Writing Assignments with a Metacognitive Component Enhance Learning in a Large Introductory Biology Course.

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Biology Education

Background:

• Writing assignments can enhance knowledge retention and higher-order thinking skills.
• The effectiveness of specific writing interventions in introductory biology courses needs further assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of written exam corrections and peer-reviewed writing assignments on student learning.
• To compare the benefits of written versus discussion-based learning activities.
• To investigate how student ACT scores influence the effectiveness of different writing interventions.

Main Methods:

• Implementing writing-intensive interventions (exam corrections, peer review with metacognition) in a three-section introductory biology course.
• Utilizing control and experimental variables for comparative analysis.
• Assessing student learning through post-exam evaluations and topic-specific scores.

Main Results:

• Students who corrected exam questions showed significant post-exam improvement compared to non-participants.
• Written exam corrections were more beneficial than discussion-based corrections for students with midrange to high ACT scores.
• Peer-reviewed writing assignments led to higher topic scores than active discussion or traditional lectures.
• Students with low ACT scores (17-23) did not benefit as much from peer-reviewed essays.

Conclusions:

• Writing interventions, particularly written exam corrections and peer review, demonstrably improve student learning outcomes in biology.
• The benefits of certain writing strategies may vary based on student academic preparedness (ACT scores).
• These pedagogical changes provide significant learning advantages with minimal additional instructor workload.