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Improving Student Reflection and Metacognition 

By Greg Siering, Director of Pedagogy and Curricular Development

In Rigor by Design, Not Chance (2023), Karin Hess argues that a significant part of course-level assessment is providing “actionable feedback” to students based on information we gather about their learning, and by consistently promoting metacognition through encouraging reflection on their own learning. That is, rather than having our assignments and exams be opaque or performative, they can actively engage students in self-assessment of their own learning processes. Here are a few approaches to accomplishing this in your own teaching. 

Tip: Use a Background Knowledge Probe to gather information about what prior knowledge students bring to your course, situating it within the curriculum for both you and your students.  You will get information that helps you decide where to focus your instructional effort, and students will get a preview of their learning in the course.

To do this, identify a concept in your syllabus that is reliant on prior knowledge or skills, and break that down into its components, from more basic concepts you expect most students to know to more complex ones. Prepare a set of single-choice questions that either measure students' prior knowledge directly or ask them to self-report their familiarity with topics on a scale such as:

  1. I am not yet familiar with this concept.
  2. I have some familiarity and can describe basic elements, but my understanding is still developing.
  3. I understand this concept and can explain it and use it with some guidance.
  4. I can clearly explain, apply, and adapt this concept independently in new contexts.

If you are in a small class, you can collect information simply through notecards, and in larger classes you can use tools like Poll Everywhere or ungraded Canvas quizzes to collect and analyze the information. Whatever your collection method, emphasize the learning goal of the activity and be ready to share with students what you learned and how it will impact your teaching. 

Tip: Use Exam Wrappers to help students reflect on their exam performance and the efficacy of their study strategies. This approach makes the exam about reinforcing learning, not just performing for a grade, and it promotes metacognition, which has a strong evidence base demonstrating its critical role in student success (Gibbons, et al, 2025). 

To do this, create a reflective assignment students complete after they receive an exam back, with questions prompting them to do two things: 

  1. Ask learners to identify areas where they did not earn full credit, and then guide them in noticing patterns across those areas, including any concepts or skills that were consistently challenging. You might also prompt them to identify where they did well, which reinforces their knowledge and serves as a motivator. 
  2. Have learners reflect on how they prepared for the exam, including how/when/where they studied, how it worked out for them, and how they might study differently next time. 

While exam wrappers are an impactful approach for fostering metacognition and supporting student learning, their effectiveness relies on intentional implementation (Weimer, 2017). Studies suggest exam wrappers are most effective when instructors use them multiple times throughout a course or curriculum, when students receive other training on reflecting on their learning, and when there is structured support for students adopting more effective study strategies. Like most instructional approaches, how we implement exam wrappers is key to their success.

For more information on both of these classroom assessment techniques (CATs) and others, see Classroom Assessment Techniques (2024) by Thomas Angelo and Todd D. Zakrajsek. It is available in the Searle Center’s Menges Library and Northwestern Libraries. 

References

Angelo, T. A., & Zakrajsek, T. (2024). Classroom assessment techniques: Formative feedback tools for college and university teachers. Jossey-Bass.

Gibbons, R. E., Hokien, D., Hutson, B. L., & Maness, H. T. D. (2025). The potential of exam wrappers in higher education assessment practice: Fostering self-efficacy through guided self-reflection. Intersection: A Journal at the Intersection of Assessment and Learning, 6(1).

Hess, K. (2023). Rigor by design, not chance: Deeper thinking through actionable instruction and assessment. ASCD.

Weimer, M. (2017, June 14). Does the strategy work? A look at exam wrappers. Faculty Focus.