Use of Low Stakes Mastery Quizzing for First Aid Educational Competency Improves Testing Scores on First Aid Items Embedded in Unit Quizzes in an online Introductory Trauma Course

Use of Low Stakes Mastery Quizzing for First Aid Educational Competency Improves Testing Scores on First Aid Items Embedded in Unit Quizzes in an online Introductory Trauma Course.

Karen Wolford, SUNY Oswego

Student outcome data was used to assess the success of low stakes mastery quizzing on First Aid knowledge in an online upper division course.  This course is designed to integrate knowledge of both psychological and medical first aid to enhance competency in these areas in students completing a core course for an Interdisciplinary Trauma Studies program.  The interdisciplinary course is cross-listed as an advanced seminar for both graduate and undergraduate students.  Earlier studies have shown increases in engagement, and outcomes in online low stakes quizzing in face-to face classes (DePaolo & Wilkinson, 2014).  Nevid and Mahon (2009) showed student’s use of mastery quizzes can allow a means of reinforcement that can increase attention and engagement.  Engagement may be a key driver of student success and this is particularly important in accelerated courses such as this one which was a quarter course (all work has to be completed in a half of a semester).  This type of data and information supports the use of an online, integrated low stakes mastery approach to education for competency-based educational skills and knowledge necessary for later credentialing preparation in an online quarter course.  One of the challenges of these types of courses is the potential for some students to fall behind and not be able to complete the course in an accelerated time frame as required.

Competency-based education; content; credentialing; learning effectiveness.

Methods

Participants

Students in a cross-listed section of an online Introduction to Trauma Studies quarter course. N = 23, of which the majority were undergraduate students and the remainder were graduate students.

Material

First Aid Taking Action text from the National Safety Council and associated online quizzes.

Procedure

Ten units with short (5-6 question) quizzes on First Aid Education from the National Safety Council were provided to students in an online accelerated Introduction to Trauma Studies quarter course with unlimited access to Mastery Quizzing. Each student was asked to continue practice learning and quizzing on this material until reaching at least 80% success rate on each unit’s mastery quiz. Most students went on to reach 100% scores on these practice quizzes.  An item analysis of embedded First Aid Items from Unit quiz grades that did count towards the final grade was conducted. Overall course grades were also assessed.

Student satisfaction surveys were also collected.

Results

Questions on the First Aid material were later embedded in Unit quizzes that did count toward each student’s grade.  Item analysis of these questions showed 80- 85% success rates on mastery of the First Aid material using this method of instruction.  Item analysis and means and standard deviations will be reported.  Student satisfaction evaluations were mixed.

Discussion

The next step in this research will be to compare the current results to a no mastery quiz active control section of this class to see if the present results hold up. Students who can better absorb this material will be in a good position to pass First Aid Training Certification offered by the college as a separate credential and will be able to list this competency in their skill set as an important competency.  Accelerated courses can be challenging and are difficult for some students to complete successfully in the quarter course (half of semester) time frame making engagement and success even more critical factors.

References

DePaolo, C. A., & Wilkinson, K. (2014). Recurrent online quizzes: Ubiquitous tools for promoting student presence, participation and performance.  Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects, 10, 75-91. Retrieved from http://www.ijello.org/Volume10/IJELLOv10p075-091DePaolo0900.pdf

First Aid: Taking Action (2006). The National Safety Council. McGraw Hill. ISBN-10: 007322068X  ISBN-13: 978-0073220680

Nevid, J. S., & Mahon, K. (2009). Mastery quizzing as a signaling device to cue attention to lecture material. Teaching of Psychology, 36, 29-23.  doi:10.1080/009886280802529152

Roediger, H. L., III, & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning. Psychological Science (WileyBlackwell), 17(3), 249-255. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01693.x

Zinn, T. E., Magnotti, J. F., Marchuk, K., Schultz, B. S., Luther, A., & Vartfolomeeva, V.  (2011). Does effort still count? More on what makes the grade. Teaching of Psychology, 38(1), 10-15.doi:10.1177/0098628310390907