Enhancing Exam Prep with Customized Digital Flashcards Susan L. Murray Julie Phelps Hanan Altabbakh Missouri University of Science and Technology American University of Kuwait Abstract Flashcards are traditionally constructed with pa- Wissman, Rawson, and Pyc (2012) showed that It is common for college classes to contain basic per index cards; questions are written or typed on one students have limited knowledge of the benefit of us- information that must be mastered before learning side of an index card, and the solution is on the other. ing flashcards in their learning process. The study re- more difficult concepts or applications. Many students Digital flashcards can simulate this design. They can be vealed that 83% of students reported using flashcards struggle with learning facts, terms, or fundamental viewed at different speeds for better-spaced repetition to learn vocabulary, while 29% used them for key con- concepts; in some situations, students are even un- application. Showing the next card at the proper timing cepts. The study finds that students would significantly sure about what they should study. Flashcards are a ensure the appropriate lags between sessions or within benefit from flashcards if they extend their application well-established educational aid for learning basic the cards themselves (Pham, Chen, Nguyen, & Hwang, to a broader variety of learning objectives. The same information. Software programs are available that can 2016). There are other advantages for students using study also revealed that few instructors recommend generate flashcards electronically. This paper details an digital flashcards. They are easy to share or post online. using flashcards as a learning strategy in their courses. evaluation of the benefits of online flashcards. An un- Easy storage is another advantage since they can be The study finally suggests that instructors should be dergraduate engineering class used digital flashcards reviewed on a smartphone or tablet anywhere. Tradi- educated about the benefit of self-testing, factors that which were developed using off-the-shelf software. tional flashcards are harder to share and inconvenient influence the efficiency of self-testing, and ways to in- Students showed an interest in using flashcards in since they can be lost or damaged easily by wear and tegrate self-testing methods into the curriculum for the their current class and a willingness to construct new tear. They are also less environmentally friendly. One teacher training program (Wissman, Rawson, & Pyc, ones for future classes. Students also were not aware of potential disadvantage is that digital flashcards need 2012). how useful flashcard utilization was in their learning more expensive equipment (computer, mobile phone, process, and it was rare that they used them in other or tablet) compared to pen and paper. However, the Method classes. vast majority of students already have access to these devices. Digital flashcards can require less time than A required sophomore-level engineering class, Op- traditional flashcards in writing, editing, or sharing. erations Management, was used to evaluate digital Introduction flashcards. Students enrolled in the course were offered Flashcards are an educational aid for student mem- extra credit for making digital flashcards; the majority orizing information. Typically, they consist of stackable Literature Review (91%) chose to participate. The goal of this project was paper used to practice test-taking. The principle of Research has shown that repetitive testing using to explore engineering students’ willingness to develop using flashcards is the spaced repetition to build per- flashcards is a more effective learning strategy than and use digital flashcards. The flashcards created by the manent memories of important material. Studies have repetitive studying for short-term knowledge retention students were embedded in the class’s learning man- proven that spaced study is more effective than mass in clinical medical students. The same study also de- agement system webpage (specifically Blackboard). study (Augustin, 2014). Studying a large stack of flash- termined that students are unaware of the greater im- The digital flashcards could be reviewed in a variety cards in a spaced pattern is more effective than piling pact of the testing strategy (Schmidmaier, Ebersbach, of formats and from laptops, computers, and smart- up the material to be studied, in mass, only minutes Schiller, Hege, Holzer, & Fischer, 2011). Another study phones. before exams (Kornell, 2009). Spaced learning re- was performed on university students to prove the An example of digital flashcards is shown in figure sults in more long-term learning than mass learning effectiveness of digital flashcards on the final written 1. The top flashcard is for initial study; the term and its (Cepeda, Pashler, Vul, Wixted, & Rohrer, 2006). examination when comparing technology enriched vs. definition are shown to the student at the same time. The goal of using flashcards is to self-test one’s traditional classroom instruction (Eads & Hamson-Ut- The second flashcard format is used for self-testing. The knowledge of specific material. Additionally, creating ley, 2014). Also, practice testing and distributed prac- student reads and answers the question or provides flashcards encourages learning by doing, through the tice received high utility assessments in a study that the appropriate term; then the digital flashcard can be synthesis of information as well as the opportunity for investigated ten different learning techniques and their “flip” showing the correct answer. Sets of cards from peer review when the flashcards are shared. Moreover, effects on students. The study recommended practice different topics or textbook chapters can be combined utilizing flashcards as a learning technique encour- testing, including using flashcards, as it assists learners and shuffled. The free Web tool Quizlet (http://quizlet. ages formative assessment, self-identification of mis- of different ages and capabilities and enhances their com/) was used to create the digital flashcards used in conception, and improve memory retaining (Colbran, performance among many education contexts (Dun- this study. Gilding, & Colbran, 2014). losky, Rawson, Marsh, Nathan, & Willingham, 2013). 42 Journal of STEM Education Volume 19 • Issue 4 September-December 2018 the screen. Feedback comparing the time required to the student’s best time and their position on a class leader- board is given at the completion of the matching. Procedure After the final exam, the students were anonymously surveyed about creating and using digital flashcards. The survey began with questions concerning how the stu- dents typically studied. Students were also asked to com- pare this specific class to a typical class; this was done to provide a basis for comparison to see if students studied differently with the introduction of digital flashcards and to assist in determining the ease/benefit of generalizing the study’s findings to other courses. The students who made digital flashcards were asked rate both how useful it was to make flashcards and how useful it was to review the flashcards. Figure 1. Sample Digital Flashcards Determining the key material to include in a flashcard was expected to provide the students with an opportunity to prioritize and review study materials. Using the flash- cards for review would also provide the students with a different learning opportunity to memorize facts and concepts. We sought the students’ perspective on both of these potential benefits. The next portion of the sur- vey explored the ease of use of the software to create the digital flashcards and the ease of viewing and using the flashcards on different types of devices. We also explored whether the students’ experience with digital flashcards would influence students’ study techniques in the future. Students rated the likelihood that they would use digital flashcards in future classes after having used them in this class. Finally, the students received an email from the instructor a year later to see Figure 2. Sample Matching Exercise what if any experience they had with digital flashcards since this particular class. Findings An anonymous electronic survey was sent to all of the students in the class before the introduction of digital flashcards. The response rate was 95%, and the sample size was 23 undergraduate students. In the survey, stu- dents self-reported studying an average of 5.8 hours for an exam; the mode was 4.0 hours. The students were asked the various methods they used when studying for an exam. Figure 3 summarizes the responses. Students were able to select more than one study method. Making notes or flashcards was a common method of studying. During the course, the idea of building digital flash- cards was introduced to the students. The majority of Figure 3. How Students Study for Exams the students in the class participated in building a set of flashcards for the material in various textbook chapters. The material can also be presented in other formats such race to drag the terms to the matching definition. Incor- The flashcards were reviewed and edited by the instruc- as matching exercises. Figure 2 shows a set of digital rect matches are displayed in red, while correct matches tor and then made available to all of the students in the flashcards with both sides of the cards displayed. Students disappear. A clock times the student as he or she clears class in preparation