The Effects of Feedback on Online Quizzes

Melanie Butler, Laura Pyzdrowski, Adam Goodykoontz and Vennessa Walker

1Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Mount St Marys University, Maryland, USA
mbutler@msmary.edu

2Institute for Mathematics Learning, West Virginia University, USA
laura@pyzdrowski.ws

3Department of Mathematics, West Virginia University, USA
agoodyko@wvu.edu

4Department of Psychology, West Virginia University, USA
vwalker1@mix.wvu.edu

Online homework is unable to provide the detailed feedback of paper and pencil assignments. However, immediate feedback is an advantage that online assessments provide. A research study was conducted that focused on the effects of immediate feedback; students in 5 sections of a Pre-calculus course were participants. Three sections were randomly selected to receive immediate feedback on online quizzes and the remaining 2 sections received feedback on quizzes only after the test on the same material. To assess any differences, the groups were compared on various course components and a pre to post ACT test. Among other results, it was found that the students who received immediate feedback on quizzes had higher quiz and test averages than other students. Overall, the research findings support that the capability of online homework to provide immediate feedback is valuable and that devoting time and resources to developing banks of online questions is worthwhile.

Engineering Mathematics Assessment Using Maple TA

Ian S. Jones

School of Engineering, Liverpool John Moores University, L3 3AF, Liverpool, UK.
i.s.jones@ljmu.ac.uk

The assessment of degree level engineering mathematics students using the computer-aided assessment package MapleTA is discussed. Experience of academic and practical issues for both online coursework and examination assessments is presented, hopefully benefiting other academics in this novel area of activity.

Palm Handheld Technology in Pre Service Teacher Education

Patrick Wachira, Selma Vonderwell and Jared Keengwe

1Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH USA
p.wachira@csuohio.edu; s.vonderwell@csuohio.edu

2University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND USA
jared.keengwe@und.edu

Teacher education programs continue to be challenged to prepare prospective teachers to integrate technology into the day-to-day instruction and to strive to instil dispositions of openness to experimentation with ever-evolving technological tools and their pervasive impact on mathematics education. In this paper several activities are used to introduce palm handheld technology to pre-service teachers and to illustrate that with appropriate software, these tools can support a variety of learning activities that support the goals of reform in mathematics.

To See or Not to See II
Thierry Dana-Picard , Ivy Kidron and David Zeitoun

1Department of Applied Mathematics, Jerusalem College of Technology, Havaad Haleumi Street, 21,Jerusalem 91160 – Israel
2 Ecole superieure de Gestion E.S.G., 25 rue Saint Ambroise 75011 Paris - France
dana@jct.ac.il ivy@jct.ac.il davidz@jct.ac.il

The study of a real function of two real variables can be supported by visualisation using a Computer Algebra System (CAS). One type of constraint of the system is due to the algorithms implemented, yielding continuous approximations of the given function by interpolation. This often masks discontinuities of the given function and can provide very strange plots. The pixelisation of the visualisation adds to this strangeness. We present a study of such a “distortion of reality”, using more than one system, and show how they can be used as a starting point to learn more Mathematics. This can be an obstacle, but we see it as a chance, as it is a motivating constraint, both for students and for educators.

 

Back to top