Chapter Questions Tom Peterson, Middlesex County College

Exploring the Research McClain, L. (1983). Behavior during examinations: A comparison of “A”, “C”, and “F” students. Teaching of Psychology, 10 (2), 69–71.  

The Research Question McClain (1983) Do “A” students engage in different test-taking behaviors than “C” or “F” students? © wavebreakmedia/shutterstock.com

The Study McClain (1983) Test Behaviors: Reading all answers 60 undergraduate students selected based on prior exam performance “A” “C” “F” While taking test, their thoughts were recorded Test Behaviors: Reading all answers Skipping difficult questions Anticipating answer before reading options Eliminating wrong answers

The Results! McClain (1983) “A” Students were more likely to: Read all answer options Skip difficult questions Anticipate or guess answer before reading options Eliminate wrong answers

A Closer Look at the Results McClain (1983) Variables A C F Answers read per question* 3.66 (.63) 1.82 (.51) 1.48 (.60) Number of anticipated answers* 40.90 (9.54) 7.65 (4.84) 2.30 (3.50) Critiques of incorrect answers per question* 1.93 (.25) .20 (.19) .07(.12) Number of questions initially skipped* 5.40 (3.41) 1.25 (1.45) .40 (.82) *p<.001

Application McClain (1983) Use these Strategies: Cover up answers to focus on the question before looking at options Skip difficult answers and find questions you know to build confidence Cross out wrong options Read all options before making a selection © Filipe Frazao/shutterstock.com

© Ivelin Radkov/shutterstock.com Academic Integrity

Why Does Academic Integrity Matter? Positive image of college Increased opportunities for all students Character and learning matter! © argus/shutterstock.com

Avoid Plagiarism by Citing Sources Always cite someone else’s thoughts or ideas (paraphrasing) Cite everything except your own ideas or general knowledge When using exact words from someone else, use quotations too

Citing Sources In-text citations Works Cited or Reference Page

Citation Examples

Paraphrasing Summarizing the ideas of another in your own words Be sure to close the book before taking notes

Papers and Presentations © Goodluz/shutterstock.com Papers and Presentations

Identifying Topics

Identifying Sources of Information See librarians for assistance Peer reviewed journals, books, newspapers, Internet Read original work whenever possible Encyclopedias not typically considered appropriate for college level work

Evaluating Websites The CRAAP Test: Currency Relevance Authority Accuracy Purpose

Tom Peterson, Middlesex County College THE WRITING PROCESS

The Flexible Writing Process

Organization Focus on outcome Map out a path © James Woodson/Digital Vision/Getty Images

Sleep on it before revising Focus on the BIG PICTURE Read entire work before revising Emphasize global factors such as purpose and organization

Proofreading Check for accuracy and errors Shift from global to specifics Confirm that you always cited sources Seek tutoring or writing support if needed

Presentation Strategies Tom Peterson, Middlesex County College Presentation Strategies

Managing Performance Anxiety PREPARATION

The Golden Rule Tell the audience what you will say Say it Tell the audience what you said

Strong Beginnings Interesting statistics Stories Audience involvement through questioning or activities Humor © valdis torms/Shutterstock.com

Strong Endings Summarize key points Focus audience back on your main points

Emphasizing Important Concepts Say it’s important Become more animated or change voice Repeat the information Dramatic pause Spend time on topic Several examples Share stories Use visual tools © Master3D/Shutterstock.com

Active Learning Strategies Brief Quiz Poll the Audience Pause for questions or comments Self-reflection activity Turn and Talk

Engaging Your Audience

Using multi-media effectively © StockLite/Shutterstock.com Using multi-media effectively

What makes a Power Point slide effective? Turn and Talk What makes a Power Point slide effective?

The Multi-Media Principle: Images are Powerful © Vetkit/Shutterstock.com

The Power of Smart Art

The Coherence Principle

The Signaling Principle

The Personalization Principle © Constantine Pankin/Shutterstock.com

The Modality Principle

Practicing Your Presentation Practice a lot! In front of mirror, family, friends, etc. Watch timing Avoid filler words like “umm” Ask audience for feedback Barry Barnes/Shutterstock.com

Exploring the Research Issa et al. (2011) Research Question: Does learning increase when Power Point slides are based on multi-media principles? Tom Peterson, Middlesex County College

The Study Issa et al. (2011) Test Grade 130 Medical Students Traditional Power Point Power Point Based on Multi-Media Principles Test Grade

The Results! Issa et al. (2011)

The So What Factor Issa et al. (2011) Using Multi-Media Principles Increases Learning! © Filipe Frazao/shutterstock.com

© wavebreakmedia/shutterstock.com Test Taking

© B Calkins/shutterstock.com Multiple Choice tests

Multiple Choice Exams

Is Changing Your Answer a Good Idea? Yes if you have a good reason for doing so! Misread question Discover a clue Chad McDermott/Shutterstock.com

Short Answer and Essay exams © wavebreakmedia/shutterstock.com Short Answer and Essay exams

The Short Answer and Essay Exam Planning Writing Revising

Essay Writing Tips

Take home and online exams © James Woodson/Digital Vision/Getty Images Take home and online exams

Take Home Exams Can be challenging and rigorous Higher expectations Time consuming- plan ahead! Can typically use resources like computer to create a polished product!

On-line Exams Professor decides on “settings” like time limits Take advantage of practice opportunities if available to work out technology issues Take it well before deadline so that if you encounter a problem, you’ll have time to address solutions Laurence Gough/Shutterstock.com

© Robert Kneschke/Digital Vision/Getty Images Group Projects

The 5R Approach to Group Work