Keeping it Short and Sweet: Brief, Ungraded Writing Assignments Facilitate Learning

Abstract

Can short, ungraded, free-writing assignments promote learning of course material? We randomly assigned introductory psychology recitation sections (N = 978 students) to writing or thinking conditions. For all sections, teaching assistants presented students with a discussion topic based in current coursework. Students either wrote or thought about the topic for 5 min. All sections then discussed the topic for approximately 10 min. Exams included questions related to the discussion topics. Students in the writing condition attended class more often and performed better on factual and conceptual multiple-choice exam questions than students in the thinking condition, even after controlling for measures of student quality. The results suggested that brief free writing improved factual and conceptual learning.Active learning, described as more learner-than content-centered, leads to better retention of course material than passive learning and includes such techniques as writing and class discussion (Yoder & Hochevar, 2005). Writing promotes critical and flexible thinking, develops expressive abilities, facilitates reflecting on course content, and encourages students to develop their own perspectives (Bensley & Haynes, 1995;Wade, 1995;Waller, 1994). Classroom discussion provides many similar benefits, including promoting and modeling critical thinking and developing expressive abilities (Connor-Greene, 2005;Dallimore, Hertenstein, & Platt, 2004;King, 1995). Despite these benefits, incorporating active learning techniques into the classroom is not necessarily easy. Writing assignments are often perceived as onerous for students to carry out and for educators to grade (Madigan & Brosamer, 1991). Common concerns about holding classroom discussion include the many students who are reluctant to participate and the quality of students' responses (Connor-Greene, 2005;Dallimore et al., 2004).Our study evaluated the combination of nononerous in-class writing and related class discussion. The writing component builds on the minute-paper technique described by Angelo and Cross (1993). Minute papers entail students' writing for several minutes in class in response to a specific question, such as what students found unclear or most valuable from a previous lecture (Angelo & Cross, 1993;Dunn, 1994). Minute papers confer many of the benefits of writing described earlier (Stead, 2005). In addition, because minute papers are not graded, students are more likely to focus on content and clarity of expression, rather than formal aspects of writing, such as spelling and grammar (MacKinnon-Slaney, 1991).Little research has examined modifications of the minute-paper technique. A notable exception (Butler, Phillmann, & Smart, 2001) combined minute papers and the think-pairshare technique to create CARDS, so named because students use index cards with this strategy. Specifically, students write responses to a question that addresses a specific psychological concept, exchange responses with partners, and discuss responses in small g...

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