally, our results suggest a significant relationship between engagement and student performance. In general, the higher the engagement, the better the student performance, although, in the case of cognitive engagement, the link is quadratic (inverted U shaped).


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