Do Multiple Homework Attempts Increase Student Learning? A Quantitative Study

Abstract

Learning must inherently involve practice. It is true for athletes, for musicians, for almost any area of learning. However, this commonsense approach stops short when it comes to student homework where the debate about whether to allow multiple attempts continues. Proponents claim the value of practice and learning by reworking. Opponents cite grade inflation, student guessing behaviors, and superficial learning rather than true mastery. Meanwhile, the increased use of online homework management systems that easily allow for multiple graded attempts intensifies the need for a data-based answer to the question. It is further complicated by the increase in adult learners and online education. Would multiple homework attempts increase student learning? Would the effect be the same for adult learners in a fully online environment as found in previous studies of traditional students? This natural experiment divided a sample of 917 online students in an entry-level university economics course into two groups to look at the relationship between multiple graded homework attempts and exam scores. The results show mean exam scores increased from 60.34% to 70.77%, when multiple homework attempts were allowed. In addition, 76.89% of variance in exam scores was explained by variance in homework scores. This strong relationship suggests that multiple graded homework attempts increased student learning as measured by the increased exam scores. JEL Classifications: A22, C93, D01, 121

Students’ use and perception of textbooks and online resources in introductory physics

“…Multiple-choice questions can also be valuable question types to diversify the homework assignment; however, they present unique barriers when it comes to the number of attempts given for a question. Two recent studies in economics suggested using question pools for multiple choice questions whereby subsequent attempts show the student a different version of the question with the same learning objective to mitigate unproductive strategies such as guessing [44,45]. Furthermore, students in an introductory astronomy course treated multiple choice questions with a gamified approach by which they skim text and try to match answers rather than carefully considering the response options, similar to the tactics described in the economics courses [40].…”

“…Online homework has long been promoted as comparable to pencil-and-paper homework for students' learning (as measured by standardized test scores), but with added benefits such as shortened feedback times and freeing up instructor time via automatic grading [38][39][40][41][42]. Online homework design choices have been studied, such as investigating the number of allowed attempts [43][44][45], and gender differences in how students approach multiple attempt methods [46]. Additionally, more detailed design choices such as whether to include embedded text versus linked text were compared, with students preferring the immediate availability of embedded text [47].…”

“…Rather than viewing students' use of online resources as something to be mitigated, a more productive path is to explore the reasons why and ways by which students use online resources in their course approach. Prior studies have explored students' resource usage when engaging in a homework assignment or long-term project in physics [46], computer science [49], chemistry [42,50], and economics [44,45]. However, I am not aware of any study that investigated students' perception and spontaneous use of culturally popular media and information hubs (YouTube, Khan Academy, Google, etc.)…”

Building Comprehensive Open Educational Resources in Mechanics: Evaluating Approaches to Problem Development

“…Producing open online homework problems, particularly the volume required to match commercial offerings, is a massive undertaking, and some critical evaluation of the outputs has been completed. Research has been done on a number of aspects of online homework, including its effectiveness compared to written homework [12]- [15], instructor-chosen settings [16], [17], student perceptions [18]- [20], student learning [21], analytics and student usage behaviour [22]- [26], problem feedback [27], problem structure [28], and even platform development [29]. However, limited attention has been paid to the process of developing new online homework problems.…”

An analysis of undergraduate heavy-video-gaming students : developing technology-enhanced learning-support areas based on gaming and study practices

“…While the articles focus on learning supports, they did not take into account the video gaming perspective or influences, which help to provide support that there is a need for this study. (Millecamp et al, 2018) Professors' accessibility Mottet et al,2005(Mottet et al, 2005 Peer Mentoring Rusk et al, 2020(Rusk et al, 2020 Professors keep office hours Lotkowski et al, 2004;Sharples et al, 2016(Lotkowski et al, 2004Sharples et al, 2016) Success coach assigned to students Lawhorne, 2020 (Lawhorne, 2020) Teaching assistants (TA) for classes Sharples et al, 2016;Wheeler et al, 2017(Sharples et al, 2016Wheeler et al, 2017) Tutors in specific subjects Hodes et al, 2015(Hodes et al, 2015 Homework/Practice Support Academic success course Blankenship, 2017 (Blankenship, 2017) Make use of explicit due dates in assigned work Bulent, 2015(Bulent et al, 2015 Extended due dates on assignments Archer, 2018 (Archer, 2018) Homework as a way of knowledge practice Goehle & Wagaman, 2016;Junger, 1990;Vatterott, 2018(Goehle & Wagaman, 2016Junger, 1990;Vatterott, 2018) Meaningful homework Vatterot, 2018 (Vatterott, 2018) Mandatory study hall Kronholz, 2011Remedial classes offered Freeman & All, 2017(J. Freeman & All, 2017 Team mandated study groups Kronholz, 2011Writing Lab access Erdmann & Clark, 2016(Erdmann & Clark, 2016 Learning Space Support Attending Class Aquino, 2011 Dorm living options…”