scholarly journals The retention benefits of cumulative versus non-cumulative midterms in introductory biology may depend on students’ reasoning skills

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0250143
Author(s):  
Elizabeth G. Bailey ◽  
Rebeka F. Greenall ◽  
Madeleine M. Tullis ◽  
Kurt R. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Student Learning ◽  
Exam Performance ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Final Exam ◽  
Mathematics Courses ◽  
Term Retention ◽  
Long Term Retention ◽  
Reasoning Skills ◽  
And Mathematics

Assessment has long played an important role as a measurement tool of student mastery over course content. However, testing has also been shown to be an effective learning tool. Cumulative testing, in which all material from the entire learning period is covered, has been assumed to be effective, yet few studies have explicitly tested its effectiveness compared to non-cumulative testing. Studies in psychology and mathematics courses suggest that cumulative final exams increase long-term retention of information, and cumulative testing during the semester can increase cumulative final exam performance and long-term retention. Because frequent testing has also been shown to increase student learning, the purpose of this quasi-experimental study is to investigate the effects of cumulative versus non-cumulative midterms on student learning in a course that uses frequent assessment. In this study, one section of an introductory biology course for non-majors was given seven cumulative midterms, with about half of the questions drawn from previous units and the rest covering the current unit. The other section was given seven non-cumulative midterms that focused on current material while other course characteristics were held constant. Student performance on a common, cumulative final exam and a retention exam five months later were compared. Midterm format had no effect on final exam performance, contradicting the few studies done in psychology and mathematics courses. Thus, there may be no additional benefit of cumulative testing if exams are given frequently. Cumulative midterms appeared to increase retention after five months, but only for students who entered the course with low reasoning skills. Interestingly, students with high reasoning skills appeared to retain more from the course if they were given non-cumulative midterms. Possible explanations and ideas for future research are discussed.

Brief Report: The Keller Plan, Final Examinations, and Long-Term Retention

1986 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-68
Author(s):  
Jane M. Watson
Keyword(s):  
Final Examination ◽  
College Level ◽  
Mathematics Courses ◽  
Personalized System Of Instruction ◽  
Mastery Orientation ◽  
Study Guides ◽  
Term Retention ◽  
Personalized System ◽  
Long Term Retention

The Keller Plan for a personalized system of instruction as applied to college-level courses is usually characterized by (a) individual pacing, (b) a mastery orientation, (c) the presence of student tutors, (d) the use of printed study guides, and (e) the inclusion of a few lectures for enrichment (Kulik, Kulik, & Carmichael, 1974). In mathematics courses the plan has led to positive reactions from students, lower dropout rates, and higher final examination scores (Anderson & Pritchett, 1977; Peluso & Baranchik, 1977; Rogers & Young, 1977; Struik & Flexer, 1977; Waits & Riner, 1975; Weir, 1977). The issue of the long-term retention of concepts in personalized mathematics courses, however, appears not to have been addressed.

scholarly journals Effect of the Instruction Time of the Day on Student Learning

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nasim Muhammad ◽  
Gaganpreet Sidhu ◽  
Seshasai Srinivasan
Keyword(s):  
Student Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
First Year ◽  
Instruction Time ◽  
Term Retention ◽  
Early Afternoon ◽  
Long Term Retention ◽  
Better Than

<p class="Abstract">In this work, we analyze the effect of the instruction time of the day on student learning in a programming course taught to first-year undergraduate students in an engineering program. A total of 174 students were split into three different sections, each having a different class time. All sections were taught the same material and by the same instructor. It was found that students in the morning and early afternoon sections performed better than the students in the late afternoon section. In all three sections, there is evidence of long-term retention of concepts, which is attributed to the intervention based active learning environment that uses the principles of constructivism. Specifically, the techniques of reinforcement and feedback help with long term retention and avoiding learning of wrong concepts with immediate corrective feedback.</p>

scholarly journals Retrieval Practice for Improving Long-Term Retention in Anatomical Education: A Quasi-Experimental Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad B. Azzam ◽  
Ronald A. Easteal
Keyword(s):  
Student Performance ◽  
Educational Software ◽  
Retrieval Practice ◽  
Gross Anatomy ◽  
Final Exam ◽  
Term Retention ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Long Term Retention ◽  
Gross Anatomy Course

AbstractIt is generally assumed by students that learning takes place during repeated episodes of rereading and rote memorization of course materials. Over the past few decades, however, research has increasingly indicated that the said notion can and should be enhanced with learning paradigms such as retrieval practice (RP). RP occurs when students practice retrieving their consolidated semantic memories by informally testing themselves. This strategy results in the re-encoding and re-consolidation of existing semantic memories, thus strengthening their schemas. The purpose of this quasi-experimental design was to assess the effects of the implementation of RP on student performance on the final exam in a large, undergraduate Gross Anatomy course. It was hypothesized that student participation in RP during class would improve their performance on the final exam in the course. The participants (N = 248) were mainly in Life Sciences, Kinesiology, and Physical Education programs. They answered RP questions using TopHat©, an online educational software platform. The results of this study indicated that student performance on the final exam was enhanced when students engaged in RP. It was concluded that the use of RP effectively enhances learning and long-term retention of semantic memory. In addition to the traditional testing ‘of’ learning, teachers are encouraged to implement testing, in the form of RP, in their classrooms ‘for’ learning.

The Effect of a Final Exam on Long-Term Retention

2013 ◽  
Vol 140 (3) ◽  
pp. 224-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnold Lewis Glass ◽  
Margaret Ingate ◽  
Neha Sinha
Keyword(s):  
Final Exam ◽  
Term Retention ◽  
Long Term Retention

Long-term retention is greater following closed-book tests than open-book tests

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pooja K. Agarwal ◽  
Jeffrey D. Karpicke ◽  
Sean H. Kang ◽  
Henry L. Roediger ◽  
Kathleen B. McDermott
Keyword(s):  
Open Book ◽  
Term Retention ◽  
Long Term Retention

Retrieval practice promotes long-term retention irrespective of the placement

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
alice latimier ◽  
Arnaud Rierget ◽  
Son Thierry Ly ◽  
Franck Ramus
Keyword(s):  
Retention Interval ◽  
Retrieval Practice ◽  
Memory Retention ◽  
Term Retention ◽  
Long Term Retention

The current study aimed at comparing the effect of three placements of the re-exposure episodes on memory retention (interpolated-small, interpolated-medium, postponed), depending on whether retrieval practice or re-reading was used, and on retention interval (one week vs one month).

scholarly journals Efficacy of implementing intermittent STOP THE BLEED® reviews on long term retention of hemorrhage control skills of first year medical students

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Enkhtsogt Sainbayar ◽  
Nathan Holt ◽  
Amber Jacobson ◽  
Shalini Bhatia ◽  
Christina Weaver
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Training Session ◽  
Likert Scale ◽  
Control Group ◽  
First Year ◽  
Hemorrhage Control ◽  
Term Retention ◽  
Long Term Retention

Abstract Context Some medical schools integrate STOP THE BLEED® training into their curricula to teach students how to identify and stop life threatening bleeds; these classes that are taught as single day didactic and hands-on training sessions without posttraining reviews. To improve retention and confidence in hemorrhage control, additional review opportunities are necessary. Objectives To investigate whether intermittent STOP THE BLEED® reviews were effective for long term retention of hemorrhage control skills and improving perceived confidence. Methods First year osteopathic medical students were asked to complete an eight item survey (five Likert scale and three quiz format questions) before (pretraining) and after (posttraining) completing a STOP THE BLEED® training session. After the surveys were collected, students were randomly assigned to one of two study groups. Over a 12 week intervention period, each group watched a 4 min STOP THE BLEED® review video (intervention group) or a “distractor” video (control group) at 4 week intervals. After the 12 weeks, the students were asked to complete an 11 item survey. Results Scores on the posttraining survey were higher than the pretraining survey. The median score on the five Likert scale items was 23 points for the posttraining survey and 14 points for the pretraining survey. Two of the three knowledge based quiz format questions significantly improved from pretraining to posttraining (both p<0.001). On the 11 item postintervention survey, both groups performed similarly on the three quiz questions (all p>0.18), but the intervention group had much higher scores on the Likert scale items than the control group regarding their confidence in their ability to identify and control bleeding (intervention group median = 21.4 points vs. control group median = 16.8 points). Conclusions Intermittent review videos for STOP THE BLEED® training improved medical students’ confidence in their hemorrhage control skills, but the videos did not improve their ability to correctly answer quiz-format questions compared with the control group.

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