Abstract
Numeracy skills are a key part of STEM degree programmes but the confidence of our incoming first-year students in using these has decreased in recent years. We have developed a series of quizzes on the Blackboard VLE to assess student confidence with common numeracy skills and provide opportunities to develop these in the first term of our biomedical science units.
Students completed a numeracy skills and confidence quiz of 16 questions grouped into three themes: units and expressing numbers; averages and percentages; solutions and dilutions. For each question they indicated how confident they were in their answer. Students then completed a quiz on each theme (12-20 questions randomly selected from question banks). They could attempt each quiz as many times as they wanted but had to achieve >80% correct for the next quiz to become available. Finally, students completed the numeracy skills and confidence quiz again.
Twenty-five students completed all quizzes, with correct answers for the numeracy skills and confidence quiz significantly increasing between first and second attempts. Student confidence in their answers also increased. Utilising automated Blackboard quizzes can identify particular numerical skills that students struggle with and can provide opportunities for them to improve their skills and confidence.
Students completed a numeracy skills and confidence quiz of 16 questions grouped into three themes: units and expressing numbers; averages and percentages; solutions and dilutions. For each question they indicated how confident they were in their answer. Students then completed a quiz on each theme (12-20 questions randomly selected from question banks). They could attempt each quiz as many times as they wanted but had to achieve >80% correct for the next quiz to become available. Finally, students completed the numeracy skills and confidence quiz again.
Twenty-five students completed all quizzes, with correct answers for the numeracy skills and confidence quiz significantly increasing between first and second attempts. Student confidence in their answers also increased. Utilising automated Blackboard quizzes can identify particular numerical skills that students struggle with and can provide opportunities for them to improve their skills and confidence.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Unpublished - 2018 |
| Event | Enhancing Student Learning Through Innovative Scholarship Conference - University of Bristol, Bristol Duration: 11 Jul 2018 → 12 Jul 2018 |
Conference
| Conference | Enhancing Student Learning Through Innovative Scholarship Conference |
|---|---|
| City | Bristol |
| Period | 11/07/18 → 12/07/18 |
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Cite this
MacMillan, F., & Fitzjohn, S. (2018). Using Blackboard quizzes to support and improve student confidence in using numeracy skills. Abstract from Enhancing Student Learning Through Innovative Scholarship Conference, Bristol, .