Two-Stage Exam
Students are very open to receiving information immediately following a quiz or test. It's an incredible opportunity for
learning that is often lost.
learning that is often lost.
Quote from Tamara Kelly, York University
What is it?
A two-stage exam is an instructional strategy in which students are asked to complete an assessment (i.e., exam, test, quiz) in two separate stages. First, they complete and submit an assessment individually. Next, students work in groups to answer a set of questions. The group portion can consist of (a) the most difficult or challenging questions from the individual portion and/or (b) new questions that are more conceptual or open-ended than the individual assessment was.
Purpose: Completing the group portion of the strategy enables students to (a) receive immediate peer feedback on their proposed solutions and (b) develop their collaborative skills. In working together, students may also be exposed to alternative methods for solving the assigned problems. Overall, using the two-stage exam strategy results in assessments that are themselves collaborative learning experiences.
Note: It is at the discretion of the instructor to determine the weighting of each exam for the students overall grade. Commonly instructors assign 90% of the grade based on the individual assessment and the additional 10% stems from the group grade.
Skills Promoted
- Analytical reasoning
- Communication
- Decision making
- Knowledge integration
- Problem solving
- Time management
Who's using it?
SALTISE community members who use this strategy and are willing to share advice and/or resources.
| Institution | Discipline | Instructor | Classroom settings |
|---|---|---|---|
|
University of Guelph Level: University |
Environmental Science |
Active or traditional Classroom size: All sizes |
|
|
John Abbott College Level: College |
Physics |
Active Learning Classroom Classroom size: 30-40 |
|
|
Dawson College Level: College |
Chemistry |
Active or traditional Classroom size: 30-40 |
|
|
Dawson College Level: College |
Physics |
Active Learning Classroom Classroom size: 30-40 |
|
|
McGill University Level: University |
Chemistry |
Active or traditional Classroom size: |
|
|
John Abbott College Level: College |
Physics |
Active or traditional Classroom size: |
|
|
University of British Columbia Level: University |
Chemistry |
Jaclyn Stewart |
Active or traditional Classroom size: |
| Institution |
University of Guelph Level: University |
John Abbott College Level: College |
Dawson College Level: College |
Dawson College Level: College |
McGill University Level: University |
John Abbott College Level: College |
University of British Columbia Level: University |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discipline |
Environmental Science |
Physics |
Chemistry |
Physics |
Chemistry |
Physics |
Chemistry |
| Instructor |
Jaclyn Stewart |
||||||
| Classroom settings |
Active or traditional Classroom size: All sizes |
Active Learning Classroom Classroom size: 30-40 |
Active or traditional Classroom size: 30-40 |
Active Learning Classroom Classroom size: 30-40 |
Active or traditional Classroom size: |
Active or traditional Classroom size: |
Active or traditional Classroom size: |
Why use it?
Benefits
Challenges
Benefits
Aside from enabling the students to end off their assessment on a good note, group exams have enabled me to assign more conceptual questions. While such questions would perhaps be too difficult for an individual assessment, they are more manageable for groups. As a result, students are tackling more challenging questions and still performing well. Don’t try to be tricky with the group exams- this is not the point. Rather, take advantage of the situation to try out some conceptual or layered questions.
(Tamara Kelly, York University).
Challenges
Dependent upon class size (I have a class of 400 students), it can be difficult to manage. Having an appropriate room/setting has also been an issue in the past. For example, I include the group test portion as a part of their actual final exam. As a result, my class has to write the assessment in a special room and cannot do the exam in the usual location (i.e., with all other individual exams going on simultaneously). There is a cost associated with this, particularly in terms of administrative overhead.
Furthermore, some students have expressed that it can be stressful to them because they see exactly where they have gone wrong. At the same time, they acknowledged that they appreciated the opportunity to improve their overall score in completing the group portion
(Lawrence Chen, McGill University).
Ready to try it out?
STEP 1: Instructor prepares two levels of assessment – individual and group.
STEP 2: Instructor (or TAs) distribute the individual assessment.
STEP 3: Individually, students complete the assessment.
STEP 4: Students form small groups (ideally of 3-4 students) immediately following the individual assessment.
STEP 5: Instructor (or TAs) collect the individual assessments and distribute the group assessment.
STEP 6: As groups, students work together to answer the new questions a prepare a group solution.
STEP 7: Instructor (or TAs) collect the group assessments.
Related Activities
Helpful resources
Useful Guidelines
How to Plan and Implement Two-stage Exams for your Course – Q & A?
Tech Tools
Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique (IFAT)
References
Rieger, G. W. and Heiner, C. E. (2014). Examinations that support collaborative learning: The students’ perspective. Journal of College Science Teaching, National Science Teachers Association..
Gilley, B. and Clarkston, B. (2014). Collaborative testing: Evidence of learning in a controlled in-class study of undergraduate students. Journal of College Science Teaching, National Science Teachers Association..
Kelly, T. (2016). Two-stage tests: Turning testing into learning opportunities across course assessments.. Ontario Consortium of Undergraduate Biology Educators,York University..
Gilley, B. H. and Clarkston, B. (2012). Does collaborative testing increase students’ retention of concepts?. Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative, University of British Columbia.
Yu, B., Tsiknis, G. and Allen, M. (2010). Turning exams into a learning experience. Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 41st ACM.
Maxwell, E. J., McDonnell, L. and Wieman, C. E. (2015). An improved design for in-class review. Journal of College Science Teaching, National Science Teachers Association.
Video
Two-stage exams – University of British Columbia, UBC Media Relations
SALTISE Event Materials
Webinar Recording & Presentation Slides: “2 Stage Assessments: Teach while you Test” on January 7, 2021
TO LEARN MORE
For more resources to Articles and Books