study guides for students
Do you add additional questions that will not be on the test, but they should know for their skills they are training for?
Hi Henry:
Study guides can be a great way to give direction when students may feel overwhelmed and don't know where to start.
I really like the idea of crossword puzzles as part of the study plan.
Regards, Barry
I love study guides for the student to use as a way to have them dive back into the material as a form of studying. I have often created crossword puzzles relating to course material to make the guides more fun.
Hi Beth:
The nice thing about discussions of any kind in the classroom is that it might help a student understand something just be hearing it in another way from one of their classmates.
Regards, Barry
Hi James:
One question that might come from this kind of discussion is "should we offer study guides to our students or not"?
Some instructors feel that if students are study enough, they don't need them. Other instructors offer them as a way of giving the student a little more of an edge to improve their testing outcomes.
Regards, Barry
I always try to put relevant material on the study guides. This does include extra material that will not be on the test. This allows the student to be well prepared for the exam.
Hi Sherry:
One other thing to consider is to put anything on the study guide you think is relevant, as long as you've told the students what to expect on it and the exam.
Regards, Barry
Yes, we are preparing students for their career fields, not simply teaching to exams. Students are able to study skills that may not be directly tested, however they will still see a real benefit in future coursework and when they start working in their career fields.
Hi Barbara:
My study guides offer general categories of material we've covered. Sometimes there is specific information (equations, theories, components), but the end product of much of the material in the class is not just knowing it but also using it in the real world of work. Unless a student can independly apply what they've learned, completeness in the instructional process has been less than fully accomplished.
Regards, Barry
I am careful when preparing and presenting study guides to students in that sometimes they will say is this the test? A situation where the study guide is the test sets the stage for students to become parrots of the information and great at memorization. However, if they are invited to offer critical thinking solutions to a scenario they may experience in the workforce, they are unable to do so.
Study guides are just that. This is information that is necessary for your being successful in the class. However, I think it is wrong to tie your hands as an instructor, and eliminate the possibility of adding material to the exam when it is being crafted.
I always add extra questions that will not be on the exam. Usually, they are critical thinking questions that may not even have a clear right or wrong answer. When we are going over the study guides in class, these type of questions usually spur some great discussions. I use this technique in Medical Ethics class.
We are fortunate in that for training non-destructive testing technicians, there are a number of free mini-courses or specific discipline training supplements online. As an incentive, I add evaluation points for online quizzes taken, printed out, and turned in to me.
Absolutely I add additional questions on the study guide that may not be on the test. Students should not learn course objectives solely to pass a test.
I always include what I call "Points of Knowledge" to a handout so that students not only know what information is needed for the test, but also things we have covered and that they will need to know that may not be on the test/quiz. I always go back to these as part of the review we do at the end of a particular section.
Adding additional questions to the study guide even though they may not be on the test is a great way to help them review what they have missed or not completely grasped.
yes, critical thinking questions are an activity we do as a class. The student plans to put a situation in their own words to describe. It also lets me know they are "getting it".
