Collaboration of Students and Faculty Creating a Web-Site Based for Homework

This paper chronicles the building of a student based Web site method of quickly getting homework graded and back to the students with feedback. A Web site-supported statistics class offers an opportunity for students to check answers, get immediate feedback, and submit homework. A web-based support system should provide assistant for students of varied abilities (Lee & Hawworth, 1997). Using previously gathered students' and instructors' suggestions, development of a meaningful tool for student learning through homework assignments was undertaken. During the last two semesters, when students turned in their assignments before the absolute deadline, their quiz grades reflected an average of twenty percent better performance when compared to those who waited until the last moment. Those who waited until the last moment stated a need for additional help before they could finish their assignments. From the instructors' point of view, some of the suggestions for the Web site were as follows: a user-friendly data entry was very important in order for any member of the faculty to use and benefit; a textbook interface to be able to transfer information already created by the publishers; to be able to build assignments, quizzes, exams using an instructional objectives base; to have the capacity to support multiple academic disciplines; multiple question formats (multiple choice, multiple-responses, true and false, matching); automated transfer of student records such that explanation for current grades could be offered quickly and easily. A self-reflection of faculty practice would be strengthened by feedback received from a web-based system. Feedback demonstrating areas of student weakness can enable faculty to alter their teaching to reemphasize those concepts before the next quiz or exam (Paulsen & Feldman, 1995). From the students' input, some of the suggestions were as follows: assignment schedules; illustrative examples (practice problems); immediate feedback; multiple trials prior to submission; ability to determine where mistakes are made (seeing the completed solution); the capacity to interrupt their on-line sessions and return at their leisure within time frame); self monitoring of progress by means of a grid for each student. To create a web site that addresses all of these thoughts and more requires a systematic procedure. It was believed that using a suite of products which would be familiar and interconnected would widen the use of the final product. It was with these thoughts that FrontPage2000 and Access2000 would be the major resources which faculty and students would use. The first stage was a homework site which Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. would present assignments, allow student to interact and check answers, grade assignments, enter grades into a grade book, and give faculty members important information about each student and/or class. Seven appendixes provide supporting materials. (AEF) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Collaboration Of Students And Faculty Creating A Web-Site Based For Homework. Abbot L. Packard Hawkeye Community College Glen A. Holmes Virginia Tech PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY