An Investigation of Knowledge Retention Using Two-Stage Exams in Undergraduate Biology
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Date
2024-07-04
Authors
Judge, Abby
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Abstract
Although active learning is typically thought of as an in-class experience, this concept can be further applied to assessments as well. Two-stage exams allow for the unique experience of students working collaboratively during examinations, following the completion of the individual stage. Although two-stage exams have been shown to improve student learning gains, the effects of two-stage exams on retention of course content remains variable. I examined the effects of two-stage exams on knowledge retention at various Bloom’s level (Remember, Understand, and Apply) to determine whether two-stage exams promote knowledge retention at various levels of cognitive thinking. A two-stage in-class test followed by the re-testing of questions answered individually or in groups at subsequent time points (5, 48, and 85 days) allowed testing for knowledge retention. Our results indicate that group questions improve knowledge retention at relatively long time periods across all Bloom’s levels while also promoting retention at more complex Bloom’s levels at intermediate and relatively long time periods. Additionally, our analysis reveals that an average of 40% of individual only questions are forgotten by the final exam, while only an average of 19.5% of group questions are forgotten by the final exam. These results indicate that two-stage exams promote the ability to retain complex information at relatively long time periods.
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Active Learning, two-stage exams, information retention, knowledge retention