Use of Practice Tests with Immediate Feedback in an Undergraduate Molecular Biology Course

Autor/in	Plasencia, Javier
Titel	Use of Practice Tests with Immediate Feedback in an Undergraduate Molecular Biology Course
Quelle	In: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 51 (2023) 1, S.65-73 (9 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Plasencia, Javier)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1470-8175
DOI	10.1002/bmb.21695
Schlagwörter	Molecular Biology; Genetics; Science Tests; College Science; Multiple Choice Tests; Grades (Scholastic); College Students; Computer Assisted Testing; Feedback (Response) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Molekularbiologie; Humangenetik; Multiple choice examinations; Multiple-choice tests, Multiple-choice examinations; Multiple-Choice-Verfahren; Notenspiegel; Collegestudent
Abstract	Multiple studies have shown that testing contributes to learning at all educational levels. In this observational classroom study, we report the use of a learning tool developed for a Genetics and Molecular Biology course at the college level. An interactive set of practice exams that included 136 multiple choice questions (MCQ) or matching queries was developed in the open-source Moodle platform. All MCQ questions contained four answer choices and configured for immediate feedback upon answering. Feedback consisted of providing the right answer and a short explanation of the learning objective examined. The interactive material was tested and refined for several semesters. Usefulness of this tool was assessed in two distinct settings: (1) during a face-to-face semester (Fall 2019) by comparing the grades in a final departmental exam between students who used the tool and those who did not, and (2) during an online semester (Fall 2020) by analyzing the grades in the first and last attempts on study sessions and students' performance in monthly exams. We found that when solving practice tests, students obtained a significantly higher scores in the last attempt compared with their first attempt, and that students who used the material performed better than those who did not. In all cases, answering the practice exams was optional, but students made full use of them preferentially during the online semester. This classroom research exemplifies the documented effectiveness of practice tests enhanced with feedback in biological sciences education through an open-source learning platform. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01