Sanborn, M. J., & Purchase, K. T., & Barry, B. E. (2012, June), Kicking Out the Crutch: The Impact of Formula Sheets on Student Performance and Learning  Paper presented at 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, San Antonio, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--21630

\bibitem{asee_peer_21630}
  Sanborn, M. J., \& Purchase, K. T., \& Barry, B. E. (2012, June), \emph{Kicking Out the Crutch: The Impact of Formula Sheets on Student Performance and Learning}
  Paper presented at 2012 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, San Antonio, Texas.
  10.18260/1-2--21630

Marc J. Sanborn P.E., Kathryn T. Purchase, and Brock E. Barry P.E..  "Kicking Out the Crutch: The Impact of Formula Sheets on Student Performance and Learning".  2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, San Antonio, Texas, 2012, June.  ASEE Conferences, 2012.  https://peer.asee.org/21630 Internet.  08 Oct, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_21630}
  Marc J. Sanborn P.E., Kathryn T. Purchase, and Brock E. Barry P.E..
  "Kicking Out the Crutch: The Impact of Formula Sheets on Student Performance and Learning".
  \emph{2012 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, San Antonio, Texas, 2012, June}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2012.
  https://peer.asee.org/21630 Internet.  08 Oct, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_21630
author = "Marc J. Sanborn P.E., Kathryn T. Purchase, and Brock E. Barry P.E."
title = "Kicking Out the Crutch: The Impact of Formula Sheets on Student Performance and Learning"
booktitle = "2012 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition"
year = "2012"
month = "June"
address = "San Antonio, Texas"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/21630}
number = {10.18260/1-2--21630}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  -                             Kicking out the Crutch:           The Impact of Formula Sheets on Student Performance and                                   Learning         In many undergraduate engineering courses the use of reference materials beyond thecourse text or study notes during examinations is common practice. The reference materials areusually prepared by the student or provided by the instructor and consist of condensed notesheets that typically provide fundamental equations and other course material that the instructorfeels is not necessary to memorize. While these reference materials have many names (cribsheets, reference data cards, formula sheets, cheat sheets, etc.) they all generally serve the samepurpose. The common perception is that these materials will shift the student’s preparation focusaway from rote memorization and allow the student to focus on course concepts and applicationof the provided information, therefore enhancing student learning. Some studies have shownthat the use of these reference materials may enhance performance on examinations, but fewhave addressed their impact on learning and retention of the information within the term.        In an effort to better understand the impact of the use of reference materials onexaminations, this paper will attempt to address the research question of whether or not the useof reference cards increases performance on examinations in an introductory-level civilengineering course. Furthermore, the paper will attempt to address whether or not the use ornon-use of these reference cards has any impact on learning or short-term retention. The impacton learning and short-term retention will be evaluated using a test-retest assessment.         While junior- and senior-level civil engineering courses, such as code-based courses,often demand the use of reference materials, this study focuses on an introductory statics andmechanics of materials course where students are first exposed to fundamental concepts in civilengineering. The introductory statics and mechanics of materials course has historicallyprovided students with a reference data card listing key equations and course concepts. After thelatest assessment of the course, the decision was made to no longer provide students with thereference data card. In order to determine the impact on performance and short-term retention,historical examination data from ten sections of students (n=216) that were provided a referencecard will be compared to examination data from 11 sections of students without reference cards(n=207). In addition, an ungraded concept inventory survey is compared from both populations.Student populations are normalized by their grade point average to ensure a relevant comparison.        In addition to investigating the research question above, this paper will review the theorybehind the practice of using examination reference materials and discuss the motivation behindremoving the reference data card. Finally, the paper will suggest further study to investigate theimpact on longer-term retention of concepts. This study will be important to instructors thatcurrently use or are considering the use of reference materials on examinations by providing atheoretical framework for their use and an assessment of their impact on student learning.
AU  - Marc J. Sanborn P.E.
AU  - Kathryn T. Purchase
AU  - Brock E. Barry P.E.
CY  - San Antonio, Texas
DA  - 2012/06/10
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Kicking Out the Crutch: The Impact of Formula Sheets on Student Performance and Learning
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/21630
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--21630
ER  -