ABSTRACT
An exam wrapper is a guided reflection activity that students undertake following an exam. Students are typically asked to reflect on their preparation, performance, and plans for preparing for the next exam. The efficacy of exam wrappers for reflective learning has been established in STEM disciplines such as physics, biology, chemistry, and math. Very little research in using exam wrappers in engineering and computing courses has been conducted to date. Two contributions of this paper are (1) a characterization of the recent findings in engineering and computing education literature on the efficacy of exam wrappers, and (2) an analysis of the question types used on those exam wrappers. A third contribution of the paper is an examination of the efficacy of exam wrappers in an upper-level computer science course. The study investigates the relationship between student performance on two midterm exams before and after introducing exam wrappers. Student responses about study habits and reasons for losing points on exams are examined as well. We perform quantitative and qualitative analysis over performance and perception data, respectively. We conclude that exam wrappers can benefit students in both learning gains (as measured by exam performance) and by employing metacognition to improve study habits and behaviors. The paper also contributes to the study of student performance and engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic;in the term under study, the course was taught in a synchronous, remote learning format with an active learning component and online exams. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021