Easing the transition from school to university: actively involving Biomedical Science students in identifying and implementing effective revision

techniques to help incoming undergraduatesDr. Georgina Carr, Dr. Debra J Bevitt , Omar Haider (Stage 2 Biomedical Sciences),

Ryan Biddle (Stage 3 Physiology)

Background – identification of problem

• Phase 1 student summative assessment comprises mostly of EMI questions

• Prior to university, students have little experience of EMIs

• The student voice identified a need for revision strategy guidance particularly since there are a very limited number of past papers

Aims

• Gain a more complete understanding of the difficulties students encounter with regard to revision for EMI exams as they make the transition from school to higher education.

• Identify and evaluate effective revision styles in well performing students and relay these methods to incoming undergraduate students in order to ease the transition between the two sectors in terms of revision skills.

MethodsQuestionnaire related to revision styles

15 minute meetings with 15 high-scoring and 15 low-scoring Stage 1 students after semester 2 in course EMI for 3 different modules.

• ‘closer’ to the transition from A-level • Interviewed in semester 2 to allow time to settle in and develop revision strategies• Longitudinal impact on EMI performance can be monitored• SBMS phase adviser support system currently meets with low scoring students

Analysis of Questionnaire data• Reoccurring difficulties• Differences between low-scoring and high-scoring students • Common themes in better performing students• Strategies more common in high performers defined as effective revision strategies

Evaluation of Impact of Questionnaires• Quantitative: analysis of marks• Qualitative: collect student feedback via verbal discussions and emails

High achieving students try to understand and link concepts (concept mapping)

At A level students revise through past papers

-they test their learning

At university majority of students re-write their notes

-high performers re-write their notes from memory

-many poor performing students do NOT test their learning

Summary of main findings

Where at are we doing about this?Give past papers ?(do provide some IC-EMI papers but limited number) •Creating EMIs is labour intensive • Want to avoid students relying on academics.• Want students to be autonomous learners

Promote testing of learning through use of StudyMate (self and peer assessment)

Revision strategies seminar

Bb community/BMS homepage – direction to various revision aids including MCQs

ePortfolio – reflection on revision techniques

StudyMate = student-led revision tool. Students can use StudyMate to test their learning in a fun, engaging way

Students can create a range of self testing applications

-12 in total including quizzes, crosswords etc. suited to different learning styles

-Can create, edit and review items – aids learning process

-Students can work together or individually to create items

-Students can compete against each other on tests

-Students can select language - suited to international students

Teacher has a facilitatory role

-Can provide content for students to review

-Initially can control editing and provide questions

-Can view edits, reviews, grades of students

What is StudyMate?

StudyMate helps students build their knowledge base – ideal for stage 1 Biomedical Sciences

Active learning - fun, engaging method of revision

Appeals to many learning styles

Integrates with Blackboard AND iPhones, iPods,Blackberrys and more!

Access via SBMS teaching website:

Why StudyMate?

https://teaching.ncl.ac.uk/bms/

http://www.respondus.com/products/studymate/demos.shtml

http://www.respondus.com/downloads/SMC-Student-Guide.pdf

3 month free trial: SBMS, ISS and QuILT carried out test run with student focus group – Stage 3 students from a range of degrees

Implementation of StudyMate

Overall positive feedback

Nice, play-like environment and interface, easy to understand and use. Creates competition for both an individual and a group

Overall, the experience was positive and I would recommend StudyMate as a revision tool.

A truly excellent learning platform, I honestly wish even half of the features had been around during my first and second year.

Introduced to Stage 1 Biomedical Sciences students (Dec 2012)-Prizes /focus group results to encourage engagement

-Cost: £3207 for campus wide site license

Long term - assess impact through usage, ePortfolio comments ,

analysis of summative assessment results

-Use as a source of qs for future exams

SummaryStudy of stage 1 semester 2 Biomedical Sciences students revealed:

•High performers try to understand and link concepts•High performers self-test using methods other than past papers

Establish a student-led revision aid called StudyMate ®, a Windows authoring tool that allows students to create a range of self-testing applications Students are actively involved in identifying, analysing and creating revision led tools:

•Partners in project•Student questionnaire data and feedback help mould the students’ learning of the future•StudyMate allows students to create own self testing resources

Acknowledgements

Karl Cain, Richard Young

Marc Bennett, Mike Cameron

SBMS – Rachel Hewson and Debbie Bevitt

Omar Haider and Ryan Biddle

UTLSEC

Student Focus Group

Questions?

At A level: revision is through past papers

-you test what you have learnt

Problem = limited number of past papers (EMI)

-Students who perform well in EMI exams find other ways to test their learning

Revision Strategies Study

Revision Strategies –Test your Learning

Write questions and answer Answer questions in textbooks Write summary Summarise out loud Explain exam topics to peers Spider diagrams/mind maps Flash cards

WITHOUT NOTES

TEST YOUR LEARNING AND UNDERSTAND

Revision Strategies – other tips

TEST YOUR LEARNING

Revision timetables Rhymes and mnemonics Use of colours Scrutiny of marking criteria

Revision is an individualised process – work out what is best for you: ‘learn how to learn’

Access via blackboard TEST https://blackboardtest.ncl.ac.uk/ via FIREFOX.

Link is on the SBMS teaching website

Once on BB test go to NMB84: Marc Test  Select StudyMate from the menu bar.

There are two items available; ‘Test Quiz’ and ‘Exam Revision’.  Test Quiz -a free for all where you can try out the program and add any questions/fact s no matter how off topic. Exam Revision- please only add serious questions in here that will benefit you and your coursemates. Use quick user guide (http://www.respondus.com/downloads/SMC-Student-Guide.pdf) to help input information. USE TOPICS TO INDICATE WHICH MODULE.

  If you have a smartphone you can download the Studymate App here:http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/studymate-lms-edition/id365544608?mt=8   https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respondus.studymateclass&hl=en   Once downloaded look up our institution then login using your blackboard login. Once you have built up a range of questions you can test yourself on them anytime using this app. If you have any problems with the software or logging in please email it.servicedesk@ncl.ac.uk  

Then Put link to nick morris website and sources of help

StudyMate Instructions

StudyMate

Prizes for the best top 3 questions written using StudyMate!

The revision help has provided me with some useful revision strategies that I

plan to use in the future

1 2 3 4

10% 10%10%

70%1. Strongly agree2. agree3. Disagree4. Strongly disagree

Impact of Questionnaires on StaffThanks, I shall use this with my tuteesDr C.I. BaldwinHead of School of Biomedical Sciences   

I think the revision strategy guide for our phase 1 appointments is an excellent idea. I have in past appointments gone through many of these strategies with students but having a grid to work through has just given the meetings a lot more structure which has actually helped me to keep to time with my appointments.

Going through the grid has actually put the students at ease regarding what to expect from the meeting. I think many students perceive the meeting as a 'bit of a telling off' and therefore come in quite defensive and negative in some cases. Having a relatively simple and honestly answered grid to fill in puts the students at ease and actually makes them leave with a positive and proactive approach for any future revision.Dr. Lindsey FerrieSenior Teaching Fellow in Pharmacology   

Strategy Used inA level studies or equivalent?

Used in Semester 1?

Any comments on effectiveness?

Past papers - completed using notes or without notes

Rewriting study notes – completed using notes or without notes

Revision cards/ Flash cards - created using notes or without notes

Write own questions and subsequently attempt questions using notes or without notes

Applying information to the ‘real world’ – why it is important to know this information e.g. insulin signalling in diabetes

Rhymes and mnemonics (e.g. Never Eat Shredded Wheat to remember North East South West)

Student’s EMI mark for ……………..exam:______ Student’s Semester 1 mean EMI (excl. practical) mark:_____ A level grades:_____________ Begin by asking the student to think back to the key revision techniques they used in sixth form. Did they employ any of the following methods and have they used them over the last semester:

StrategyUsed inA level studies or equivalent?

Used in Semester 1?

Any comments on effectiveness?

Analogies (e.g. binding of many proteins to the insulin receptor substrate is like pigs suckling on their mother)

Discussion of exam topics with peers

Change of one form of information into another e.g. diagrams to words

Scrutiny of marking criteria to understand what is required

Mind maps/spider diagrams

Use of colour to enable better recall of themes

Revision timetable

Other strategies?

Other QuestionsOn a scale of 1-10, where 10 is most confident, how confident are you that your revision techniques will help you to perform well in an EMI exam? _____On a scale of 1-10, where 10 is excellent and 1 is poor, how would you rate your recall of material and details? _____On average, how much time do you allocate to your studies per day (including lectures, seminars, practicals)? _____ General comments/other factors affecting performance e.g. personal issues__________________________________________________________________

Strategy Used inA level studies or equivalent?

Used in Semester 1?

Any comments on effectiveness?

Past papers - completed using notes or without notes

Rewriting study notes – completed using notes or without notes

Revision cards/ Flash cards - created using notes or without notes

Write own questions and subsequently attempt questions using notes or without notes

Applying information to the ‘real world’ – why it is important to know this information e.g. insulin signalling in diabetes

Rhymes and mnemonics (e.g. Never Eat Shredded Wheat to remember North East South West)

Student’s EMI mark for ……………..exam:______ Student’s Semester 1 mean EMI (excl. practical) mark:_____ A level grades:_____________ Begin by asking the student to think back to the key revision techniques they used in sixth form. Did they employ any of the following methods and have they used them over the last semester:

Impact of Questionnaires on Students Questionnaires received positively

‘I will definitely use some of the techniques you talked about. Writing out questions as you revise is definitely a good suggestion’

I mentioned i'd be interested in supplying you with data as i was in the process of changing my learning techniques and work ethic this year as compared to last year. I said I'd already seen favorable results so far as i got 71% in my cmb2002 ic-emi (  a great improvement in my opinion) using only a few of the techniques that you had mentioned and was interested in seeing how much more i could achieve.

In the meetings I have had so far many of the students have commented on how they appreciate going through the positives and negatives of each strategy and whether they would take them forward as a new approach to their revision.

Impact of Questionnaires on StudentsPoor performers’ mean scores in the ICEMI and end of module exam

% in

cre

ase

in m

ark

(co

mp

ared

to

IEM

I)Poor

Overa

ll20

40

60

80

**

Mar

k (

%)

20

40

60

80

****

ICEMI End of Module Exam

Percentage increase in mark for the ICEMI to the end of module exams significantly greater in poor performers compared to the overall student cohort

ResultsS

core

PoorHig

h

20

40

60

80

100

****

Mean IC-EMI mark

Gra

de

PoorHig

h

6

7

8

9

Gra

de

PoorHig

h

5

6

7

8

Gra

de

PoorHig

h

5

6

7

8

Student’s self- rating of confidence in their: Revision strategies Memory Mean daily study hours

Key Finding 1: High achieving students try to understand and link concepts (concept mapping)

High scoring students report

Application is key to understanding what it is all about’;

‘I like to understand and not just memorise. I do extra reading to help’’

‘I relate modules to each other ‘ demonstrating a deeper approach to learning

Low scoring students report

‘ I re-write my notes about 3 times in total’

Key Finding 2: High performers test their learning (retrieval practice)

At A level both poor and high performers interviewed used past papers as their key revision strategy (91% and 88% respectively)

At university both groups rewrite their notes but proportion of students using this technique without their notes i.e. from memory (retrieval practice) is greater in high performers (80% versus 36%)

I rewrite the PowerPoint slides from the lecture in blocks of text and learn this. I then test my knowledge by looking at the titles of the ppt slides and say out loud what the slide is all about (without notes)’

I read about 20 sheets of notes then I put them away for about 20 minutes and do something else. I then try to remember everything by going through it in my head (without notes)and what I can’t remember I re-write again as condensed notes, diagrams and use colours.’