Throughout a student’s educational journey, the majority of students have encountered at least one occasion where the instructor allowed students to use reference materials to help them complete the assessment. But what exactly are reference materials, and how do they empower students in their learning journey?
What Are Reference Sheets?
A reference sheet, or more commonly known as a “cheat sheet” is a sheet of paper containing compiled information that is permitted by instructors for students to quickly reference during a test or exam. Common reference sheets include periodic tables, complex equations and mathematical formulas, and numeric constants that do not change, such as the downwards acceleration due to gravity on Earth, the first few digits of pi, or the mass of a specific planet. Reference sheets were traditionally used by students to cheat on exams (hence its name), but has since been incorporated into higher education as a tool to help students better prepare for assessments rather than being used for deception. In this article, we will discuss the benefits of using reference sheets, how they empower student success, and how instructors can incorporate reference sheets into their assessments on YuJa Verity.
How Do Reference Sheets Benefit Students?
We will discuss three major benefits of reference sheets that help prepare students both objectively and emotionally before an important test or exam. These benefits are:
- Gain familiarity with course material
- Reduce anxiety and boost confidence
- Develop effective learning styles
Creating a Reference Sheet Helps Students Memorize Content
In the process of drafting a reference sheet, students will be prompted to read and reread relevant course material over and over until they discern the right chunk of information that they want to write down. In order to make sure that their reference sheet includes every detail that they might need, they would also be required to read over every key concept that may be covered on the test instead of focusing on one small area. This helps students gain a general idea of the material, and in the case of examinations covering multiple chapters, recall earlier topics that were previously taught, before involving any writing.
Drafting a reference sheet may involve multiple iterations before students feel satisfied and confident with using its contents during the assessment. Depending on the size of the reference sheet and the number of pages allowed, students may encounter trouble fitting all the necessary information on their paper, or discerning the most important core topics that should be written down. The process of repeatedly writing information down by hand is proven to strengthen memory and recall, and can help students locate information on their reference sheet faster during the test if they iterated on multiple copies.
Using a Reference Sheet Reduces Exam Anxiety and Helps Students Feel Confident
Students may feel less stress and anxiety before and during an assessment if they knew that they were allowed to use reference sheets, as they reduce the reliance on memorization, which may be difficult for some students. Reference sheets provide reassurance that material that is hard to memorize will always be accessible during the assessment to help students succeed, prompting students to focus more on active learning strategies rather than relying strictly on memorization. According to an experiment conducted by Amanda S. Harper at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, it was discovered that reference sheets, despite failing to consistently drive higher exam scores, significantly boosted student confidence and served as an effective pedagogical tool that empowered students to study effectively (https://our.unc.edu/abstract/harper-how-exam-cheat-sheets-shape-student-success/). From this study, it is evident that permitting students to use reference sheets during examinations can help ease their anxiety and increase their motivation and confidence, on top of helping them gain a better understanding of the course material.
Students Can Adapt to New and Effective Learning Styles While Drafting Reference Sheets
Due to the limited amount of space that is available, students often use different strategies to ensure that they have written down all the necessary information in their reference sheet, such as using acronyms, abbreviations, visual cues, color codes, and more. By learning to group related concepts together and using arrows, highlights, or borders to emphasize key features, students process information faster, prevent overloading on working memory, and improve recall by spending more time attending to the information as they apply visual cues. Over time, students develop the necessary skills to create a well structured and organized schema, and adapt to studying strategies that best suit their learning styles.
How Does YuJa Help?
We have concluded that reference sheets help students study more effectively, reduce their anxiety levels, and help them develop strategic learning styles. In the recent YuJa Verity v26.5.0 release, instructors can now permit students to use reference materials during any assessments created using the YuJa Verity Assessment Builder to better mimic traditional, in-person exam environments. Instructors can either provide their own reference sheets, or allow students to upload their own depending on the requirements of the assessment. This added flexibility empowers both instructors and students to succeed in a workflow that is familiar to them while helping ensure that academic integrity is protected with YuJa Verity’s proctoring capabilities.
Learn More About Proctored Assessments
Want to learn more about incorporating secure online assessments into your existing course workflow using YuJa Verity, and how to support diverse student populations with flexible testing options that guide students to success? Check out YuJa’s exclusive discussion with Cyndi Rooks, Director of Sales for YuJa Verity, in our community, where she explains how automated assessment tools can simplify exam administration to keep the focus on learning. Simply sign up for our community, or log in with your account and start watching immediately!
