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Presentation
Pharmacy Student Self-testing as a Predictor of Exam Performance
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Annual Meeting
  • David W. Stewart, East Tennessee State University
  • Peter C. Panus, East Tennessee State University
  • James Thigpen, East Tennessee State University
  • Nicholas E. Hagemeier, East Tennessee State University
  • Lauren K. Brooks, East Tennessee State University
Document Type
Presentation
Publication Date
7-1-2012
Description

Objectives: To determine if benefit exists in allowing students to self-test over relevant material as they progress through a professional course. Method: A total of 1,342 multiple choice questions were developed for pharmacy students to self-test for a pathophysiology course. Prior to each examination, students were allowed to take online quizzes which were randomly generated and related to the exam content. Quizzes were scored immediately, and students were shown the incorrect questions along with all answer choices. A matrix of intercorrelations and repeated measures ANOVA were generated using PASW Statistics Version 19 (IBM, Armonk, NY) to evaluate number of quiz attempts, highest attempt score, lowest attempt score, average attempt score, last attempt score, undergraduate GPA, and composite PCAT in relation to exam grade. Results: Seventy-seven of 79 students took advantage of self-testing and completed a total of 7,042 attempts. For the four exams, average quiz attempts score had the highest correlation, R = 0.591, 0.670, 0.550, and 0.373 respectively, to exam score (p ≤ 0.001 for each comparison). For each student who took advantage of self-testing, a paired analysis revealed exam score was significantly higher on the first three exams when compared with quiz attempts average. Implications: Literature indicates self-testing strategies increase recall ability as compared to more commonly employed study techniques. Self-testing opportunities in the pharmacy curriculum could increase student retention of course materials and provide feedback to educators regarding student learning while offering students an indication of their comprehension.

Location
Kissimmee, FL
Copyright Statement

© Copyright American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. This abstract was originally published in (2012). 113th Annual Meeting of the American Associaton of Colleges of Pharmacy, Kissimmee, FL, July 14-18, 2012. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education: Volume 76, Issue 5, Article 99. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe76599

Citation Information
David W. Stewart, Peter C. Panus, James Thigpen, Nicholas E. Hagemeier, et al.. "Pharmacy Student Self-testing as a Predictor of Exam Performance" American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Annual Meeting (2012)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/nick-hagemeier/49/