Experimental-Teaching: ‘Help-sheet’ in Examination of Engineering-students

Abstract

The-purpose of this-unfunded, miniature-study is to-examine the-potentials of student-created ‘help-sheets’ and attitudes of undergraduate-students, towards the-sheets, used, at university-examinations, at school of Engineering. A-specifically-designed-experiment, a-survey, and a-document-analysis, were used, as main-instruments, for this-study. A-paired t-test was run on a-sample of 24 students, to-determine whether there was a-statistically-significant mean-difference, between the-student-performances at the-CAT#1 (where ‘help-sheets’ were-used) and: (1) CAT #2, where ‘help-sheets’ were not used; (2) final-exam; and (3) student-average weighted-mean-score, for the-previous-year. Moreover, unpaired-t-test was-employed, to-compare performance, between the-students, who used ‘help-sheet’ (in CAT #1) and these who did not, assuming unequal-variances. Mean; Standard-Deviation (SD); and Standard-Error of the-Mean (SEM) were calculated via Minitab 17.3.1. This-study revealed vast-diversity, in the-quality and composition, of student-created ‘help-sheets’. Moreover, positive-attitudes towards ‘help-sheets’, were identified, in-particular: 88% of the-class have-prepared and utilized their-‘help-sheets’ for the-experiment; 76% reported to-be less-nervous, than usual; 95% agreed, that the-use of ‘help-sheet’ was-beneficial; and 81% confirmed, that they would-like to-use the-same-approach, in other-subjects.  Comparisons of student performance indicated, that the-preparation and use, of student-created ‘help-sheets’ have no impact on student-performance. Academic-performance, however, is just one-of the-many variables, potentially influenced, by the-use of ‘help-sheets’. As-such, the-research-findings show students self-reported reduction of test-anxiety; moreover cheating at-examinations, being-considered as pervasive-practice, at-the school, was not observed, during this-experiment. The-main-recommendations, of the-study were: (1) to-use ‘help-sheets’ in-examinations, on the-grounds that they potentially-reduce both; test-anxiety, and cheating, at-examinations; (2) to-deal with test-anxiety, lecturers should-help students, mastering-it, by self regulation relaxation-techniques; and (3) specific-areas, for future (more-deeper)-research, were identified. Moreover, to-give a-broader-reflection on the-subject-matter, the-following-topics were-also elaborated upon: Traditional examination-modes: ‘closed-book’ vs. ‘open-book’; Alternative-examination-approach: student created reference-material (‘help-sheet’); Cheating, at-exams, at local-context; and Anxiety (concepts, types, mechanism, and consequences; test-anxiety; and self-regulating relaxation-techniques). The-author trusts, findings of this-study, in-conjunction with theoretical-background, given,  adds to-the-body of knowledge, on experimental-teaching, particularly, on the-use of student-prepared reference-materials, such-as ‘help-sheets’, at university-examinations. The-results of the-experiment can also-help university-lecturers decide, whether to-allow their-students to-use ‘help-sheets’.

Keywords: ‘cheat-sheet’, test anxiety, exam type, exam performance.