Half-baked essays: the embedded use of writing exemplars to encourage active learning for radiography students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi30.1028Keywords:
writing skills, active learning, student confidence, transition, exemplar essaysAbstract
This paper discusses the implementation of exemplar essays within an undergraduate first-year diagnostic radiography module to encourage active learning and the development of academic literacies. Nine essays (~400 words each) were provided over six sessions, using lecturer-guided discussion to explore the academic virtues and pitfalls demonstrated alongside assessment criteria. Exemplars were based upon a fictitious baking profession to illicit student interest and eliminate the risk of imitation or plagiarism. The quality of essays varied, with overt examples of common mistakes in spelling, essay structure and selection of appropriate literature. Upon completion of the sessions, and prior to summative assessment, students were surveyed with regard to their opinion of the teaching intervention. Feedback was obtained from 65% of the cohort (n=31/48), who reported an improvement in essay writing confidence. Students found the marking of the essays in class useful and the baking analogy was well received. Not all students found the classroom activities engaging though, with some wishing greater interactivity due to boredom and repetition. Furthermore, there was a slight reduction in pass rates and average marks across the cohort when compared to the previous module delivery. Nevertheless, there was a substantial increase in students attaining marks of 80% or more. This study highlights exemplar essays as a low-tech, low-cost option to increase assessment literacy but accepts the wide diversity in student learning preferences and experience. The efficacy of exemplar essays cannot be guaranteed, and teaching staff must be cognisant of individual student learning needs.
References
Anderson, L., Krathwohl, R., Airasian, P., Cruikshank, K., Mayer, R., Pintrich, P., Raths, J., and Wittrock, M. (eds.) (2001) Taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: a revision of Bloom's taxonomy. New York, NY: Longman.
Azadbakht, E. (2019) ‘Humor in library instruction: a narrative review with implications for the health sciences’, Journal of the Medical Library Association, 107(3), pp.304-313. https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2019.608.
Beckett, R.D., Sheppard, L., Rosene, A. and Whitlock, C. (2016) ‘Student and faculty perceptions of humor in the pharmacy classroom’, Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 8, pp.226-234. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2015.12.012 .
Bell, A., Mladenovic, R. and Price, M. (2013) ‘Students’ perceptions of the usefulness of marking guides, grade descriptors and annotated exemplars’, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 38(7), pp.769-788. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2012.714738.
Biggs, J. and Tang, C. (2011) Teaching for quality learning at university: what the student does. 4th edn. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education.
Bowman, M. and Addyman, B. (2014) ‘Improving the quality of academic reflective writing in nursing: a comparison of three different interventions’, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, 7. https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.v0i7.241.
Carless, D. and Chan, K.K.H. (2016) ‘Managing dialogic use of exemplars’, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(6), pp.930–941. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2016.1211246
Carter, R., Halcomb, E., Ramjan, L.M., Wilson, N.J., Glew, P. and Salamonson, Y. (2019) ‘Does the use of annotated exemplars by nursing students predict academic performance? A cohort study’, Nurse Education Today, 80, pp.34-39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2019.06.003.
Dampier, G., Baker, L.A., Spencely, C., Edwards, N.J., White, E. and Taylor, A.M. (2019) ‘Avoiding the deficit model and defining student success: perspectives from a new foundation year context’, Journal of the Foundation Year Network, 2, pp.41-52. Available at: https://jfyn.co.uk/index.php/ukfyn/article/view/32 (Accessed: 23 February 2024).
Dixon, H., Hawe, E. and Hamilton, R. (2020) ‘The case for using exemplars to develop academic self-efficacy’, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 45(3), pp.460-471. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2019.1666084.
Gravett, K. and Winstone, N.E. (2019) ‘”Feedback interpreters”: the role of learning development professionals in facilitating university students’ engagement with feedback’, Teaching in Higher Education, 24(6), pp.723-738. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2018.1498076.
Greenwood, A. (2023) ‘Librarians as teachers: a reflection on practice, identity, and the TPACK framework to enhance professional practice’, Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association, 72(2), pp.178-188. https://doi.org/10.1080/24750158.2023.2192893.
Handley, K. and Williams, L. (2011) ‘From copying to learning: using exemplars to engage students with assessment criteria and feedback’, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 36(1), pp.95-108. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602930903201669.
Hassel, S. and Ridout, N. (2018) ‘An investigation of first-year students’ and lecturers’ expectations of university education’, Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 2218. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02218.
Hawe, E., Lightfoot, U. and Dixon, H. (2019) ‘First-year students working with exemplars: promoting self-efficacy, self-monitoring and self-regulation’, Journal of Further and Higher Education, 43(1), pp.30-44. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2017.1349894.
Health and Care Professions Council (2022) Standards of Proficiency - Radiographers. Available at: https://www.hcpc-uk.org/resources/standards/standards-of-proficiency-radiographers/ (Accessed: 1 August 2023).
Hendry, J.A. (2013) ‘Are radiography lecturers, leaders?’, Radiography, 19, pp.251-258. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.radi.2013.01.004.
Hinds, Z. and Lockwood, P. (2023) ‘A cross-sectional student survey of the impact of the Covid-19 lockdowns on clinical placement in England’, Radiography, 29(1), pp.190-199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radi.2022.11.006.
Lea, M. and Street, B. (1998) ‘Student writing in higher education: an academic literacies approach’, Studies in Higher Education, 11(3), pp.182-199. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079812331380364.
Lundvall, L.L., Dahlström, N. and Dahlgren, M.A. (2021) ‘Radiography students’ learning during clinical placements: developing professional knowing in practice’, Vocations and Learning, 14, pp.439–457. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12186-021-09269-1.
McAnulla, S.J., Ball, S.E. and Knapp, K.M. (2020) ‘Understanding student radiographer attrition: risk factors and strategies’, Radiography, 26, pp.198-204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radi.2019.12.001.
Minogue, L., Murphy, C. and Salmons, K. (2018) ‘Embedding learning development; a model for collaborative practice’, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, 13. https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.v0i13.443.
Macnaught, L., Bassett, M., Van der Ham, V., Milne, J. and Jenkin, C. (2022) ‘Sustainable embedded academic literacy development: the gradual handover of literacy teaching’, Teaching in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2022.2048369.
Ng, C.K.C. (2022) ‘A review of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pre-registration medical radiation science education’, Radiography, 28(1), pp.222-231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radi.2021.07.026.
O’Connor, M., Stowe, J., Potocnik, J., Giannotti, N., Murphy, S. and Rainford, L. (2021) ‘3D virtual reality simulation in radiography education: the students' experience’, Radiography, 27(1), pp.208-214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radi.2020.07.017.
Partner, A., Shiner, N., Hyde, E. and Errett, S. (2022) ‘First year student radiographers’ perceptions of a one-week simulation-based education package designed to increase clinical placement capacity’, Radiography, 28(3), pp.577-585. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radi.2022.04.007.
Popham, W.J. (2009) ‘Assessment literacy for teachers: faddish or fundamental?’, Theory into Practice, 48, pp.4-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405840802577536.
Richards, K. and Pilcher, N. (2023) ‘Study skills: neoliberalism’s perfect Tinkerbell’, Teaching in Higher Education, 28(3), pp.580-596. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2020.1839745
Smyth, P. and Carless D. (2021) ‘Theorising how teachers manage the use of exemplars: towards mediated learning from exemplars’, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 46(3), pp.393-406. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2020.1781785
Tam, K.Y.Y., Van Tilburg, W.A.P. and Chan, C.S. (2022) ‘Whatever will bore, will bore: The mere anticipation of boredom exacerbates its occurrence in lectures’, British Journal of Educational Psychology, 93, pp.198-210. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12549
To, J. and Carless, D. (2016) ‘Making productive use of exemplars: Peer discussion and teacher guidance for positive transfer of strategies’, Journal of Further and Higher Education, 40(6), pp.746-764. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2015.1014317
To, J., Panadero, E. and Carless, D. (2022) ‘A systematic review of the educational uses and effects of exemplars’, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 47(8), pp.1167-1182. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2021.2011134
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978) Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
Wingate, U. (2006) ‘Doing away with ‘study skills’’, Teaching in Higher Education, 11(4), pp.457-469. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562510600874268
Xu, Y. and Brown, G.T.L. (2016) ‘Teacher assessment literacy in practice: A reconceptualization’, Teaching and Teacher Education, 58, pp.149-162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.05.010
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
