Make or Take: How Students Navigate Self-Created and Instructor-Provided Cheat Sheets
2026-07-27 • Human-Computer Interaction
Human-Computer Interaction
AI summaryⓘ
The authors studied how students decide between using cheat sheets they make themselves or ones given by the teacher during exams. They looked at a group of students in a senior software course over time to see how these choices changed and why students made them. The study found that students choose based on how much they trust the teacher, how much they want to personalize their notes, and how efficiently they can prepare. The authors also show that students’ opinions and cheat sheet use evolved across exams.
cheat sheetcognitive loadexam preparationself-created notesinstructor-provided materialslongitudinal studysoftware requirementsstudent attitudesacademic performancestudy behavior
Authors
Helen Weixu Chen, Victoria Sakhnini, Lesley Istead
Abstract
The use of cheat sheets in exams is often framed as a way to reduce cognitive load and support student performance. However, little is known about how students choose between self-created and instructor-provided cheat sheets, or how these choices relate to their broader approaches to exam preparation. We conducted a longitudinal study in a senior-level undergraduate software requirements course, where students could use either an instructor-provided or a self-created cheat sheet for both the midterm and final exams. Across three survey waves, we received 53, 50, and 44 responses, respectively. 41 students completed all three surveys and formed the longitudinal cohort used to examine how choices and experiences evolved over time, while exam-specific analyses used all available responses from the corresponding wave. Our findings identify several considerations that shaped students' choices, including trust in instructor expertise, the desire for personalization, and preparation efficiency. We further show how students' attitudes shifted over time and how their preferences were reflected in patterns of cheat sheet use, perceived content coverage, and challenges encountered during the exams.