For decades now, the call to college teachers has been to rely less on lecture and to draw more on active learning techniques such as discussions, small group brainstorming, and think-pair-shares.

Strategies like these fit well within smaller courses. But in an auditorium with a couple of hundred students, how do we encourage participation and community?

To meet this challenge, Notre Dame’s Rachel Branco has turned to an assessment approach known as the two-stage exam. It’s worked so well that she has now written a how-to guide to help other instructors incorporate this active learning experience into classes of any size.

Key Topics Discussed:

How Rachel initially encountered the concept of two-stage exams, in which students answer the same set of questions first as individuals and then in groups
Her experience incorporating two-stage exams into her smaller courses and why that inspired her not only to adapt the setup for her larger classes but also to write a guide for other instructors interested in doing so
Well-established advantages of using two-stage exams as well as Rachel’s own observations of the benefits based on surveys of her students
The logistics of deploying two-stage exams in a class with hundreds of students, including the importance of seating plans, the creation of the exam documents themselves, and group construction
Why Rachel has each student turn in their own answer sheet for the group part of the exam and the kinds of questions that work best in light of the group dynamic
Why it’s critical to communicate the rationale behind this style of assessment to students

Guest Bio: Rachel Branco is a neuroscientist and an associate teaching professor at the University of Notre Dame, where she teaches courses through both the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and the Neuroscience and Behavior Program. She is passionate about researching and implementing practical classroom strategies that improve how students learn about and experience science.

Resources Mentioned:

Rachel’s Implementation Guide for Two-Stage Exams
Mail Merge Tool for Notre Dame Instructors: Yet Another Mail Merge (YAMM)
Grading Assistance Software for Notre Dame Instructors: Gradescope
Episode Transcript

Designed for Learning is hosted by Jim Lang, a professor of the practice in Notre Dame Learning’s Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence and the author of several influential books on teaching. The podcast is produced by Notre Dame Learning’s Office of Digital Learning. For more, visit learning.nd.edu/podcast. You can also follow Notre Dame Learning on LinkedIn.

Using Two-Stage Exams to Promote Active Learning in Large Classes