Crosswords crossroad: student turns teacher
Authors: Zarandi Auva , Rangachari Patangi 
Published: May 2023

Crossword puzzles, an effective assessment tool in diverse disciplines such as pharmacology, medicine, and dentistry (1–3), were used in a freshman introductory Cellular and Molecular Biology course for 270 undergraduate Health Science students. These replaced MCQs or true/false examinations since, they too, formed the category of One Correct Answer Tests (OCATs). The unfamiliarity was challenging. AZ, a former student and current teaching assistant (TA) in this course, presents her perspective from both sides of that crossroad dividing teacher and student.Students take two OCATS in the course as checkpoints for learning the main course contents focused on Cell Signalling. In the first term, a limited number of molecules (histamine, acetylcholine, norepinephrine, prostaglandins, steroids and nitric oxide) are studied in fair detail. The students are given a set of 25 across and down clues and 30 minutes to write answers in the grid provided. This format helps students draw connections between course content as they fit their answers to the unique clues.STUDENT VIEW: The novel exam forced changes in study habits. Usual study habits such as flash cards and memorization-based techniques did not suffice. Students added creating and completing mock tests to their routines. Familiarizing with the format helped them suceed on the first assessment. Further changes were needed to benefit from the crossword format, which allows links between answers filled and blank spaces. This included drawing out pathways between different signalling steps (synthesis, packaging, storage, release, response and termination) of the molecules studied; in combination with creating and solving their own OCATs, this allowed them to deepen their understanding of the course content. As she gained confidence in her knowledge and continued drawing connections between the course materials, she realized the crossword's benefits to her learning.TA VIEW: Her students struggled similarly. She provided the following support: helped them re-vamp studying techniques; created practice tests and fostered their attempts to do the same; helped them draw concepts from memory using active recall to draw links and recognize commonalities. These active learning strategies allowed them to study the material in greater detail and created an atmosphere of excitement rather than concern. Adopting these new study techniques improved their average grades from 14.5 to 23.85 out of 25. Students recognized that this assessment was a valuable tool for comprehensively learning the content.Crosswords are more than a functional assessment; they foster deeper learning of course materials, should students accept the challenge. Shawahna R, Jaber M. Epilepsy Behav. 2020 May;106:107024. Torres ER, Williams PR, Kassahun-Yimer W, Gordy XZ. J Eff Teach High Educ. 2022 Jun 15;5(1):18–29. Matreja PS. 2021;9(3):6. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2023 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.