Enhancement of Exam Preparation Skills

Abstract

Problem Statement: Does exam feedback by the faculty change the study habits and life choices of the students to be successful on an exam? Faculty feedback on exams has been identified to increase engagement and help students to verbalize their thought processes, analyze their performance on exams, and adjust study strategies to improve learning. Context: First semester baccalaureate nursing in two introductory nursing courses at a public university are completing “exam wrappers” after each exam. The students will be able to identify and reflect on exam preparation. Approach: The faculty used “exam wrappers” to collect data following each exam. An “exam wrapper” is a group of questions at the end of an exam which identify student study habits and life choices (i.e. study preparation, number of hours worked, and number of hours of sleep) prior to an exam. Using “exam wrappers” and exam scores, faculty were able to identify those students that struggled to pass exams. Once the student was identified, faculty reached out to discuss results and counsel on study habits and life choices. Faculty used a checklist which included: attendance at the meeting, review of “exam wrappers,” review of exam questions, test taking strategies, discussion of exam preparedness, and a referral to peer tutoring. Students who passed the exams were able to identify and reflect on exam preparedness. Results: Faculty consultation with the students improved the exam preparedness and exam scores. Discussion: Faculty learned that all students benefit from identification and reflection of exam preparation. “Exam wrappers” could be an additional tool for faculty to increase student engagement and motivation.