Impact of double testing on student knowledge in a professional issues course

Area of Science:

• Health Sciences
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Collaborative testing is a pedagogical strategy employed across various academic disciplines.
• Its application in higher education, particularly in specialized fields like health care, warrants further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of collaborative testing on student knowledge acquisition in an undergraduate Health Care Issues, Policy and Economics course.
• To determine if collaborative testing impacts individual student performance on examinations.

Main Methods:

• An undergraduate course on Health Care Issues, Policy and Economics was selected for the study.
• Students participated in collaborative testing as part of their examination process.
• Student knowledge and examination scores were analyzed to assess the impact of the testing method.

Main Results:

• Collaborative testing did not yield a statistically significant increase in overall student knowledge.
• A notable increase in individual student examination scores was observed with the collaborative testing method.
• The observed rise in scores suggests a potential benefit for students, despite the lack of significant knowledge gain.

Conclusions:

• While collaborative testing may not enhance deep understanding to a statistically significant degree, it can positively influence student performance metrics.
• Educators may consider collaborative testing as a tool to boost student confidence and perceived success in challenging courses.
• Further research could explore the specific mechanisms through which collaborative testing affects examination scores in health care education.