robinson

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Electronic Homework in CHM 115/116 Joseph S. Francisco, Charles E. Muller, Susan C. Nurrenbern, and William R. Robinson Department of Chemistry Purdue University West Lafayette, IN 47907

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Control Section (traditional practice): 2 L sections of 873 S&E students (2 L, 1 R, 1 L) Average SAT V, 568; SAT M; 633; Average HS rank 83% 3 1-hour night exams, 2-hour final exam HW assigned, Weekly lab quizzes over HW graded by TAs Treatment Section: 1 L section of 435 S&E students (2 L, 1 R, 1 L) Average SAT V, 566; SAT M; 632; Average HS rank 82% Same labs & exams as Control Same HW assignment, but graded by WebCT No quizzes

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Multiple choice Some free response questions converted to MC. How is n1 in the Rydberg model related to the quantum number n in the Bohr model?

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Fill in the blank, I

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, but this really is fill in the blank Calculation No flexibility

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Calculation with change of quantity

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Calculation with art Note: a barometer reading was given as 736.5 mm Hg in the previous problem.

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Feedback It is also possible to provide comments in response to each choice of distractor in a MC question and to provide summary comments after each question.

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Student comments The online HW works well except for one fact. SYNTAX. You lose points just because you forgot a space somewhere and that is really stupid. I want to write it out because computer makes mistakes. I felt I did some questions correctly and still got them wrong. Sometimes WebCT would screw up and not give credit even if you had the right answer. I would much rather write out the homework in hopes of getting some kind of partial credit for all the work I do instead of it being all or nothing in terms of points awarded. The homework is very helpful. I learn more material and think all classes should switch over. I like the online homework compared to quizzes.

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Student problems Impatience Failure to read instructions Pop-up blockers Old/wrong browsers Incorrect java settings Password problems

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“Grades” based on labs, 3 exams, & final exam. Control Treatment Averages: Exams 379(86) 368(94) Labs 247(23) 249(29) 85% = A 8.71% 8.28 % 75% = B 27.03 29.43 65% = C 32.30 32.64 55% = D 16.49 18.16 <55% = F 7.33 9.66 W 8.13 1.84 A - C 68.04% 70.35%

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Student beliefs about homework In the control group: Only 241 students report doing more than half the homework. 557 report doing less than half. Why? It isn’t graded. Avg SA A U D SD A U D 1.90 40 42 8 7 2 82 8 10 In the treatment group: HW average = 81%

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The homework helps me understand the concepts. Avg SA A U D SD A U D C 2.58 p < 0.0001 8 48 27 12 5 56 27 17 T 2.20 24 51 10 10 4 75 10 14 Quizzes motivate me to do my homework. Avg SA A U D SD A U D 2.95 10 36 13 30 11 46 13 41 Grading the homework motivates me to do it. Avg SA A U D SD A U D 1.78 47 39 6 5 3 86 6 8 I would do all the homework even it were not graded. Avg SA A U D SD A U D 3.20 10 23 23 27 17 32 23 45

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We used electronic HW in the spring of 2003 in CHM 112, CHM 115, & CHM 116 (3000 students): Quizzes not written: 12 lab meeting times x 10 quizzes = 120 quizzes Homework quizzes not printed and graded: 3000 students x 10 quizzes = 30,000 quizzes