Effect of Exam Wrappers on Student Achievement in Multiple, Large STEM Courses

Abstract

Metacognition, the ability to think about and regulate one’s thinking, is an important factor in effective student learning. One intervention to promote student metacognition is the exam wrapper—a reflection students complete after an exam noting how their performance related to their preparation. Results are mixed on the effect of the exam wrapper use on student achievement in single STEM courses. In this study, we implemented exam wrappers in five large science and math courses and examined their impact on students’ course outcomes, as well as students’ self-reported behaviors on the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (results for over 1,100 distinct individuals). Our data include a subset of students who completed exam wrappers in multiple courses simultaneously We observed a modest but statistically significant positive relation between exam wrapper use and course grades in each course. The relation between exam wrapper use in multiple courses and cumulative grade point average was also statistically significant for male students. These results did not correlate with students’ metacognitive awareness, however. These findings have important implications for how instructors construct and implement wrappers to maximize their potential usefulness.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Linda C. Hodges

Linda C. Hodges ([email protected]) is the associate vice provost for faculty affairs and director of the Faculty Development Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore County in Baltimore, Maryland.

Lisa C. Beall

Lisa C. Beall coordinates learning assessment and program evaluation in the Academic Engagement and Transition Programs, University of Maryland, Baltimore County in Baltimore, Maryland.

Eric C. Anderson

Eric C. Anderson is senior lecturer in the Department of Physics, University of Maryland, Baltimore County in Baltimore, Maryland.

Tara S. Carpenter

Tara S. Carpenter is senior lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, Baltimore County in Baltimore, Maryland.

Lili Cui

Lili Cui is senior lecturer in the Department of Physics, University of Maryland, Baltimore County in Baltimore, Maryland.

Elizabeth Feeser

Elizabeth Feeser is senior lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County in Baltimore, Maryland.

Tiffany Gierasch

Tiffany Gierasch is principal lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, Baltimore County in Baltimore, Maryland.

Kalman M. Nanes

Kalman M. Nanes is senior lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Maryland, Baltimore County in Baltimore, Maryland.

H. Mark Perks

H. Mark Perks is senior lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, Baltimore County in Baltimore, Maryland.

Cynthia Wagner

Cynthia Wagner is senior lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County in Baltimore, Maryland.