Implementation and effects of low stakes quiz feedback on exam performance in a health professional program

Abstract

Introduction: The inclusion of interactive learning approaches in graduate education including mobile polling, game-based learning, physiology apps, eLearning activities and tablet use to supplement course content is an established means to improve student engagement. Strategies that continue to support learning asynchronously with the purpose of driving deeper critical thinking and reasoning has the potential to further advance course outcomes. The purpose of this investigation was to assess whether the incorporation of detailed asynchronous feedback to low stakes quizzes as an additional learning tool translates into improved exam performance in the Foundational Sciences. Methods: ExamSoft assessment data was collected across 2 semesters from 101 Doctor of Physical Therapy students enrolled in a Foundational Sciences course series encompassing cardiopulmonary, pediatrics and neuro blocked content. Exam performance was compared between 2 cohorts (non-feedback, n=53 and feedback group, n=48) following the implementation of detailed question feedback on low stakes semester quizzes with the second cohort. Exam performance on specific subject areas was also reviewed for select exam questions that directly aligned with quiz questions. Results: Independent samples t-test analyses indicated that learners in the feedback group demonstrated consistently improved exam performance for midterm (p < 0.001 for summer midterm and p < 0.01 for fall midterm) and final exams (p < 0.01 for both summer and fall final exams) across the 2 semesters when compared to the non-feedback group. Similar results were observed when specific exam questions were reviewed across physiology content areas. Vestibular physiology exam performance was significantly (p = 0.05) improved in the feedback group, while basal ganglia physiology showed a trend but was not significant. Pharmacology exam performance was significantly improved for the fall final exam (p < 0.001), but not for the fall midterm. Conclusions: Instructor tailored quiz question feedback, which requires student review to view the correct answer choice is an additional learning opportunity that results in improved course outcomes. This approach to providing feedback to low stakes assessments focuses the in-class time on new material because the quiz feedback can be reviewed asynchronously as needed by the learner. Using the learning management system quiz feedback feature provides a valuable strategy to further support learning outside of the classroom and provides an opportunity for students to synthesize and apply content at a deeper level. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2023 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.