Getting Help from Course Management Software to Teach a Large-enrollment Introductory Geology Class

This article deals with utilizing the Internet as a medium for empowering learning and course management of on-campus classes using the enterprise-wide software system WebCT, which has proven to be very useful in managing a large introductory geology class. The author presents the results of her students' learning experience with WebCT. The article also provides a simple tutorial on how to create an Internet-enhanced course in less than a day using WebCT and with no prior knowledge of HTML language or FTP procedures. Educational levels: Graduate or professional

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPUTERIZED INTERACTIVE TEACHING ASSISTANT IN PHYSICS: THE CITA ON CHIP PROJECT

One of the many roles of university instructors is to provide help to students throughout the semester - especially in the form of feedback on homework. Personalized feedback from the instructor might be possible in a small classroom setting, but becomes unmanageable when class sizes grow to dozens or even hundreds of students. As a result, universities are turning to computerized homework systems that guide students through problems and provide focused grades and feedback

Study of the Effectiveness of a Web-based Interactive Homework

With increased use of the web in teaching there is growing interest in the effectiveness of web-based tools in facilitating student learning. I have conducted a case study on the effectiveness of web-based tutorial alternative. I designed a web-based homework tutorial about two-dimensional kinematics and conducted two experiments to evaluate its effectiveness. The evaluation focused on student?s performance and attitude. In Experiment 1, the experimental group and control group worked with the interactive web-based and regular homework respectively. Both groups worked at home. In Experiment 2, the experimental group worked with the interactive web-based homework used in Experiment 1 in a lab setting. The control group in Experiment 2 worked on the same homework problems as the control group of Experiment 1 but via computer in a lab. The evaluation indicated that the interactive web-based homework could be considered as an alternative to the general homework. Moreover it appeared to strengthen attitudes and encourage more students to complete the assignment

A Study Of Student Use Of An Online Message Board In An Introductory Physics Class

With the rapid development of the Internet, increasingly universities and colleges transfer some of their teaching assignments online. Online learning plays an important role in assisting or sometimes substituting for the traditional face-toace learning. An online message board is one of several online communication tools which are used to assist online learning. We have conducted a study on the role of the online message board in teaching one of these courses, an introductory course in calculus-based physics. The study analyzed students? use of the message board and investigated whether use is correlated with performance in the class. Results suggest that students have benefited from using the online message board. Both homework related message board activities and non-learning message boardn activities were found to be correlated significantly to the grades the students earned in the course

General Chemistry Student Attitudes and Success with Use of Online Homework: Traditional- Responsive versus Adaptive-Responsive

We investigated whether use of an adaptive-responsive online homework system (OHS) that tailors homework to students’ prior knowledge and periodically reassesses students to promote learning through practice retrieval has inherent advantages over traditional-responsive online homework. A quasi-experimental cohort control post-test-only design with nonequivalent groups and propensity scores with nearest neighbor matching (n = 6,114 pairs) was used. The adaptive system was found to increase the odds of a higher final letter grade for average, below average, and failing students. However, despite the learning advantages, students self-reported less favorable attitudes toward adaptive-responsive (3.15 of 5) relative to traditional-responsive OHS (3.31). Specific to the adaptive OHS, the following were found: (i) student attitudes were moderately and positively correlated (r = 0.36, p \u3c 0.01) to final letter grade, (ii) most students (95%) reported engaging in remediation of incorrect responses, (iii) a majority of students (69%) reported changes in study habits, and (iv) students recognized the benefit of using adaptive OHS by ranking its assignments and explanations or review materials as two of the top three most useful course aspects contributing to perceived learning. Instructors can use our findings to inform their choice of online homework system for formative assessment of chemistry learning by weighing the benefits, disadvantages, and learning pedagogies of traditional-responsive versus adaptive-responsive systems

Going Mobile: Teaching First-Year Business Students Mobile Application Design

Information systems (IS) enrollment has been declining in recent years. In an attempt to introduce key IS concepts to freshmen business students in a more engaging way, we introduced a semester-long mobile application-design project and a separate tutorial assignment involving real smartphones. Through this process, students learned basic tenets of IS while simultaneously recognizing the relevance and applicability of the field to their future lives as 21st century business professionals. In this paper, we outline the core course progression for a typical IS department, detail the process through which we engaged the students, and confirm our assertions through textual analysis of self-reported comments about their experience with this mobile application project

Student Attitudes and Approaches to Online Homework

Over the past two decades there has been increasing movement toward the use of computers and the internet in conjunction with many courses across the educational spectrum. In addition to having consequences for course delivery, both inside and outside of the classroom, this movement has had an impact on the coursework that is required of students. In this study we consider the use of online homework as an alternative to the traditional medium of pencil and paper. Surveys were conducted to gather data on students\u27 attitudes and practices related to online homework, and these data have been linked to course outcomes. In this paper we present the survey results and examine relationships between student characteristics, study behaviors, and the perceived benefits of online homework systems. In general we find a positive reaction to the use of online homework, with little variance across the particular platforms being used

Business Process Management Education in Academia: Status, challenges, and Recommendations

In response to the growing proliferation of Business Process Management (BPM) in industry and the demand this creates for BPM expertise, universities across the globe are at various stages of incorporating knowledge and skills in their teaching offerings. However, there are still only a handful of institutions that offer specialized education in BPM in a systematic and in-depth manner. This article is based on a global educators’ panel discussion held at the 2009 European Conference on Information Systems in Verona, Italy. The article presents the BPM programs of five universities from Australia, Europe, Africa, and North America, describing the BPM content covered, program and course structures, and challenges and lessons learned. The article also provides a comparative content analysis of BPM education programs illustrating a heterogeneous view of BPM. The examples presented demonstrate how different courses and programs can be developed to meet the educational goals of a university department, program, or school. This article contributes insights on how best to continuously sustain and reshape BPM education to ensure it remains dynamic, responsive, and sustainable in light of the evolving and ever-changing marketplace demands for BPM expertise

Technology Solutions for Developmental Math: An Overview of Current and Emerging Practices

Reviews current practices in and strategies for incorporating innovative technology into the teaching of remedial math at the college level. Outlines challenges, emerging trends, and ways to combine technology with new concepts of instructional strategy

The Impact of Online Homework, Time on Homework, Gender, and Metacognition in Improving Student Achievement in Undergraduate Biology Courses

This study sought to address a gap in the literature to determine whether a relationship exists between use of online homework and student achievement in undergraduate biology courses. Previous studies have examined other STEM courses, but few have considered biology. The purpose of the study was to determine whether homework grades in online homework systems can predict student achievement in introductory undergraduate biology courses. This study utilized a correlational analysis by multiple regression using archival data to determine whether final course grades in undergraduate biology courses can be predicted by grades on online homework, time spent on online homework, gender, or participation in a course on metacognition. A second question considered whether performance on a major assignment in a course on metacognition correlated with biology course grades and found a moderate correlation. The study took place at a small private Christian university in the Southeast, with 311 participants. The study found that there is a significant predictive ability to use these variables in determining course grades. Homework scores were most predictive, but time spent on homework and gender were also significant. Participation in a course on metacognition gave inconclusive results and is one suggestion for further research. Keywords: STEM, online homework, academic achievement, metacognitio