Difference between revisions of "Vary your assessments and retrieval exercises."

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Altering the frequency and type of retrieval exercises and assessments used in the classroom heavily impacts your students' retention of information.  Assessments should be cumulative in content, not only focusing on recently presented material, and focus on key concepts rather than random facts--this prevents students from 'selectively forgetting' certain concepts when studying.  Also, a study by Glover found that students' long-term retention of information was better when they were given multiple exams rather than a single, large one and professors consistently reviewed all concepts presented. Altering retrieval exercises and test formats challenges the students and increases their information retention by forcing them to recall it under differing contexts. 
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Altering retrieval exercises and test formats challenges students and increases their information retention by forcing them to recall it under differing contexts.  Assessments should be cumulative in content, not only focusing on recently presented material, and should focus on key concepts rather than random facts, preventing students from 'selectively forgetting' certain concepts when studying.  Glover (1989) found that students' long-term retention of information was better when they were given multiple exams rather than a single, large one and professors consistently reviewed all concepts presented.  
  
 
==Ideas for incorporation:==
 
==Ideas for incorporation:==
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* Administer cumulative assessments in order to prevent selective forgetting.  
 
* Administer cumulative assessments in order to prevent selective forgetting.  
  
* Vary your tests formats in order to challenge students and increase their long-term memoryYour course's assessments should not all be the same exact format--this fails to challenge your students and provides you and them with a false sense knowledge. Uniform test formats make your course easy and non-engaging for students.   
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* Vary your test formats.  Uniform test formats fail to challenge students and provides you and them with a false sense knowledge.  
  
* Vary your retrieval exercises.  Like in the case of assessments, varying your retrieval exercises challenges students to retrieve information under varying contexts and thus reinforces knowledge.   
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* Vary your retrieval exercises.  As in the case of assessments, varying retrieval exercises challenges students to use information under varying contexts and thus reinforces knowledge and understanding.   
  
 
Click [http://www.cengage.com/economics/mceachern/theteachingeconomist/retrieval.html here] for a helpful article on retrieval tests.       
 
Click [http://www.cengage.com/economics/mceachern/theteachingeconomist/retrieval.html here] for a helpful article on retrieval tests.       
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Click [http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/recordDetails.jsp?searchtype=advanced&pageSize=10&ERICExtSearch_SearchCount=1&ERICExtSearch_Facet_0=facet_au&ERICExtSearch_FacetValue_0=%22Glover%2C+John%22&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=Glover&eric_displayStartCount=1&ERICExtSearch_Operator_1=and&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_1=kw&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=kw&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_1=Glover%2C+J.+A.+%281989%29.+The+%22testing%22+phenomenon%3A+Not+gone+but+nearly+forgotten.+Journal+of+Educational+Psychology%2C+81%2C+392-399.&_pageLabel=RecordDetails&objectId=0900019b80120bbb&accno=EJ399803&_nfls=false here] to access the study.
 
Click [http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/recordDetails.jsp?searchtype=advanced&pageSize=10&ERICExtSearch_SearchCount=1&ERICExtSearch_Facet_0=facet_au&ERICExtSearch_FacetValue_0=%22Glover%2C+John%22&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=Glover&eric_displayStartCount=1&ERICExtSearch_Operator_1=and&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_1=kw&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=kw&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_1=Glover%2C+J.+A.+%281989%29.+The+%22testing%22+phenomenon%3A+Not+gone+but+nearly+forgotten.+Journal+of+Educational+Psychology%2C+81%2C+392-399.&_pageLabel=RecordDetails&objectId=0900019b80120bbb&accno=EJ399803&_nfls=false here] to access the study.
  
McEachern, William A. "THE TEACHING ECONOMIST." The Teaching Economist. Cengage Learning, 2008. Web. 10 June 2011. <http://www.cengage.com/economics/mceachern/theteachingeconomist/issue_34/index.html>.  Click [http://www.cengage.com/economics/mceachern/theteachingeconomist/issue_34/index.html here] to access the article.}}
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McEachern, William A. "THE TEACHING ECONOMIST." The Teaching Economist. Cengage Learning, 2008. Web. 10 June 2011. <http://www.cengage.com/economics/mceachern/theteachingeconomist/issue_34/index.html>.  Click [http://www.cengage.com/economics/mceachern/theteachingeconomist/issue_34/index.html here] to access the article.
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Revision as of 09:30, 21 October 2011

Altering retrieval exercises and test formats challenges students and increases their information retention by forcing them to recall it under differing contexts. Assessments should be cumulative in content, not only focusing on recently presented material, and should focus on key concepts rather than random facts, preventing students from 'selectively forgetting' certain concepts when studying. Glover (1989) found that students' long-term retention of information was better when they were given multiple exams rather than a single, large one and professors consistently reviewed all concepts presented.

Ideas for incorporation:

  • Space out your assessments rather than giving a single, large one.
  • Administer cumulative assessments in order to prevent selective forgetting.
  • Vary your test formats. Uniform test formats fail to challenge students and provides you and them with a false sense knowledge.
  • Vary your retrieval exercises. As in the case of assessments, varying retrieval exercises challenges students to use information under varying contexts and thus reinforces knowledge and understanding.

Click here for a helpful article on retrieval tests.