Correct your own exam. Exercises for university students to develop writing skills in biology

José A Hódar,Eugenio Martín-Cuenca,Carmen Pérez-Martínez,Enrique Iáñez-Pareja,Amalia E Morales,H Çalişkan,Ş Beşoluk,E Masal,I Önder

doi:10.1051/shsconf/20162601079

Abstract

This work describes a project intended to improve an essential aspect of student learning, i.e. writing essay tests, directed to students of the Undergraduate Degree in Biology at the University of Granada (Spain). Previous results indicate that most students are well prepared and understand most of the concepts basic to Biology, as reflected in the multiple-choice questions, but perform poorly when answering the essay questions. This work seeks to improve speech, writing, and conceptual organization of student responses in the essay questions, and to maintain skills developed during this project. The core of the project was a session of correcting written exercises, conducted in groups during class time and led by the teacher. The analysis of the scores reveals better student performance, reflecting the usefulness of these exercises for improving the students’ skills in written expression

Highlights

Diversity of the student body; and 6) evaluation and monitoring of both student progress and the learning programs
Evaluation, the last point mentioned by Kift [5], is frequently overlooked as a learning tool
The course evaluation is a valuable tool of teaching and learning because it can provide useful feedback both for teachers and their institution concerning the educational quality [1]

Summary

Introduction

Diversity of the student body; and 6) evaluation and monitoring of both student progress and the learning programs. The goal of this study was twofold: 1) to improve speech, writing, and conceptual organization of student responses in the essay questions, over the short-term, in order to foster better results on the written tests and thereby enhance overall student performance in the subject; and 2) to encourage students to maintain the skills gained during this project over the long-term, as an ongoing aspect of their development over their academic career. These skills are an essential part of preparation for professional life at any university [4]

Objectives

Methods

Results