Second Time is a Charm: The Impact of Correcting Missed Exam Questions on Student Learning

This study determined the learning benefit of correcting missed exam questions. The results show that in addition to exams being an assessment tool, they can also be used as a tool for student learning. The availability of this information will provide help considering design, development, and improvement of traditional assessment methods for student learning. Introduction and Objectives One of the missions of the university is to guide students in learning specific fundamental principles to enhance life-long learning. Assessment methods, such as exams, should test the student's understand­ ing ofthe material and provide feedback to stud~nts and professors (McKeachie, 2002). However, ~ven that exams provide an impetus for students to qUlckly study the class material right before the assessment date, exams often only evaluate the student's knowl­ edge at the time the exam is given ar:d re.grettably, often fail to be a learning tool. The typIcal hfecycle of an exam ends after it has been corrected by the professor and returned to the student. Risley (2007) observed an exam lifecycle similar to our own teach­ ing experiences: 1) students take exam, 2) professor grades exams, 3) professor returns graded exa~s, 4) students look at their grade, see what they mIssed, check to make sure the points were added correctly, 5) students place the graded exam in their notebooks, maybe never to be looked at again until it. is time to study for the final exam, if the final exam IS compre­ hensive. Few students may take the time to deter­ mine what they missed on a certain question and to re-work the problem or even correct their mistakes on the exam. Factors such as student procrastination, social activities, part-time employment, and busy exam schedules frequently lead to last-minute studying behavior, which may jeopardize the efficacy of exams as a tool to help students learn course material. Thus, there is a need to explore whether student learning could be enhanced by modifying the traditionallifecycle ofexams. Alternative teaching methods may provide some benefits to students' learning. Haskett (2001) explored many alternative teaching methods, such as reducing the number of lectures throughout the quarter, face to face evaluations rather th.an con,:en­ tional testing, resubmission of work untll a desIred grade is received, and oral presentations with literature reviews instead of term papers. Students' response to resubmitting their work was mostly positive, which suggests that this approa~hcoul? be a successful teaching method. Light (1990) mtervlewed thousands of students to determine the qualities of the best courses they had taken at the university. In his study, students expressed that one ~f the ch~;ac­ teristics of the highest ranked courses mcludes the opportunity to revise and improve the~r work befo~e it receives a final grade, thereby learnmg from theIr mistakes in the process" (Light, 1990, pp. 8-9). This finding is supported by Bain (2004) who suggests it is important to give students multiple cha~c~s to demonstrate their comprehension when admllllster­ inganexam. Many studies have examined the usefulne~s of retaking exams, homework assignments, and qUlzzes to enhance learning (e.g. Bacon and Beyrouty, 1988; Haskett, 2001; Nickels and Uddin, 2003; Brye et al., 2005; Risley, 2007). Results ofthese studies generally show that students do better on the makeup exams regardless of whether the date of the makeup ~s announced, they work in groups, or they can use th~lr notes. These studies also demonstrated some phySIO­ logical benefit for the students who reported greater inter-student cooperation. Bacon and Beyrouty (1988) reported increased interest in the course while lAssistant Professor and contact author, Agribusiness Department; Phone: 805-756-5045; Fax: 805-756-5040; E-mail: [email protected] 'Associate Professor