Implementing Spaced Retrieval Practice Across Multiple STEM Domains to Enhance Student Learning in Barrier Courses

在NSF改善本科STEM教育计划：教育和人力资源（IUSE：EHR）的支持下，该项目旨在通过间隔检索实践改善入门STEM课程的学习，从而为国家利益服务。间隔检索练习要求学生定期回答问题，要求他们回忆他们以前学到的东西。 它是一种增强记忆的，基于研究的教学技术，已被证明可以提高学期内和学期之间的概念记忆。间隔检索实践在障碍课程中尤为重要，因为缺乏成功限制了学生进一步攻读STEM学位。 这个项目将研究间隔检索实践在十个不同的入门STEM课程的有效性。这种干预可能是最有益的学生谁传统上表现不佳的STEM，从而有助于扩大参与STEM careers.Building在几门课程的间隔检索的有效性以前的结果，本项目旨在实施和测量间隔检索的效果在十个不同的本科STEM课程在路易斯维尔大学。通过一系列的研讨会，项目团队负责人将与教师合作，为他们的课程设计间隔检索练习。然后，将在所有课程中采用相同的实施战略，实施一个学期的干预措施，共有1 600多名学生参加。课堂内容的保留间隔检索实践将进行比较，在学科内的时尚，保留以下大规模检索实践。将在不同的课程中比较练习操作的效果（间隔与聚集后的性能之间的差异幅度），从而评估间隔在各个领域的有效性。对于那些间隔检索实践被证明是有效的课程，该项目将调查是否与间隔有关的好处的大小不同。此外，它可能会检测到其他教室设计和人口的效果调节，这取决于样本量和教室的变化。结果可以提供证据，以支持实施间隔检索作为一种策略，以提高学生在全国范围内的STEM课程的成功。增加学生在STEM课程中的成功将导致更多的人成功地追求STEM职业。它还将为未来的研究铺平道路，探索间隔检索实践的影响，在不同类型的高等教育机构的背景下，可能导致更广泛的采用干预。NSF IUSE：EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

With support from the NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Program: Education and Human Resources (IUSE: EHR), this project aims to serve the national interest by improving learning in introductory STEM courses through spaced retrieval practice. Spaced retrieval practice requires students to periodically answer questions that require them to recall what they previously learned. It is a is a memory-enhancing, research-based instructional technique that has been shown to improve memory of concepts both within and between semesters. Spaced retrieval practice is especially important in barrier courses where a lack of success restricts students from further pursuing STEM degrees. This project will study the effectiveness of spaced retrieval practice in ten different introductory STEM courses. This intervention may be most beneficial to students who traditionally underperform in STEM, thus helping to broaden participation in STEM careers.Building on previous results of the effectiveness of spaced retrieval in a few courses, this project aims to implementing and measuring the effects of spaced retrieval in ten different undergraduate STEM courses at the University of Louisville. Through a series of workshops, project team leaders will work with faculty to design spaced retrieval exercises for their courses. The intervention will then be implemented for one semester using the same implementation strategy in all courses, reaching a total of over 1,600 students. Retention of classroom content following spaced retrieval practice will be compared, in within-subjects fashion, to retention following massed retrieval practice. The effect of the practice manipulation (the magnitude of the difference between performance following spacing versus massing) will be compared across different courses, permitting assessment of spacing's effectiveness across domains. For those courses in which spaced retrieval practice is shown to be effective, the project will investigate whether the magnitude of the spacing-related benefit differs. In addition, it may be possible to detect other classroom design and demographic moderators of the effect, depending upon sample sizes and variations in classrooms. Results could provide evidence to support implementation of spaced retrieval as a strategy to increase student success in STEM courses nationwide. Increasing student success in STEM courses will lead to more individuals successfully pursuing STEM careers. It will also pave the way for future research to explore the impacts of spaced retrieval practice in the context of different types of institutions of higher education, potentially leading to even broader adoption of the intervention. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.