Studies show that retrieval practices such as homework assignments that are completed during the encoding phase of learning benefit knowledge acquisition and retention. In addition, desirable difficulties, which are strategies that intentionally create a greater challenge during initial learning to enhance encoding and retrieval pathways, also benefit learning long term. Our objective was to determine whether weekly homework questions intended to create desirable difficulties by requiring higher-order cognitive skills (HOCS) benefited students’ long-term retention of physiology concepts compared to questions designed to require lower-order cognitive skills (LOCS). Undergraduate students in a junior-level animal physiology course were presented information during weekly laboratory periods, and then required to complete retrieval practices in the form of online homework assignments 5 d after each lab. Homework questions were formatted per Bloom’s Taxonomy to require HOCS (i.e., level 4 or 5) or LOCS (i.e., level 1 or 2). Information retention was assessed the next week via performance on an in-class quiz and again at semesters’ end via performance on a final practical exam. We observed no differences in performance on the in-class quiz or final practical exam between students randomly assigned to complete homework with HOCS questions compared to LOCS questions. However, students that received homework with HOCS questions had decreased (P < 0.05) performance scores on 9 out of the 11 homework assignments compared to those receiving homework with LOCS questions. These findings indicate that desirable difficulties were not created by our HOCS homework questions because students receiving these more difficult retrieval practices did not achieve equal success on them. As a result, this attempt to create variations in cognitive demand did not enhance retention of knowledge in this study.

中文翻译：

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旨在要求本科动物生理学课程中更高阶认知技能的家庭作业问题没有产生理想的困难、测试效果或信息保留方面的改进

研究表明，在学习的编码阶段完成的家庭作业等检索实践有益于知识的获取和保留。此外，理想的困难，即在初始学习期间有意创造更大挑战以增强编码和检索路径的策略，也有利于长期学习。我们的目标是确定每周作业问题旨在通过要求高阶认知技能 (HOCS) 来创造理想的困难，与旨在要求低阶认知技能 (LOCS) 的问题相比，是否有利于学生长期保留生理学概念。在每周的实验室期间，向初级动物生理学课程的本科生提供信息，然后要求在每个实验结束后 5 d 以在线作业的形式完成检索练习。家庭作业问题根据 Bloom 分类法进行格式化，要求 HOCS（即 4 级或 5 级）或 LOCS（即 1 级或 2 级）。下周通过课堂测验的表现评估信息保留，并在学期结束时通过期末实践考试的表现再次评估。我们观察到，与 LOCS 问题相比，随机分配以完成 HOCS 问题作业的学生在课堂测验或期末实践考试中的表现没有差异。然而，与接受有 LOCS 问题的家庭作业的学生相比，接受有 HOCS 问题的家庭作业的学生在 11 项家庭作业中有 9 项的表现得分下降（P < 0.05）。这些发现表明，我们的 HOCS 家庭作业问题并没有造成理想的困难，因为接受这些更困难的检索练习的学生并没有在这些问题上取得同样的成功。因此，在本研究中，这种试图创造认知需求变化的尝试并没有增强对知识的保留。