Abstract
Like most higher education institutions in the U.K., the Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry at the University of Strathclyde and the Department of Chemistry at the University of Bath adopted online open-book assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic, before returning to on-campus hall-based exams several years later. Recognizing the potential for issues caused by a lack of student familiarity with closed-book exam techniques, we adopted a limited form of open-book support, inviting students to prepare a single page of notes to bring into each exam. The impact of this open-note support on student anxiety and preparation was investigated through a mixed-methods survey. We observed a marked reduction in reported anxiety, and students also reported widespread uptake of more effective study habits, using the freedom from memorization to prioritise higher-order cognitive tasks.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Journal of Chemical Education |
| Early online date | 12 Jul 2024 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 12 Jul 2024 |
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to all the students who participated in the survey and made this study possible. We are also grateful to A.M., E.J., and J.S. for providing samples of their own OPRGs. Dr. Elizabeth Yuriev and Dr. Ross Galloway are thanked for personal communications that greatly aided implementation and evaluation, and Dr. Susan McCool and Dr. Suzanne Faulkner gave useful advice on thematic analysis. Finally, our sincere thanks are also due to the journal editorial team and to peer reviewers of this work, whose feedback greatly improved the manuscript.Keywords
- Anxiety
- Assessment
- Exam Aids
- Study Skills
- Teaching and Learning Methods
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Chemistry
- Education
