A Mixed Exam Format Closes the Gap for Students with a Conflict between Their Religious Belief & the Theory of Evolution

2014 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathrin F. Stanger-Hall ◽  
Julianne A. Wenner
Keyword(s):  
Student Performance ◽  
Religious Belief ◽  
Religious Conflict ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Final Exam ◽  
Constructed Response ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Acceptance Of Evolution ◽  
Introductory Biology Course

We assessed the performance of students with a self-reported conflict between their religious belief and the theory of evolution in two sections of a large introductory biology course (N = 373 students). Student performance was measured through pretest and posttest evolution essays and multiple-choice (MC) questions (evolution-related and non-evolution-related questions) on the final exam and posttest. The two class sections differed only in exam format: MC with or without constructed-response (CR) questions. Although students with a reported conflict scored significantly lower on the final exam in the MC-only section, they scored equally well in the MC+CR section, and all students in the MC+CR section performed significantly better overall. As a result, (1) a religious conflict with evolution can be negatively associated with student achievement in introductory biology, but (2) assessment with constructed response was associated with a closed performance gap between students with and without a conflict. We suggest that differences in exam format and focus on student acceptance of evolution (either evidence-based or opinion), rather than reported conflict, may contribute to the inconsistencies in student learning of evolution across research studies, and that CR questions may help students overcome other obstacles to learning evolution.

scholarly journals Learn before Lecture: A Strategy That Improves Learning Outcomes in a Large Introductory Biology Class

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 473-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marin Moravec ◽  
Adrienne Williams ◽  
Nancy Aguilar-Roca ◽  
Diane K. O'Dowd
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Learning Gains ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Class Time ◽  
Biology Class ◽  
Lecture Material ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Introductory Biology Course ◽  
Interactive Exercises

Actively engaging students in lecture has been shown to increase learning gains. To create time for active learning without displacing content we used two strategies for introducing material before class in a large introductory biology course. Four to five slides from 2007/8 were removed from each of three lectures in 2009 and the information introduced in preclass worksheets or narrated PowerPoint videos. In class, time created by shifting lecture material to learn before lecture (LBL) assignments was used to engage students in application of their new knowledge. Learning was evaluated by comparing student performance in 2009 versus 2007/8 on LBL-related question pairs, matched by level and format. The percentage of students who correctly answered five of six LBL-related exam questions was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in 2009 versus 2007/8. The mean increase in performance was 21% across the six LBL-related questions compared with <3% on all non-LBL exam questions. The worksheet and video LBL formats were equally effective based on a cross-over experimental design. These results demonstrate that LBLs combined with interactive exercises can be implemented incrementally and result in significant increases in learning gains in large introductory biology classes.

scholarly journals Differences in Metacognitive Regulation in Introductory Biology Students: When Prompts Are Not Enough

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. ar15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Dangremond Stanton ◽  
Xyanthe N. Neider ◽  
Isaura J. Gallegos ◽  
Nicole C. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Student Performance ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Metacognitive Knowledge ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Metacognitive Development ◽  
Metacognitive Regulation ◽  
Introductory Biology Course

Strong metacognition skills are associated with learning outcomes and student performance. Metacognition includes metacognitive knowledge—our awareness of our thinking—and metacognitive regulation—how we control our thinking to facilitate learning. In this study, we targeted metacognitive regulation by guiding students through self-evaluation assignments following the first and second exams in a large introductory biology course (n = 245). We coded these assignments for evidence of three key metacognitive-regulation skills: monitoring, evaluating, and planning. We found that nearly all students were willing to take a different approach to studying but showed varying abilities to monitor, evaluate, and plan their learning strategies. Although many students were able to outline a study plan for the second exam that could effectively address issues they identified in preparing for the first exam, only half reported that they followed their plans. Our data suggest that prompting students to use metacognitive-regulation skills is effective for some students, but others need help with metacognitive knowledge to execute the learning strategies they select. Using these results, we propose a continuum of metacognitive regulation in introductory biology students. By refining this model through further study, we aim to more effectively target metacognitive development in undergraduate biology students.

scholarly journals Replacing Lecture with Peer-led Workshops Improves Student Learning

2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 182-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph W. Preszler
Keyword(s):  
Student Learning ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Cooperative Groups ◽  
Underrepresented Minority ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Higher Level Thinking ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Introductory Biology Course ◽  
Improving Student Performance

Peer-facilitated workshops enhanced interactivity in our introductory biology course, which led to increased student engagement and learning. A majority of students preferred attending two lectures and a workshop each week over attending three weekly lectures. In the workshops, students worked in small cooperative groups as they solved challenging problems, evaluated case studies, and participated in activities designed to improve their general learning skills. Students in the workshop version of the course scored higher on exam questions recycled from preworkshop semesters. Grades were higher over three workshop semesters in comparison with the seven preworkshop semesters. Although males and females benefited from workshops, there was a larger improvement of grades and increased retention by female students; although underrepresented minority (URM) and non-URM students benefited from workshops, there was a larger improvement of grades by URM students. As well as improving student performance and retention, the addition of interactive workshops also improved the quality of student learning: Student scores on exam questions that required higher-level thinking increased from preworkshop to workshop semesters.

scholarly journals How Accurate Is Peer Grading?

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 482-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Freeman ◽  
John W. Parks
Keyword(s):  
Student Performance ◽  
Lower Order ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Practice Opportunities ◽  
Peer Grading ◽  
Introductory Biology Course ◽  
Answering Questions

Previously we showed that weekly, written, timed, and peer-graded practice exams help increase student performance on written exams and decrease failure rates in an introductory biology course. Here we analyze the accuracy of peer grading, based on a comparison of student scores to those assigned by a professional grader. When students graded practice exams by themselves, they were significantly easier graders than a professional; overall, students awarded ≈25% more points than the professional did. This difference represented ≈1.33 points on a 10-point exercise, or 0.27 points on each of the five 2-point questions posed. When students graded practice exams as a group of four, the same student-expert difference occurred. The student-professional gap was wider for questions that demanded higher-order versus lower-order cognitive skills. Thus, students not only have a harder time answering questions on the upper levels of Bloom's taxonomy, they have a harder time grading them. Our results suggest that peer grading may be accurate enough for low-risk assessments in introductory biology. Peer grading can help relieve the burden on instructional staff posed by grading written answers—making it possible to add practice opportunities that increase student performance on actual exams.

scholarly journals Increased Learning Observed in Redesigned Introductory Biology Course that Employed Web-enhanced, Interactive Pedagogy

2007 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 243-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl N. McDaniel ◽  
Bradford C. Lister ◽  
Michael H. Hanna ◽  
Harry Roy
Keyword(s):  
Biological Knowledge ◽  
Learning Gains ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Learning Gain ◽  
Final Exam ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Traditional Course ◽  
Introductory Biology Course ◽  
Student Composition ◽  
Made In

Our Introduction to Biology course (BIOL 1010) changed in 2004 from a standard instructor-centered, lecture-homework-exam format to a student-centered format that used Web-enhanced, interactive pedagogy. To measure and compare conceptual learning gains in the traditional course in fall 2003 with a section of the interactive course in fall 2004, we created concept inventories for both evolution and ecology. Both classes were taught by the same instructor who had taught BIOL 1010 since 1976, and each had a similar student composition with comparable biological knowledge. A significant increase in learning gain was observed with the Web-enhanced, interactive pedagogy in evolution (traditional, 0.10; interactive, 0.19; p = 0.024) and ecology (traditional, −0.05; interactive, 0.14; p = 0.000009) when assessment was made unannounced and for no credit in the last week of classes. These results strengthen the case for augmenting or replacing instructor-centered teaching with Web-enhanced, interactive, student-centered teaching. When assessment was made using the final exam in the interactive course, for credit and after studying, significantly greater learning gains were made in evolution (95%, 0.37, p = 0.0001) and ecology (143%, 0.34, p = 0.000003) when compared with learning gains measured without credit or study in the last week of classes.

scholarly journals Opportunities for Self-Evaluation Increase Student Calibration in an Introductory Biology Course

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. ar16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Osterhage ◽  
Ellen L. Usher ◽  
Trisha A. Douin ◽  
William M. Bailey
Keyword(s):  
Retrieval Practice ◽  
Public Institution ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Final Exam ◽  
Actual Performance ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Experimental Section ◽  
The Difference ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Introductory Biology Course

Accurate self-evaluation is critical for learning. Calibration describes the relationship between learners’ perception of their performance and their actual performance on a task. Here, we describe two studies aimed at assessing and improving student calibration in a first-semester introductory biology course at a 4-year public institution. Study 1 investigated students’ ( n = 310) calibration (the difference between estimated and actual exam performance) across one semester. Students were significantly miscalibrated for the first exam: their predicted scores were, on average, significantly higher than their actual scores. The lowest-performing students had the most inaccurate estimates. Calibration improved with each exam. By the final exam, students underestimated their scores. We initiated a second study in the following semester to examine whether explicitly teaching students about self-evaluation strategies would improve their calibration and performance. Instruction in the experimental section ( n = 290) focused on students’ tendency to overestimate their abilities and provided retrieval-practice opportunities. Students in the experimental section showed better calibration and performance on the first exam compared with students in a control section taught by a different instructor during the same semester ( n = 251). These findings suggest that simple instructional strategies can increase students’ metacognitive awareness and improve their performance.

scholarly journals Impact of evidence-based flipped or active-engagement non-flipped courses on student performance in introductory physics

2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (4) ◽  
pp. 411-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nafis I. Karim ◽  
Alexandru Maries ◽  
Chandralekha Singh
Keyword(s):  
Student Performance ◽  
Physics Education ◽  
Introductory Physics ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Active Engagement ◽  
Final Exam ◽  
Physics Courses ◽  
Engagement Strategies ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

We describe the impact of physics education research-based pedagogical techniques in flipped and active-engagement non-flipped courses on student performance on validated conceptual surveys. We compare student performance in courses that make significant use of evidence-based active engagement (EBAE) strategies with courses that primarily use lecture-based (LB) instruction. All courses had large enrollment and often had 100–200 students. The analysis of data for validated conceptual surveys presented here includes data from large numbers of students from two-semester sequences of introductory algebra-based and calculus-based introductory physics courses. The conceptual surveys used to assess student learning in the first and second semester courses were the Force Concept Inventory and the Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism, respectively. In the research discussed here, the performance of students in EBAE courses at a particular level is compared with LB courses in two situations: (i) the same instructor taught two courses, one of which was a flipped course involving EBAE methods and the other an LB course, while the homework, recitations, and final exams were kept the same; (ii) student performance in all of the EBAE courses taught by different instructors was averaged and compared with LB courses of the same type also averaged over different instructors. In all cases, we find that students in courses that make significant use of active-engagement strategies, on average, outperformed students in courses using primarily LB instruction of the same type on conceptual surveys even though there was no statistically significant difference on the pretest before instruction. We also discuss correlation between the performance on the validated conceptual surveys and the final exam, which typically placed a heavy weight on quantitative problem solving.

scholarly journals Foundation Skills for Scientists: An Evolving Program

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Dawson ◽  
Sarah Fedko ◽  
Nancy Johnston ◽  
Elaine Khoo ◽  
Sarah King ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Student Performance ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Knowledge Exchange ◽  
Just In Time ◽  
First Year ◽  
Collaborative Approach ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Large Lecture ◽  
Introductory Biology Course

We have undertaken an integrated and collaborative approach to developing foundational skills of students in a first year, Introductory Biology course. The course is a large lecture and laboratory course with enrollments ranging from 800-1000 per year. Teaching and Learning experts were brought into the course as weekly ‘Foundation Skills for Scientists’ sessions were created. The initial challenges were to have effective knowledge exchange between collaborators and create an integrated course syllabus. Once effective sessions were created, the next challenge was to improve student valuation of them. High value was only achieved when the skill sessions were tightly linked to course assignments and activities and was delivered ‘just in time’. Even then, the challenge has been to motivate students to realize that the sessions are directly relevant to them. Overall, student performance has improved since the program was initiated as measured by rate of retention in the course, overall course marks and quality of writing. Nous avons utilisé une approche intégrée et collaborative pour approfondir les compétences de base des étudiants de première année qui suivent un cours d’introduction à la biologie. Il s’agit d’un cours magistral et en laboratoire, auquel s’inscrivent entre 800 et 1000 étudiants par an. Ce cours a bénéficié de l’apport d’experts en enseignement et en apprentissage afin d’appuyer le développement de séances hebdomadaires portant sur les compétences de base en sciences. Les difficultés initiales étaient de susciter un échange de connaissances efficace entre les collaborateurs et de créer un plan de cours intégré. Une fois les séances organisées, la difficulté suivante a été de faire en sorte que les étudiants les apprécient davantage. Ces derniers les ont jugées très utiles uniquement lorsqu’elles étaient étroitement liées aux tâches et aux activités et lorsqu’elles étaient offertes au moment opportun. Même alors, le défi a consisté à motiver les étudiants afin qu’ils se rendent compte que les séances leur sont directement pertinentes. Dans l’ensemble, la performance des étudiants s’est améliorée depuis le début du programme comme l’indiquent les mesures du taux de persévérance dans le cours, les notes générales et la qualité de la rédaction.

scholarly journals Teaching Students How to Study: A Workshop on Information Processing and Self-Testing Helps Students Learn

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathrin F. Stanger-Hall ◽  
Floyd W. Shockley ◽  
Rachel E. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Student Achievement ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Testing Effect ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Final Exam ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Self Testing ◽  
N 93

We implemented a “how to study” workshop for small groups of students (6–12) for N = 93 consenting students, randomly assigned from a large introductory biology class. The goal of this workshop was to teach students self-regulating techniques with visualization-based exercises as a foundation for learning and critical thinking in two areas: information processing and self-testing. During the workshop, students worked individually or in groups and received immediate feedback on their progress. Here, we describe two individual workshop exercises, report their immediate results, describe students’ reactions (based on the workshop instructors’ experience and student feedback), and report student performance on workshop-related questions on the final exam. Students rated the workshop activities highly and performed significantly better on workshop-related final exam questions than the control groups. This was the case for both lower- and higher-order thinking questions. Student achievement (i.e., grade point average) was significantly correlated with overall final exam performance but not with workshop outcomes. This long-term (10 wk) retention of a self-testing effect across question levels and student achievement is a promising endorsement for future large-scale implementation and further evaluation of this “how to study” workshop as a study support for introductory biology (and other science) students.

scholarly journals Because Life Is Open Book: An Open Internet Family Medicine Clerkship Exam

PRiMER ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Erlich
Keyword(s):  
Family Medicine ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Clinical Performance ◽  
Resource Assessment ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Final Exam ◽  
Medicine Clerkship ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Competency Based

Introduction: A core principle of family medicine is information mastery, or application of principles of evidence-based medicine in clinical practice. While information mastery teaching and assessment are beginning to permeate postgraduate family medicine training programs, and while exciting literature on new open resource assessment methods is emerging, there are no prior descriptions of examinations that specifically assess medical students’ information mastery competency. Methods: To test information mastery competency, a novel final exam for the family medicine clerkship was developed, implemented, and evaluated. During the timed exam, the competency-based information mastery assessment (IMA) requires students to look up evidence-based information using web resources to answer case-based questions. Exam feasibility was tested with pilot examinees whose reactions were gauged. Student performance on the traditional closed book knowledge assessment (KA) was compared with performance on the open internet IMA. Exam performance was compared with preceptor ratings of students’ clinical performance. Low performers were further analyzed for preceptors’ ratings of specific student skills in information mastery and self-directed learning. Results: An open internet IMA testing knowledge application and information mastery skills is not only feasible but can also be educational. Student performance scores on the open internet IMA do not differ from scores on the closed book KA. Students describe many positive features of this open internet IMA. Student performance on the competency-based IMA correlates with clinical ratings by preceptors and with preceptors’ judgment of information mastery skills. Conclusions: A novel approach to assessment in family medicine clerkships may be used to assess student competency in information mastery. Further research is needed for enhanced exam validation.

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