Student interactions with and learning from mastery-inspired online activities

University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL

Investigators

Abstract

This project addresses an important and widespread deficiency in current online homework systems that may be reducing the success rate of students interested in STEM. It will introduce an evolving type of online homework activity that incorporates results from cognitive science and multimedia learning on the importance of practice, feedback and worked examples to enable student learning. A key feature of these activities is that students are given as much (or as little) practice and support as they need to master the concepts in the homework. These activities will be incorporated into an introductory physics course designed for students that are concerned about their ability to succeed in Engineering at Illinois. Results from this work will serve as a guide for the development of a complete set of materials to transform the teaching of introductory physics and improve student outcomes. The goal of this project is to advance our understanding of the conditions under which a mastery style online homework activity can improve student learning. Clinical studies have shown that providing students multiple opportunities to demonstrate mastery, with animated and narrated solutions between attempts provides significantly improved learning compared with traditional multi-attempt homework. However, in-situ studies have shown the mastery requirement can be frustrating to students. This project will investigate the impact that improvements in the messaging, delivery and content of the activities have on student experience and learning. In particular, students will begin with an activity that allows them to self-identify the advantages of the new approach. The content will be modified based on student data to ensure that the mastery goals are attainable. Students will also be given partial credit for partial mastery. Understanding the impact of these changes will provide guidelines for creating and implementing effective mastery activities.