Ten tips for embedding retrieval practice in university teaching

What is retrieval practice? It’s an active learning strategy that requires students to try to remember what they’ve learned. Retrieval is typically seen as a way to assess learning but a wealth of research has shown that it can be instrumental in learning, too. It increases the amount the student learns and helps them remember it longer. 

However, while we know retrieval works in principle, students tend not to use it in practice. Instead, they opt for more passive strategies such as restudying, highlighting or note-taking. These can give students a sense of familiarity with the content and a misplaced sense of confidence that they know it, according to research. However, when they come to try to retrieve it days, weeks or months later, they have forgotten it. 

• How does the brain learn? And why don’t we teach that way?
• Don’t forget Bloom’s Taxonomy’s ‘remembering’ level
• Four ways active learning can transform learning experiences

One way to encourage students to practice is by embedding opportunities to retrieve in the classroom, in ways with which they can engage. Here, I’ll provide 10 tips to do so in your own teaching, drawing on experience and empirical evidence.

1. Start early. As soon as students arrive at university, try to get them into the habit of practising retrieval. This doesn’t just have to be used for course content, it can also be used in welcome activities. For instance, rather than just telling students where to find information or support services, ask them. You can do this either before or after you tell them that information (see point 2).

2. Encourage retrieval before and/or after teaching. Typically, retrieval practice occurs after students have been given information. However, getting students to guess an answer before they have seen the information also boosts learning – it’s known as “errorful learning” because it encourages people to learn from mistakes. This also creates a safe space for students to make mistakes (see point 5), because you don’t expect them to know it yet! 

3. Use retrieval regularly. Conduct retrieval in large group teaching by using polling software, or in small group teaching by having conversations about taught content. Quizzing regularly throughout a learning session, rather than just once, is better for memory, according to some research – but this may be difficult to implement in practice. Try to get a retrieval opportunity into each teaching session. 

4. Make it no- or low-stakes. Students need support in recognising that retrieval is for learning, not just a way to check what they know or identify knowledge gaps. Build in opportunities for them to retrieve when it doesn’t count towards their degree. Low-stakes testing (for example, through in-class quizzes that contribute a small percentage towards a module mark) can increase motivation and engagement but is sometimes tricky to embed in teaching and isn’t always inclusive. No-stakes testing has the caveat that not all students will engage but it creates less anxiety than low-stakes testing. 

5. Normalise forgetting and making mistakes. A key reason students avoid using retrieval practice is because they worry about getting things wrong – an uncomfortable feeling for anyone. As educators, we can support students through this process by encouraging them to give it a go and underlining that forgetting and making mistakes are part of learning. 

6. Match the retrieval format to the exam format. A meta-analysis of classroom quizzing revealed that retrieval is most effective when the format is matched to the final exam. So, for example, if the final exam uses multiple-choice questions, use them in the classroom too.

7. Give corrective feedback. Giving feedback increases the benefits of retrieval. Make sure that students understand what the right answer is and why. If lots of students went wrong, try to unpick their reasoning and explain how it is wrong. This ensures students can learn effectively from their mistakes. 

8. Use student responses to adapt your teaching. Retrieval is a great way for educators to gain feedback on how well their teaching is understood. If you are using quizzes in your teaching and see that many students are getting something wrong, take time to go over those concepts again or provide additional resources to support their understanding. Be flexible, because what works for one cohort of students might not work for another. 

9. Make it fun. Students are more likely to engage with learning if it is fun. You can gamify retrieval quite easily. For example, some software, such as Mentimeter, can create competitive quizzes that order the participants according to speed and accuracy of responses. Or you could run pub quiz events, with students in groups answering questions about course content. This type of group retrieval and the element of competitiveness and fun can encourage social connectedness and build belonging. 

10. Co-create quizzes with students. Students can create resources independently or with peers and instructors to support their learning. For example, software such as PeerWise enables students to create multiple-choice questions for other students enrolled on the same course. Yes, some of the content might be incorrect but students report overwhelmingly positive responses from using this software. Getting students to co-create resources reduces everyone’s workload and supports learning. 

Now, take a bit of time to retrieve what you have learned from this article. How might you use this knowledge to embed retrieval practice in your own setting? 

Katy Burgess is senior lecturer in psychology at Cardiff University.

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.