Abstract

Title:	Assessing the Use of Online Homework System in Mathematics Education.
Principal Investigator:	Yun Lu, Department of Mathematics lu@kutztown.edu

More and more technology tools are now available for instructors in higher education, and one such tool involves online homework systems. With respect to mathematics education, some of the more widely used systems are WebAssign, MathLab, and Wiley Plus. These systems automatically collect and grade students’ work, and provide students with quick feedback and helpful information for each unsolved problem. However, online systems tend to grade the final answer instead of looking at previous work, which results in students guessing the solution rather than understanding the process. While online homework systems are definitely time-savers for instructors, it is not clear if the systems facilitate the learning of mathematics. The purpose of this project is to investigate and assess the use of an online homework system and compare it to the traditional written homework system in impacting students’ learning and performance.