A Familiar(ity) Problem: Assessing the Impact of Prerequisites and Content Familiarity on Student Learning.

ABSTRACT: Prerequisites are embedded in most STEM curricula. However, the assumption that the content presented in these courses will improve learning in later courses has not been verified. Because a direct comparison of performance between students with and without required prerequisites is logistically difficult to arrange in a randomized fashion, we developed a novel familiarity scale, and used this to determine whether concepts introduced in a prerequisite course improved student learning in a later course (in two biology disciplines). Exam questions in the latter courses were classified into three categories, based on the degree to which the tested concept had been taught in the prerequisite course. If content familiarity mattered, it would be expected that exam scores on topics covered in the

SUBMITTER: Shaffer JF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4733054 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature