A preliminary categorization of what mathematics undergraduate students include on exam 'crib sheets'

Many undergraduate examinations permit students to use a limited quantity of previously prepared notes: so-called 'crib sheets', or 'cheat-sheets'. The majority of evidence from the literature suggests that students sitting such exams feel less anxious, and that they perform to a higher standard, although such results are idiosyncratic to the discipline and course, and few are set in the context of undergraduate mathematics. Less is known about what content students choose to include on their sheets, and how they interact with this material. This preliminary research report presents the first results from a three-year project investigating students' use of crib sheets in undergraduate mathematics exams. It explores the content and layout of crib sheets used by students for an end-of-semester calculus exam.