Low-stakes writing in an active-learning classroom needs focus and feedback to be effective

Abstract

Evidence suggests that active engagement with material as it is being taught improves learning. In-class multiple choice questions are a common way to introduce active learning. Low-stakes writing is another. The author of this article provides evidence that using a content-based low-stakes writing prompt with immediate group feedback during the lecture improves test performance relative to a multiple choice question covering the same content. Students with low CGPAs performed better on the midterm with the intervention, while higher-CGPA students performed better on writing assignments. Adding a traditional unfocused one-minute exit ticket to a class already using in-class problem-solving had a small but negative effect on student learning. This suggests that content-focused low-stakes writing with immediate feedback complements problem-solving in an active classroom.

Keywords:

• Active learning
• low-stakes writing
• one-minute paper

JEL CODE:

• A22

Acknowledgments

The author is grateful for comments from two anonymous referees and session participants at the 2019 CTREE conference. The author thanks Daniel Ershov for his excellent research assistance.

Notes

1 Ethics Protocol Reference # 32964 at the University of Toronto. Students were given the option to self-select into the study (see the Robustness section for a fuller discussion of selection issues).

2 Linear regressions with clustered standard errors were also estimated. The point estimates do not change.