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Exam wrappers can improve students’ metacognition and prepare them to complete exams.
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Assessment is a key part of the student learning process, but sometimes exam pressures can limit the growth students gain from the exercise.
Many students feel some level of text anxiety or discomfort with high-stakes exams. A recent survey from Kahoot! found two in five students say they’ve skipped an exam at least once, and half of those learners say it was because they were unprepared or scared of doing poorly.
A May 2024 Student Voice survey from Inside Higher Ed and Generation Lab found 46 percent of students believe their institution can help promote overall well-being through rethinking exam schedules or encouraging faculty members to limit high-stakes exams.
To improve student learning and metacognition after exams, faculty can assign a post-test assignment, frequently called an exam wrapper.
What it is: “Exam wrappers are activities that wrap around an exam—that is, they come either before or after the exam, or both—that help students plan their study or reflect on their performance and strategize how they can improve on the next exam,” according to a 2023 blog post from the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning at Indiana University at Bloomington.
Previous research shows that utilizing exam wrappers correlates with positive effects on students’ course and exam grades, metacognition, and future study habits. By taking the time to reflect on what they learned, where they didn’t perform as well or what areas were confusing, students can learn as much or more than they did from the exam itself.
These assignments can also help faculty members understand study and exam habits of their students and how to better support them in being effective learners. Exam wrappers may also help reduce grade grubbing by asking students to evaluate their learning and performance on the test in a new way, closing the loop on assessment.
How it works: Exam wrappers are typically short (around one-page) assignments given to students immediately after they receive their graded assessments.
When delivering an exam wrapper, instructors should explain why they’re using the assignment and provide clear instructions on how to complete it, according to Duke University’s Learning Innovation and Lifetime Education department. Indiana University’s center also recommends professors include statements that foster a growth mindset about learning and performance with their wrappers.
Some professors embed the wrapper in an online test and award students credit for completing the reflection, while others distribute physical papers stapled to the exam, according to the University of Vermont Center for Teaching and Learning. Collecting completed wrappers can help identify patterns among class comments but are most effective in the hands of students so they can make adjustments for future tests, according to Virginia Tech’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.
In the assignment, professors can ask students to reflect on preparing for and completing the assessment, as well as future efforts they can take or change. Open-ended questions can help elicit critical reflection, according to Purdue University at Fort Wayne’s Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching.
Some assignments ask students to note what types of questions they answered incorrectly to identify gaps in their understanding.
Virginia Tech provides example questions for exam wrappers, including:
- What did you do to prepare for this exam?
- Are you satisfied with your exam results? Why or why not?
- How much time are you investing weekly in your class preparation?
- How often do you review your notes?
- Do you have study partners? How active and effective are your group study sessions?
- How will you continue to work on learning and retaining the information covered in this exam?
Carnegie Mellon University’s Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Educational Innovation provides some sample wrappers from a variety of disciplines that can also serve as a model.
Do you have an academic intervention that might help others improve student success? Tell us about it.
