[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-594983-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-594983-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","modulators-of-test-enhanced-learning-in-post-secondary-biology","Modulators of Test-Enhanced Learning in Post-Secondary Biology","","Cognitive science research highlights the testing effect: students remember more when learning involves retrieval through quizzes and exams. Laboratory studies show strong improvements, yet discipline-based education work examines whether these benefits transfer to real post-secondary biology classrooms. This review surveys recent findings in biology education and synthesizes how the effect can be modulated, covering exam frequency, corrective feedback, incentives, and student achievement differences.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/modulators-of-test-enhanced-learning-in-post-secondary-biology/594983/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/modulators-of-test-enhanced-learning-in-post-secondary-biology/594983.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Mary Man","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-29","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",6,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What is the testing effect in post-secondary biology education?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"The testing effect is the improvement of students’ learning through classroom testing, also called retrieval practice or test-enhanced learning. Information retrieved during quizzes or exams is more likely to be recalled later.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"Which factors modulate the testing effect according to the review findings?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"The review reports that higher exam frequency increases the testing effect, corrective feedback on exams may enhance it, and incentives such as points may decrease the positive outcome. Student differences in achievement and preparation can also moderate the effect.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"Why is research on the testing effect important for biology instructors?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"The review emphasizes that the testing effect’s impact in real post-secondary biology classrooms needs to guide instructional decisions. It also frames further research to clarify boundaries and practical applications.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},594983,1792252001,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,105,110,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":106,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":107,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":111,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":111,"language":139,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":143,"read_time":117,"preview_page_count":4},7421720224475,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_276721f389ce27ea32af1340a28f341c","Modulators of Test-Enhanced Learning in Post-Secondary Biology  \nBryn St. Clair *and Jamie L. Jensen  \nDepartment of Biology  \nBrigham Young University  \nProvo, UT 84602  \n*Corresponding author. Dept. of Biology, 4102 LSB, Brigham Young University, Provo, [UT 84602.](UT 84602. bes@byu.edu)[ ](UT 84602. bes@byu.edu)[bes@byu.edu](UT 84602. bes@byu.edu)  \nAbstract  \nCognitive scientists and psychology researchers have given growing attention to evidence of the testing effect, that is, the improvement of students’ recall through memory-retrieval practice in the form of quizzes and exams. While laboratory experiments consistently show dramatic positive effects on learning through the testing effect, disciplinespecific education researchers have sought to generalize these findings in real, instead of simulated classrooms. Our objective in this review was to survey recent findings on the testing effect in post-secondary biology education and synthesize how those findings may modulate learning in the post-secondary biology classroom. We found that: (a) Increased exam frequency increases the testing effect; (b) Corrective feedback on exams may enhance the testing effect; (c) Incentives, such as points, may decrease the positive outcome of learning through the testing effect, though little research in actual classrooms on this widely used practice is found; (d) Individual differences in student achievement and preparation may moderate the effect. We consider how further research on the testing effect may  be useful for instructors’ decisions regarding its use.   \nIntroduction  \nIn recent decades, science education reform has involved stronger collaboration between cognitive and education researchers interested in applying their findings from laboratory research to subjectspecific disciplines. Discipline-based education research (DBER) is central to the effort at the postsecondary level (e.g., Carpenter et al., 2016) . Several principles of learning from cognitive-science laboratory studies have hypothetical applications for instructional practice in STEM classrooms. In this article, we review the recent findings on one such principle of learning for application in post-secondary biology education—the testing effect.  \nThe testing effect is the improvement of students’ learning through classroom testing. It is also known as retrieval practice, practice quizzing, or testenhanced learning (for a review see Roediger & Butler, 2011) . For example, information that appears on a quiz will more likely be recalled later than information not tested. Terms such as test, exam, and quiz are most commonly associated with assessment in education. In simple language, assessment is the measurement of how much students have learned of what the teacher has taught. In this way, assessment informs teachers of the effectiveness of their instruction in terms of student learning (Black & Wiliam, 1998) . Even though an exam on previously presented content is sometimes considered, in itself,  \na neutral learning event, researchers in cognitive psychology, education and neurobiology have reported that learning may be enhanced when it is retrieved through testing (Roediger & Karpicke, 2006) . Specifically, retrieving information from memory may enhance the cues for future retrieval. A recent resurgence of research on this topic has been largely conducted in cognitive-science laboratories in controlled studies (Roediger & Butler, 2011) using varied material, including word pairs (Carrier & Pashler, 1992; Karpicke & Roediger, 2008), general facts (Butler et al., 2008), trivia (McDaniel & Fisher, 1991), and textual passages (Kang et al., 2007) . Researchers have also examined the differential effects of the testing effect using varied assessment formats, including multiple-choice items (Marsh et al., 2007), open- and closed-book items (Agarwal et al., 2008), and inference items (Karpicke, 2012) . The results of a multitude of studies on the testing effect have been f","cbCaipNiaQ6UjOhr","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaipNiaQ6UjOhr","pdf",227314,"English","# Introduction\n## The testing effect as retrieval practice\n## Relevance to post-secondary biology\n## Key questions\n### Classroom structure of assessment\n### Assessment format and content\n### Student characteristics","[{\"question\":\"What is the testing effect in post-secondary biology education?\",\"answer\":\"The testing effect is the improvement of students’ learning through classroom testing, also called retrieval practice or test-enhanced learning. Information retrieved during quizzes or exams is more likely to be recalled later.\"},{\"question\":\"Which factors modulate the testing effect according to the review findings?\",\"answer\":\"The review reports that higher exam frequency increases the testing effect, corrective feedback on exams may enhance it, and incentives such as points may decrease the positive outcome. Student differences in achievement and preparation can also moderate the effect.\"},{\"question\":\"Why is research on the testing effect important for biology instructors?\",\"answer\":\"The review emphasizes that the testing effect’s impact in real post-secondary biology classrooms needs to guide instructional decisions. It also frames further research to clarify boundaries and practical applications.\"}]","Modulators of Test-Enhanced Learning in Post-Secondary Biology | PDF",1792080215]