Shoreline Community College is a public community college in Shoreline, Washington. It is located in a residential area east of Shoreview Park. The college contains over 80 acres and continuously serves 12,000 full- and part-time students. It opened in 1964 and offers degree and certificate programs.
In principle, exam retakes could benefit students in part by providing incentives to review and re-attempt types of problems that initially took them by surprise. A possibly complementary way of reducing negative consequences of surprising exam problems is to use exam preview methods to make each exam less surprising. This four-part study explored the feasibility and efficacy of combining exam retakes with an exam preview method called Test Question Templates (TQTs). Part 1 shows that, in a sample of 93 undergraduate anatomy & physiology (A&P) syllabi, < 10% explicitly allow exam retakes. Part 2 reports indirect evidence that exam retakes might benefit student learning even in courses that use exam previews. Part 3 indicates student feedback consistent with Expectancy-Value Theory (EVT), with widespread student approval of an implementation of exam retakes designed to maximize student motivation by not requiring submission of additional homework, by offering retakes during regular class hours, and by fully replacing prior scores with improved scores. Part 4 shows that, over four years of implementing this policy in undergraduate A&P courses, students with initial exam scores < 75% attempted more retakes and improved exam scores by more than students with initial exam scores >85%. While exam previews and exam retakes both require up-front investment of instructor effort, this study provides quantitative and qualitative data to support the simultaneous use of both. This abstract was presented at the American Physiology Summit 2026 and is only available in HTML format. There is no downloadable file or PDF version. The Physiology editorial board was not involved in the peer review process.
College science exams are an important and widespread marker for student progress towards technical careers. Predominantly enacted using traditional teaching practices, exams also represent an opportunity for significant improvement in higher education. To explore the potential benefits of a particular style of exam assessment known as exam preview methods, a mixed methods experimental design was enacted in science classrooms across fields and with five faculty instructors at community colleges in the United States. Parallel sections were randomly assigned to be assessed either with the faculty’s traditional method or with exam preview methods, and data (primarily coded interviews and learning gains) were analyzed for impacts of implementation. The results together suggest significant benefits for students in exam preview sections when triangulated between different types of data. When weighed against a modest average time cost for implementation of the new method, these data suggest that exam preview methods may be a straightforward and useful innovation for a range of science classrooms. This abstract was presented at the American Physiology Summit 2026 and is only available in HTML format. There is no downloadable file or PDF version. The Physiology editorial board was not involved in the peer review process.
Active learning in undergraduate STEM courses boosts student achievement and narrows gaps for underrepresented students compared to traditional lecturing. This meta-analysis aims to further understand the role of active learning practices by interrogating features of the classroom context (e.g., introductory vs. upper-level courses, class size, and discipline) and active learning practices (e.g., type and intensity of active learning) that are correlated with student learning in undergraduate STEM classrooms. After systematically reviewing the literature that was published between 2010 and 2016, and meta-analyzing 134 admitted studies, we found that active learning had a positive impact on student outcomes regardless of class size, course level, or STEM discipline, with an overall effect of roughly half a standard deviation on exam scores (g=0.519, p<0.001, df=231). More importantly, we highlighted two novel results regarding active learning practices. First, student performance was significantly better in courses that employed mid- (g=0.583) or high-intensity (g=0.593) active learning versus lower-intensity (g=0.246), as judged by the amount of class time studies reported students were actively engaged in course activities. Additionally, there was significant heterogeneity in efficacy across different types of active learning employed (QM=120.5, df=7, p<0.001; I2=59.8%). We conclude that most, if not all, types of active learning are effective, and that active learning intensity is associated with stronger effects, although this association may be confounded with other aspects of course redesign. These results suggest that when innovating in their classes, instructors should continually work to increase active learning intensity. Finally, the evidence presented here for active learning’s impact on student outcomes creates a strong foundation for faculty professional development and evaluation.
College science exams are an important and widespread marker for student progress toward technical careers. Predominantly enacted using traditional teaching practices, exams also represent an opportunity for significant improvement in higher education. To explore the potential benefits of a particular style of exam assessment known as exam preview methods, a mixed-methods experimental design was enacted in science classrooms across fields and with five faculty instructors at community colleges in the United States. Parallel sections were randomly assigned to be assessed with exams either in the faculty's traditional method or with exam preview methods, and data (primarily coded interviews and learning gains) were analyzed for the impacts of implementation. Students in sections using exam preview methods were observed to have better student experiences, more demonstrated learning, and better conditions for effective learning in the class as a whole. The results together suggest important benefits for students in exam preview sections when triangulated between different types of data. When weighed against a modest observed time cost for implementation of the new method, these data suggest that exam preview methods may be a straightforward and useful innovation for a range of science classrooms.
Locked facet injury is a possible severe consequence of trauma in companion animals and occurs predominantly in small and toy breed dogs. Stabilization of the cervical vertebral column is traditionally described via a ventral approach, whereas reduction of luxation is better achieved via a dorsal approach. This report describes a 3-year-old, female spayed German Shepherd dog that presented for tetraplegia caused by a presumptive road traffic accident. Clinical examination and diagnostic imaging revealed a dorsal subluxation of the C4 vertebra at the C3–C4 junction, with a right-sided locked facet injury. Luxation reduction and stabilization were achieved with a dorsal approach and internal fixation with screws in the articular process joints of C3–C4 and the pedicles of C3 and C4. Long-term follow-up showed complete recovery of ambulation and return to an active life-style
