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Open Book Exams – Stimulating Deeper Learning

According to research carried out amongst medical students at the University of Groningen, the use of open book exams provide students with a better grip of the subject in the long run. Making an exam with books at hand forces students to make connections themselves. When having to recall something at a later point in time, instead of just the isolated fact, all the connections surface along with it. Open book tests thus make the acquisition and use of knowledge more efficient.

In Apeldoorn, Wittenborg Business University has a clear and easy-to-understand testing system, which includes the use of open book exams. In an open book exam students are expected to apply material to new situations, analyze and synthesize elements and relationships, structure answers, and evaluate using lesson material and literature as evidence; students are allowed to bring their study materials to the examination and use them to help formulate their answers.

According to the theory, open book tests stimulate students towards ‘deeper learning’. They develop an understanding of the material by writing summaries and consulting other literature. Researcher Heijne-Penninga discovered that this was not always the case with the Groningen students. According to her there is a simple explanation: the open book tests last too long. This makes students lazy: they know that they will have enough time during the exam to look everything up. Another result of Heijne-Penninga’s research is that open book tests are just as hard as closed book tests. The quality is comparable as well.

At Wittenborg Business School open book exams have been used as a standard component in the module examinations of its International Business Administration (IBA bachelor) programme since 2003. They are one of the three parts of a combination of testing tools: each module is examined through a closed book exam, an open book exam, and an oral presentation.

Reference:
http://www.rug.nl/corporate/nieuws/archief/archief2010/persberichten/Heijne-Penninga_UMCG?lang=en