MAILING LISTS

I can't help but respond to Neil Haave's comment about online RATs in the discussion of IF-AT problems.  Using an online LMS or audience response system "clickers" to record individual answers on the IRAT is a great way to speed up scoring.  However, I would discourage the use of the online LMS or any kind of "electronic IF-AT card" instead of the low-tech paper IF-AT card for team answers.  There is another really important advantage of using IF-AT cards, which is touched on by Neil's comment "And students really do enjoy the tactile task of scratching the answers on the cards."  When we tried letting students answer TRAT questions online using our LMS, all of the fun, celebratory team-building behaviors that we always see with IF-AT scratch-off cards totally disappeared.  Students no longer cheered, laughed, high-fived, etc. when they found the correct answers.  The act of scratching off the cards (like winning on a lottery ticket) adds an important element of fun/enjoyment/reward that I believe supports team-building and motivation for learning.

Wayne T. McCormack, Ph.D.
University of Florida College of Medicine