Exam Roulette - New Learning Technique to Reduce Essay-induced Anxiety

Exam Roulette can help diminish the general essay-induced anxiety that kids have before they write an exam.

Playing 'Exam Roulette', a week before exam can help reduce essay-induced anxiety in kids, finds a new study. This new learning technique devised by a researcher at American Physiological Society's (APS's) Institute can be a boon to kids who worry a lot when it comes to writing probable topics of essays.

At the American Physiological Society's (APS's) Institute on Teaching and Learning in Madison, Wis., Andrew Petzold, PhD, of the University of Minnesota Rochester Center for Learning Innovation, will discuss how a game of chance can lead to increased student preparation and motivation.

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Exam Roulette will allow students to preview potential essay questions a week before the actual exams. These students are allowed to ask questions about the potential essay topics, but they can't receive specific information about the content in essay responses and on the day of the exam, a 12-sided dice is used to assign students the question they will need to answer.

"Students often have negative associations with essay-only exams, either due to writing phobia, discomfort answering open-ended questions or being unsure of expectations or concepts being covered," Petzold said.

Petzold developed an assessment called "Exam Roulette" that allows students to preview potential essay questions a week before sitting for an exam. Students are allowed to ask clarifying questions about the potential essay topics, but they can't receive specific information about the content in essay responses. On the day of the exam, a 12-sided dice is used to assign students the question they will need to answer.

The additional preparation and novel approach may lead to a better experience and outcome for essay test takers. "Students report a greater motivation in studying, better retention of knowledge prior to and following the exam, and reduction in associated stress," Petzold said.

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Andrew Petzold, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota Rochester Center for Learning Innovation, will present the poster "Roll for essay: A mechanism for increasing self-accountability within summative assessment" on Thursday, June 21, at the Madison Concourse Hotel.

Source-Eurekalert

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