However, all respondents will be assured of the anonymity of the data and that the interviews are intended to be a non-judgemental but formative learning opportunity for both the individuals and CLAHRC-NDL.
Therefore, it can be used in very large classes, where formative assessment opportunities are often limited.
Formative assessment opportunities are important in facilitating self-regulated learning (Butler and Winne, 1995; Nicol and MacFarlane-Dick, 2006).
Current theory and research indicates that this development is facilitated by formative assessment opportunities that allow students to evaluate their progress while learning (Sadler, 1989; Black and Wiliam, 1998; Wood, 2009).
The ability to use an exam for self-regulated learning would be particularly helpful for students in large classes, where formative assessment opportunities are often limited (Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick, 2006).
Although there is a large body of evidence showing that test-enhanced learning effectively increases knowledge retention, recent studies indicate that students often underuse available formative testing opportunities [ 12, 13].
We integrated quantitative skill application into the existing curriculum and based our course design on recognized effective teaching practice centered on active learning and providing frequent formative assessment opportunities for the instructor and students.
While the combination of 1) formative testing, 2) opportunities to unlock bonus questions, and 3) temporal availability of the study modules improved study behaviour and study performance, it is not possible in the current study design to determine whether this is the result of improved knowledge retention or stimulated spaced learning sessions.
