Collaborative Exams to Promote Significant Learning in University Students in the Subjects of Cell Biology and Biochemistry

Abstract

Some teachers and researchers share the concern that one of the main obstacles involved in learning theoretical subjects, such as Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry or Biological Sciences, is the little practical sense that the student sees in them. Also, at the time of evaluation, there is a great concern about the amount of information that must be understood or retained generating anxiety, stress, confusion, among other factors. Therefore, it is important to create collaborative learning strategies that encourage student interactions, promoting peer education to achieve meaningful learning.ObjectiveKnow if collaborative exams promote significant learning in the subjects of Cell Biology and Biochemistry.Materials and methods107 university students from two biology and two biochemistry groups were considered. During a semester the subjects were taught following the programmatic content of each one, the subjects were biased, and exercises were applied between pairs of review, in addition 3 exams were applied collaboratively (in pairs or teams of 3). At the end of the semester, an adapted survey by Stokes, J. (2019) was applied, with questions aimed at assessing perceived learning, knowledge retention, peer‐to‐peer teaching experience and feelings towards group work.Results94.9% of the students stated that they like to take collaborative exams, 91% consider collaborative exams to be a valuable learning activity and 92.3% mention that they helped them retain knowledge due to the interaction generated in the Time to decide the correct answer.ConclusionsCollaborative exams are a peer learning strategy that can lead to meaningful learning, as well as helping to retain knowledge in subjects that are theoretical or even theoretical practical, improving their academic performance.Support or Funding InformationResearch supported and endorsed by the Michoacana University of San Nicolás of Hidalgo