Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Online Homework Systems: A Good Idea?
Online homework systems do save time for instructors, but do they benefit students? I don't know. Right now, in the beginning and intermediate algebra courses, many colleges use online homework/testing systems such as MyMathLab. I don't. When I teach I always have students do their homework on paper, and I collect it. I don't grade it because the answers are in the back of the book, but I do look it over to see if students are showing their work in an organized, neat manner. If their work doesn't look the way I want it to look, I comment on it. With online homework systems, students get problems from the computer, then enter their answers on the computer. The computer grades their work and sends the results to the instructor. Here is what I don't know: If you take the computer away, will the students who have been doing most of their work on the computer do as well on written tests as the students who have not been using the computer? Do students like the online homework systems? Do students using online homework in one class, do as well in the next class, if that next class does not use an online homework system? Share you thoughts with us.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
10 comments:
I wanted to start out my comment by thanking you for your wonderful instructional videos. While I have a respect for my calculus professor as he's an intelligent and congenial individual, there's something inherently missing from his method as it relates to me. Your consistent, straightforward explanation helps keep my mind on a certain plane while slowly bringing it up another step in the process.
In reference to the online homework systems like MyMathLab, I feel as if I should pull for their use in more curriculum. I cannot say that they're a substitute for written homework or an effective teacher, but I found them invaluable throughout my Precalculus class.
While I had already had taken a precalculus course over five years prior in high school and had reeducated myself on the basics in order to place myself in the class, I was still fairly unfamiliar with correct methodology. I was fortunate to find a teacher who seemed to love teaching as much as you do and had a deep, fundamental understanding of the processes. He used MyMathLab in conjunction with regular homework but graded the completeness (and essentially correctness as you could redo the problems an infinite amount of times) in order to know we were actually practicing.
I cannot stress how much MyMathLab had helped me understand some abstract concepts that weren't automatically apparent in class. As a nontraditional (many online courses, work, other activities) commuting student to a community college a half hour away, my access to my professor was limited. MyMathLab helped tutor me when I was either going the wrong direction and also helped me notice my algebraic errors more easily.
I can honestly say that MyMathLab was one of the reasons I was able to repeatedly receive 'A's on the exams and ended my associates program with a 4.0 and was able to become the commencement speaker.
Truly, I'm fairly disappointed my Calculus 1 course doesn't use the system. Though I've purchased the rights to use an alternate online system through Houghton Mifflin, its lack of similar tutorial guidance is disappointing. I suppose your concern regarding future success without online systems is a valid one. I do believe I'd be performing better in this class if there were a better online homework system.
I do thank you, however, for your sensational videos. I believe they're going to be a boon for the last two exams of the semester and I'll hopefully be able to use them again in the future. All the best to you and yours!
Justin,
Thanks for the detailed comments. This is exactly what we want to know.
I haven't used mymathlab.com, but in my personal experience, the only way I can solve a problem is with a pen and paper.
BTW, I hope you don't mind me asking, how are you related to Charles P. Mckeague, the author of all those textbooks? Is Charles P. the Mr. Mckeague on mathtv?
Pat McKeague and Charles P. McKeague are the same person. And yes, I am the person on MathTV.com and the author of the textbooks.
so that's what the p stands for....
It's really cool that I'm able to talk to you!! I love your books. I had some books from larson and Hostetler, and they weren't nearly as good.
Personally, I think there is something about writing out problems on paper that is both satisfying, and helpful to me, the student. I have used a few different online homework systems that were very user friendly, ect, ect. But I did not excel in these classes what so ever. However, in my current calculus classes we have been doing things the traditional way, and like you wrote in your blog my teacher grades on completeness and tidiness.
This really helps me because first off you're able to build a face to face, personal relationship with your instructor, and there is no way to cheat or breeze through the problems by trying them again and again(a program I used eventually showed you the answer after so many guesses).
Overall I would say that turning in your homework in person and teaching traditionally has always been the best method for me.
PS. Thanks for your awesome videos, I'm sure you get that all the time but they're extremely helpful. :)
I agree with your initial assessment. The traditional method is the best for making sure the student is organised the best he can be, for any one question.
For a small set of questions, the most common type of student will get the most benefit from having each question examined personally, and commented upon with direction towards the most standard methods of solution.
The flip side of the coin is quantity, rather than quality. To one student, the conceptual nature of the question is the most difficult. This type of student is the one I have been talking about thus far. Another type though, may (for the subject in question) find the conceptual basis rather obvious. This type of student may not require as much direction in how to solve the question as he may need repetition in solving many such questions to allow him to explore the places he makes minor errors.
In my idea of a perfect set up, the instructor would provide a small yet broad set of conceptual problems requiring answers with formal step by step solutions, and a supplementary set of questions which come with answers, that the student may attempt as rapidly as desired.
Student here, out of all the friends I've made in college, I can't think of any that preferred online classes or simply hw systems for math classes. Thankfully my current professor does not use an online system.
Hi!
I don't know if this is the right place for me to mention this, but I think I've found a mistake in "Algebra with Trigonometry for College Students," fifth edition. In problem set 9.2, the answer to question 63 is given as x^2/25 - y^2/9 = 1. I don't know what the correct answer is, but I'm pretty sure that this is incorrect. If you plug in the x and y values given on the graph (1, 3/5), you get
1/25 - 3^2/(5^2*9), which equals zero, not one.
Am I wrong or is the book wrong?
Again, I want to say that I love your textbooks and you videos. They are better than anything else I've come across!
Instead of using the computer just use the old paper/pen system!! cuz if they u se the computer, u don't know if they're actually doing the right steps! if u do the paper-pen system u know they're learning what they need to know!!
keep up the awesome videos!!
Post a Comment