Abstract Detail

Recent Topics Posters

Proctor, Niels [1], Monroe, Martha [1].

Evaluating Web-Based Retrieval Practice as a Self-Directed Study Tool for Plant Identification.

Students taking undergraduate courses in botany, horticulture, plant identification, and plant systematics are often introduced to some pool of relevant plant species and are subsequently expected to be able to recognize and identify those same species by the appropriate scientific names.  Students in such classes therefore need a way to practice both the recognition of the plants and the retrieval of the appropriate names.  Research in psychology has repeatedly shown that testing can strengthen such skills and make stored information more accessible from memory, but instructors are often reluctant to use class time for additional tests.  In this research we examined whether a web-based study tool could provide the benefits of testing outside of the classroom.  Over three consecutive fall terms at a major university, we used an interactive website in conjunction with an undergraduate course in local flora.  The website displayed pictures of the plants covered in the course and asked users to type in the appropriate name.  Responses were automatically checked for spelling and capitalization and users could get hints if they were stuck.  All participants in the study had their own unique usernames and passwords for the site and were free to use it at their own discretion.   Participants in the study agree to let us record both their actions on the website and their answers on the in-class tests.  By combining web and test data, we were able to evaluate the levels and patterns of website usage that corresponded with better performance on the class tests.

1 - University of Florida, School of Forest Resources & Conservation, PO Box 110410, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

Keywords:
teaching
testing
Retrieval Practice
educational technology
plant identification.

Presentation Type: Recent Topics Poster
Session: P, Recent Topics Posters
Location: Exhibit Hall/Savannah International Trade and Convention Center
Date: Monday, August 1st, 2016
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: PRT033
Abstract ID:1226
Candidate for Awards:None