Regaining access to marginal knowledge in a classroom setting

Abstract

Summary Students learn large amounts of information, but not all of it is remembered after courses end – meaning that valuable class time is often spent reviewing background material. Crucially, laboratory research suggests different strategies will be effective when reactivating previously learned information (i.e. marginal knowledge), as opposed to learning new information. In two experiments, we evaluated whether these laboratory results translated to the classroom. Topics from prior courses were tested to document which information students could no longer retrieve. Half were assigned to a not‐tested control and half to the intervention; for these topics, students answered multiple‐choice questions (without feedback) that gave them the chance to recognize the information they had failed to retrieve. Weeks later, students completed a final assessment on all topics. Crucially, multiple‐choice testing increased the retrieval of previously forgotten information, providing the first classroom demonstration of the reactivation of marginal knowledge.

Using Testing as a Learning Tool

“…9 Multiple-choice questions are a powerful way to stabilize access to knowledge that may have been learned well but cannot be retrieved when needed (marginal knowledge). 9,60 This technique capitalizes on students' ability to select the correct choice, re-exposing them to information, which has been used to stabilize prior knowledge in student-pharmacists from their prerequisite courses. 60 Thus, an MCQ can help remind students of material they once learned but can no longer access easily because of disuse, such as material from prior course work.…”

Multiple-choice testing in education: Are the best practices for assessment also good for learning?

“…For example, multiple-choice testing has been found to improve retention and transfer on subsequent unit and final exams in middle school (McDaniel, Thomas, Agarwal, McDermott, & Roediger, 2013; Roediger, Agarwal, McDaniel, & McDermott, 2011), high school (McDermott, Agarwal, D’antonio, Roediger, & McDaniel, 2014), and college courses (Butler, Marsh, Slavinsky, & Baraniuk, 2014; Glass, 2009; McDaniel, Wildman, & Anderson, 2012). In addition, multiple-choice testing can enhance the learning of non-tested, conceptually related information (Bjork, Little, & Storm, 2014) and restore access to previously acquired knowledge that has become inaccessible (Butler et al, 2018; Cantor, Eslick, Marsh, Bjork, & Bjork, 2015).…”

Investigating Whether Transfer of Learning in Pharmacy Students Depends More on Knowledge Storage or Accessibility

“…Prior research from our laboratory established that in the classroom setting, multiple-choice testing can stabilize students' ability to access marginal knowledge for a few weeks at minimum. 9 Second, the application format in the two experiments was different, with experiment 2 having a higher fraction of multiple-choice questions. The study was conducted this way because the format is part of how the course is offered.…”

“…Currently, the only documented method for stabilizing access to this marginal knowledge is through multiple-choice testing. [8][9][10] Taken together, the present study seeks to explore whether students can spontaneously transfer prerequisite knowledge to solve physiological problems and basic pharmacokinetic problems, and whether their retrievability strength influences that ability. Findings from this study may be helpful in designing graduate and professional courses by providing information on potential sticking points in students transferring their knowledge to pharmacy application.…”