Abstract:
Every lecture period in an introductory crop science course was interrupted with a 5 minute exercise about half way through the class period. Each exercise asked questions about topics covered in class or in the textbook. Students were allowed to use notes and the textbook to answer the questions and were encouraged to work together. The exercises were briefly reviewed after collection. Students were given 3 points for correctly completing the exercise, 2 points for incorrect work, and 0 points if absent. Up to 100 points can be accumulated during the semester, which is worth half the value of an hour exam toward the course grade. Comparisons between classes that were given the exercises and classes previous to the implementation of the exercises showed that there were significant increases in class attendance and final exam scores. This suggests that learning and retention of course material increased when the exercises were used.
Keywords:
learning exercises, improve learning, lecture class
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