Breanna Landreth Jamie Varangkounh Comp I 12/09/2015 Summary and Analysis In the article, “More Testing, More Learning”, the author Patrick O’Malley, places emphasis on frequent testing to improve students’ learning. According to the article, the majority of college professors only give 2 important exams, the midterm and final, that count for a large portion of a students’ grade. O’Malley proposes frequent test taking to increase academic performance however professors address their own concerns. O’Malley introduces the problem by claiming that infrequent, major exams do not help with academic success. Infrequent exams cause stress and worry. It is pointed out that students have high anxiety around these high stake exams because they …show more content…
He believes that weekly or biweekly quizzes, no more than 15-20 minutes, will better prepare students for the high stake exams. Depending on the class, tests could be taken after each unit, time period or chapter. This allows the students to practice and get a better understanding of the material that will be used in the exam. Introducing this solution will encourage better study habits, less procrastination, better retention and better overall academic performance. For the student, having more frequent exams mean having more chances at succeeding in class. By increasing the frequency of quizzes, students are forced to study more and therefore retain more information. Professors argue that taking this frequent of exams may take away lecture time while adding to their own workload. O’Malley addresses these concerns, suggesting that readers, teaching assistants and Scranton’s can help ease the process. To prevent such a workload, the quizzes can be kept short. O’Malley believes that while it may take away from lecture time, the students are better able to retain and learn the