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How Extra Credit Quizzes and Test Corrections Improve Student Learning While Reducing Stress

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Conference

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Location

Virtual On line

Publication Date

June 22, 2020

Start Date

June 22, 2020

End Date

June 26, 2021

Conference Session

ET Pedagogy III

Tagged Division

Engineering Technology

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

16

DOI

10.18260/1-2--34732

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/34732

Download Count

2428

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Paper Authors

biography

Brian Scott Rice Rochester Institute of Technology

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Dr. Brian S. Rice is an assistant professor in the Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology Department at Rochester Institute of Technology since 2016. He joined the RIT faculty after spending over 25 years in applied research while working at University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics, Lockheed Martin Corporation, and Eastman Kodak Company. Areas of applied research include system dynamics and controls, solid mechanics, heat transfer, and fluid-structure interactions. Dr. Rice specializes in the application of CAE and optimization techniques in the design of efficient electromechanical systems. He currently holds six patents and is lead author on four journal articles.

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Abstract

How does a teacher enhance in-class student engagement while maintaining a non-threatening classroom experience? What can teachers change to make exams a more positive learning experience? Both of these questions address key pedagogical issues that all teachers struggle with in higher education. To address these issues well known pedagogical techniques, in-class extra credit quizzes (ECQ) and optional test corrections, were implemented in a college introductory mechanics class at Rochester Institute Technology. Student surveys that consisted of multiple choice questions and open ended questions were used to judge the effectiveness of these pedagogical factors on learning. Survey results indicate that ECQ and test corrections were implemented in such a way that students believe that their learning was significantly enhanced while maintaining a non-threatening classroom experience. However there is no perfect solution. When using extra credit to enhance learning, care must be exercised to prevent unfairness among students and grade inflation. Details of how extra credit pedagogical strategies were implemented to minimize these negative effects are also discussed.

Keywords: stress, anxiety, extra credit, pop quizzes, attention quizzes, test corrections, teaching strategies, learning from mistakes, student engagement

Rice, B. S. (2020, June), How Extra Credit Quizzes and Test Corrections Improve Student Learning While Reducing Stress Paper presented at 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual On line . 10.18260/1-2--34732

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