How to Make Students Study Better After Exams

Contents:

• What is the "wrapper" technique?
• How to make this practice even more effective?

What is the "wrapper" technique?

The concept of "wrappers" in the context of exams was first proposed by a professor in the Department of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University, Marsha Lovett described this technique in her 2013 article, "Make Exams More Valuable Than a Grade," for the collection "Using Reflection and Metacognition to Improve Student Learning." Using wrappers not only assesses students' knowledge but also helps develop their metacognitive skills, which in turn improves the overall learning process. This technique helps students become aware of their own learning strategies and increases their motivation to study.

In her concept, the "wrapper" acts as a questionnaire that the instructor provides to students along with the exam results. Students must write answers to questions divided into three categories. This technique aims to deepen understanding of the material and self-reflection, which helps students recognize their strengths and weaknesses in learning. Using this wrapper promotes more effective knowledge acquisition and also allows instructors to assess the level of assimilation of the material and identify areas requiring additional attention.

• "How did I prepare for the exam?" — how much time the student devoted to preparation, what study strategies they used. These may include, for example, rereading, self-explanation or self-explanation, retrieval practice (that is, independently recalling what was studied), group work, and so on.
• "What mistakes did I make?" — in which specific areas of the exam did they encounter difficulties (for example, in understanding key concepts, mastering terminology, or problem-solving skills).
• "How can I better prepare for the next exam?" — what steps the student is willing to take to address gaps in their preparation for the past exam and perform better in the future. Perhaps they simply need to spend more time studying the material or try a different study strategy instead of rereading notes. This section should also include asking students what academic support they are lacking.

Working with the "wrapper" typically takes no more than ten minutes and is done in class. However, as Marsha Lovett notes, this assignment can be adapted for homework or converted to a remote format, for example, using an online survey. It is important for the instructor to collect the results for analysis, which allows for valuable insights into student learning. An important aspect is that such questions encourage students to reflect on their learning activities, which contributes to the development of metacognitive skills.

When preparing for the next exam, students receive their completed worksheets back. This gives them the opportunity to reread their answers and consider additional recommendations. It is important to highlight areas to focus on during preparation and to develop an individual study plan based on previous experience. If the group is small, a discussion can be held in which students share effective study strategies and offer advice to their classmates. This approach helps improve understanding of the material and improve the quality of their exam preparation.

How to Make This Practice Even More Effective

Wrappers in their standard format capture the study strategies that the student knows and uses. However, this technique does not always encourage the use of more effective methods. Students may prefer familiar methods, such as simple rereading, because they find it less labor-intensive. Furthermore, many people operate on the principle of "I'll study the same way, it's always worked," or simply don't recognize the benefits of alternative learning approaches. This highlights the importance of being aware of various methods that can significantly enhance the learning process.

Researchers Maya Sobel and Linden Higgins from the University of Vermont (USA) decided to deepen their research and conducted an experiment in which they improved the "wrappers" by adding useful tips for effective learning. The results of this experiment were evaluated and discussed by cognitive psychologist and author of the educational blog The Learning Scientists, Cindy Nebel. This study highlights the importance of using scientific evidence to improve educational practices and enhance learning.

First-year biology students participated in the experiment. As part of the curriculum, they take four exams. Sobel and Higgins developed special "wrappers" for each exam. These wrappers are designed to improve student comprehension and motivation.

• After the first exam in the course, students were asked how they prepared and what study strategies they used.
• The second "wrapper" also contained these questions, as well as a link to an article on the blog "The Learning Scientists" about the relationship between retrieval practice and stress levels and academic achievement. Students were asked to read the material and explain what the diagram in the article depicted. This was likely done to draw their attention to retrieval practice, which is effective in memorizing new material.
• The "wrapper" for the third exam included a podcast about a study that showed that both middle school and college students achieve better results by using retrieval practice instead of simply rereading. After listening to the podcast, students took a short quiz based on it.
• Finally, after the fourth exam, students again responded to the study strategies they used to prepare.

The study found that comparing student responses after the first and fourth exams revealed an increase in the use of information retrieval methods. This indicates that students' skills in the learning process have grown and that their ability to process and remember material has improved.

Furthermore, unexpected "side effects" emerged. Although the additional materials offered to students for study as part of the program focused exclusively on the practical aspects of knowledge retrieval, students began to actively use other effective study strategies. This contributed to their deep understanding and better retention of information.

Students often create summaries of the materials they read, visualize the data they studied, and Students prepare for exams with their classmates, discussing and explaining difficult topics to each other. This approach promotes better retention of information and increases their chances of passing exams. Collaborative preparation not only allows for a deeper understanding of the subject but also develops communication and teamwork skills. Cindy Nebel noted that the informational "wrappers," combined with exam results, proved to be an effective strategic tool. Students realized that their previous study methods weren't producing the expected results, and this motivated them to explore more effective study strategies. Thus, they began to actively implement new approaches, which contributed to the improvement of their academic performance.