A collaborative two-stage examination in biomedical sciences: Positive impact on feedback and peer collaboration.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Sciences Education
• Educational Innovation
• Assessment Strategies

Background:

• Traditional examinations often miss opportunities for collaborative learning, communication, and feedback.
• Two-stage examinations, involving individual and group components, offer a potential solution to enhance learning during assessments.
• This study explores the implementation of a two-stage examination in an advanced undergraduate biomedical sciences course.

Purpose of the Study:

• To pilot and evaluate the effectiveness of a two-stage examination in an undergraduate biomedical sciences course.
• To assess the impact of two-stage examinations on student collaboration, communication, conceptual understanding, and test anxiety.
• To compare the performance of higher- and lower-performing students across the two stages of the examination.

Main Methods:

• Triangulation of data from questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and student grade comparisons.
• Quantitative analysis of student perceptions regarding collaboration, communication, and feedback.
• Qualitative analysis of student experiences and the impact on test anxiety.

Main Results:

• A majority of students found the collaborative stage effective for peer interaction, communication, and immediate feedback, leading to deeper understanding.
• The two-stage examination format did not alleviate student test anxiety.
• Both lower- and higher-performing students demonstrated improvement in the collaborative stage compared to the individual stage.

Conclusions:

• Two-stage examinations show promise for enhancing collaborative learning and conceptual understanding in biomedical sciences for students of all abilities.
• While beneficial for learning, this assessment method may not reduce test anxiety and could potentially sustain it due to group dynamics.
• Further research and careful implementation are recommended to optimize the advantages and mitigate the pitfalls of two-stage examinations.