Résumés
Abstract
The research was carried out to determine whether the use of group tests for undergraduate science students to augment lecture material in a second-year core course in microbiology would improve the retention of material on a subsequent regular mid-term/final exam. On three separate occasions, the students were asked to complete short multiple-choice tests individually and then were asked to get together in groups of 4 to re-answer the same questions. The discussions they had in the groups improved their individual marks by 10.9% in the first test, 14.5% in the second test and 20.9% in the third test. Overall, the class average was 2.5% better than the previous year. The majority of the students indicated that the group tests improved their understanding and helped them to learn the lecture material.
Keywords:
- Group-testing,
- collaborative testing,
- science,
- active learning,
- knowledge retention
Résumé
Le projet de recherche présenté ici a été conduit afin de déterminer si l’utilisation de tests de groupe pour supplémenter le matériel présenté dans un cours obligatoire de microbiologie de deuxième année de baccalauréat en science augmenterait la rétention de la matière dans une évaluation de mi-session ou de fin de session. À trois moments différents, les étudiants ont eu à compléter de courts tests à choix multiples et à ensuite se réunir en équipes de 4 afin de répondre aux mêmes questions. Ces discussions en groupes ont mené à une augmentation de 10,9% de leurs résultats individuels au premier test, de 14,5% au deuxième test et de 20,9% au troisième test. Dans l’ensemble, la moyenne du groupe a augmenté de 2,5% par rapport à l’année précédente. La majorité des étudiants ont indiqué que les tests de groupe les ont aidés à améliorer leur compréhension de la matière.
Mots-clés :
- tests de groupe,
- évaluation collaborative,
- science,
- apprentissage actif
Parties annexes
Bibliography
- Bloom, D. (2009). Collaborative test taking: Benefits for learning and retention. College Teaching, 57(4), 216–220. https://doi.org/10.1080/87567550903218646
- Bonwell, C. C., & Eison, J. A. (1991). Active learning: Creating excitement in the classroom. 1991 ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Reports. ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education. https://doi.org/ED340272
- Brame, C. J., & Biel, R. (2015). Test-enhanced learning: The potential for testing to promote greater learning in undergraduate science courses. Cell Biology Education, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.14-11-0208
- Breedlove, W., Burkett, T., & Winfield, I. (2004). Collaborative testing and test anxiety. Journal of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 4(2), 33–42.
- Cortright, R. N., Collins, H. L., Rodenbaugh, D. W., & DiCarlo, S. E. (2003). Student retention of course content Is improved by collaborative-group testing. AJP: Advances in Physiology Education, 27(3), 102–108. https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00041.2002
- Freeman, S., Eddy, S. L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(23), 8410–8415. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1319030111
- Gilley, B. H., & Clarkston, B. (2014). Collaborative testing: Evidence of learning in a controlled in-class study of undergraduate students. Journal of College Science Teaching, 43(3), 83–91. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107415324.004
- Giuliodori, M. J., Lujan, H. L., & DiCarlo, S. E. (2008). Collaborative group testing benefits high- and low-performing students. Advances in Physiology Education, 32(4), 274–278. https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00101.2007
- Karatzoglou, A., & Weimer, M. (2011). Collaborative preference learning. In Fürnkranz J., Hüllermeier E. (eds) Preference Learning Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. (pp. 409–427). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-14125-6_19
- Laal, M., & Ghodsi, S. M. (2012). Benefits of collaborative learning. In Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences (Vol. 31, pp. 486–490). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.12.091
- Leight, H., Saunders, C., Calkins, R., & Withers, M. (2012). Collaborative testing improves performance but not content retention in a large-enrollment introductory biology class. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 11(4), 392–401. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.12-04-0048
- Lord, T. R. (2001). 101 reasons for using cooperative learning in biology teaching. The American Biology Teacher, 63(1), 30–38. https://doi.org/10.1662/0002-7685(2001)063[0030:RFUCLI]2.0.CO;2
- Lujan, H. L., & DiCarlo, S. E. (2006). Too much teaching, not enough learning: What is the solution? Advances in Physiology Education, 30(1), 17–22. https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00061.2005
- Meseke, C. a, Nafziger, R., & Meseke, J. K. (2010). Student attitudes, satisfaction, and learning in a collaborative testing environment. The Journal of Chiropractic Education, 24(1), 19–29.
- Rivaz, M., Momennasab, M., & Shokrollahi, P. (2015). Effect of collaborative testing on learning and retention of course content in nursing students. Journal of Advances in Medical Education & Professionalism, 3(4), 178–182.
- Sandahl, S. S. (2009). Collaborative testing as a learning strategy in nursing education. Nursing Education Perspectives, 31(3), 142–147. https://doi.org/10.1043/1536-5026-31.3.142
- Shindler, J. V. (2004). Greater than the sum of the parts? Examining the soundness of collaborative exams in teacher education courses. Innovative Higher Education, 28(4), 273–283. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:IHIE.0000018910.08228.39
- Smith, A. C., Stewart, R., Shields, P., Hayes-Klosteridis, J., Robinson, P., & Yuan, R. (2005). Introductory biology courses: A framework to support active learning in large enrollment introductory science courses. Cell Biology Education, 4(2), 143–156. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.04-08-0048
- Srougi, M. C., Miller, H. B., Witherow, D. S., & Carson, S. (2013). Assessment of a novel group-centered testing schema in an upper-level undergraduate molecular biotechnology course. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education. https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.20701
- Vázquez-García, M. (2018). Collaborative-group testing improves learning and knowledge retention of human physiology topics in second-year medical students. Advances in Physiology Education. 42(2), 232–239. https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00113.2017
- Wiggs, C. M. (2011). Collaborative testing: Assessing teamwork and critical thinking behaviors in baccalaureate nursing students. Nurse Education Today, 31(3), 279–282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2010.10.027
- Zimbardo, P. G., Butler, L. D., & Wolfe, V. A. (2003). Cooperative college examinations: More gain, less pain when students share information and grades. The Journal of Experimental Education, 71(2), 101–125. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220970309602059