The Implementation and Outcomes of a Novel Exam Analysis Tool in an Introductory Anatomy and Physiology Course

Abstract

Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) is a foundational course series for most health professions. Students taking A&P commonly struggle to attain the grades necessary to continue in their plan of study. Strategies to retain students in these courses vary. Research examining the frequency, structure, and outcomes of reviewing examination results with students is limited. Allowing a student to view results of an exam may or may not benefit the student on future exams without careful consideration of exam preparation strategies and how students approached the examination questions. The purpose of this investigation is to describe the findings of a novel exam analysis tool in an introductory Anatomy and Physiology course, and determine if the completion of a midterm exam analysis appointment inmproves performance on the final exam. The Drexel University Institutional Review Board approved this retrospective study in March 2018, IRB Protocol number 801006007. There are two exams in the Anatomy and Physiology I course, a midterm and a final, each worth 30% of the final grade. Immediately after the midterm examination concluded, all 248 students in the Anatomy and Physiology I course were invited via email to sign up for 30-minute exam review appointments with the instructor. Appointments were conducted in small groups of 1–3 students. Each student completed an exam analysis form created by the instructor. For each question missed, the student was asked to identify the content/topic area and the reason they felt they answered the question incorrectly from dropdown lists of options. Students were provided with the Bloom's Taxonomy level for each question. On each completed analysis, the instructor and student identified the three most common reasons exam questions were missed, the proportion of Bloom's level questions (1, 2 or 3+) that they missed, and the top three content areas in which they missed the most questions. Examination review appointments are still underway. Data analysis will conclude after final exams are completed in December. The most commonly cited reasons for missing exam questions, the distribution of missed questions on Bloom's taxonomy, and the most difficult content areas will be provided. Correlational analyses will be performed to determine the relationship between exam score, Bloom's level, and reasons for missed questions. Finally, the final exam scores of students who did complete midterm exam reviews will be compared to those who did not. It is expected that completing the midterm exam analysis form will result in improved final exam scores, and that students who do not complete exam review appointments will not have the same improvement. Findings from this study may benefit instructors who are seeking a tool to help students better understand their performance. If there is a relationship between grades and common reasons for missing an examination question, instructors may use this information to create targeted remediation strategies for their students. Support or Funding Information Travel support for attending the annual meeting of Experimental Biology is being provided by the American Association of Anatomists, as part of the receipt of a Visiting Scholar Award. This exam analysis tool will be completed by each student who makes an appointment to review midterm exam results. This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.