A two-stage exam is when\u00a0students individually complete a test and then immediately complete the same, or very similar, test in groups (usually with the individual test weighted more heavily, e.g., 80%+, for the final test\u00a0score).<\/p>\n
I have had personal experience with this testing format as an undergraduate – I distinctly remember the energetic\u00a0debates and thoughtful arguments we had about various\u00a0concepts as we tried to reach consensus for the group answer. I’d\u00a0like to think that I learned better with this two-stage summative assessment (while I don’t have any personal evidence,\u00a0Gilley and Clarkson’s SoTL research<\/a><\/span>\u00a0supports the effectiveness of\u00a0two-stage exam\u00a0in enhancing student performance), because I deeply\u00a0appreciated the immediate feedback and enjoyed the peer-teaching aspect of the examination. It is an assessment method that I would love\u00a0to integrate into my teaching practice –\u00a0I needed the know-how in administering a two-stage exam.<\/p>\n I visited Psych 101 again. When I walked into the classroom 5 minutes to noon, it was already filled with students. The atmosphere felt tense and almost anxious. The four TA’s were running up and down the aisles to direct and accommodate the\u00a0students still filing into the class.\u00a0On their desks, alternating coloured exam booklets (a total of 4 versions) on top their scantrons. On the projector, written instructions on stowing their belongings, on filling the bubbles for their respective exam code on scantrons. The instructor repeated these written instructions and promptly gave permission to begin their individual test.\u00a0\u00a0For the next 30 minutes, the teaching team took a head count, accounted for empty booklets, and invigilated the exam.<\/p>\n The transition seemed\u00a0chaotic from\u00a0the individual to the group exam. Silence vanished\u00a0within seconds and was\u00a0immediately\u00a0replaced by movement and chatter as soon as the teaching team begin to collect\u00a0the individual tests. Students were already shifting into their small groups (of four to six) before all of the individual tests\u00a0were collected. The group exams were almost simultaneously handed out\u00a0and the students\u00a0dived right into their\u00a0discussions.<\/p>\n The buzz and energy generated from these conversations\u00a0were\u00a0electrifying. I was amazed at the level of engagement and motivation each student demonstrated as I walked around the room – polling for group consensus, challenging their peers’ reasoning, explaining their own rationale. While ensuring the academic integrity of this examination, the instructor\u00a0was mindful of time and of possible midterm in students’ next class. Students rushing to their\u00a0next exam\u00a0were asked to line up at the door once their group exams were collected, while others were instructed to remain seated.<\/p>\n It was surprising how structured and timely the two-stage exam was executed. \u00a0Clear instructions, both verbal and written, are key<\/em>\u00a0to its successful execution. Effective communication between members of the teaching team was also paramount to maximize resources, ensure academic integrity, and to minimize chaos. I think it is necessary for me to cultivate some comfort around\u00a0organized chaos – it is\u00a0a small cost for the potential benefit of enhanced learning, student engagement, and sense of camaraderie!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A two-stage exam is when\u00a0students individually complete a test and then immediately complete the same, or very similar, test in groups (usually with the individual test weighted more heavily, e.g., 80%+, for the final test\u00a0score). I have had personal experience with this testing format as an undergraduate – I distinctly remember the energetic\u00a0debates and thoughtful … Continue reading “Observation: Two-Stage Exam”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15927,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,1202224],"tags":[3242,1015176,1202224,468915],"class_list":["post-66","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","category-gcp","tag-assessment","tag-collaborative-learning","tag-gcp","tag-two-stage-exam"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/dchen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/dchen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/dchen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/dchen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15927"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/dchen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/dchen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":129,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/dchen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66\/revisions\/129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/dchen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/dchen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/dchen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}