An interactive textbook for a material and energy balances course measured over 1,300 reading interactions and hundreds of auto-graded problems per student each term. Specifically, seven cohorts and 601 students completed over 700,000 reading interactions and 150,000 auto-graded problems. Median reading participation was over 93%. Median correct…

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to explore how undergraduate students in an applied calculus course used the written curriculum (i.e., textbook, online homework system, and previous exams). The study design included three phases: (a) an online survey, (b) individual observations, and (c) student interviews. Students' survey responses…

Personally-owned laptops and other "Bring-Your-Own-Device" (BYOD) scenarios have become increasingly prevalent in today's work environments and classrooms. However, few studies have examined the viability and practicality of such devices in the higher-education classroom. This study used a survey instrument to explore the concept of BYOD…

Mathematical formulae are information objects that can be entered in a computer, visualized, and evaluated. Thus, by the majority of (mostly occasional) users it is also expected that they are transferable through the simple copy-paste procedure. This transfer is particularly interesting when users are involved in tasks that span different…

The experience of students submitting written homework is compared to those using online homework platforms at a college in the northeastern United States. Results indicate that online homework platforms can increase student engagement in the course when students are satisfied with the platform's functionality and when students believe the…

The QuVis Quantum Mechanics Visualization Project provides freely available research-based interactive simulations with accompanying activities for the teaching and learning of quantum mechanics across a wide range of topics and levels. This article gives an overview of some of the simulations and describes their use in an introductory physical…

The goal of this study was to investigate the timing of online homework completion and its effects on student performance. Data was collected from two large, first-semester general chemistry sections at a southwestern university. Specifically, this study aims to explore the link between when students complete their homework relative to the date…

This paper is one of a series of reports on students' access to technology. Access to technology is essential to educational success as well as workforce and community development. However, geographical, income-based, and racial/ethnic disparities in technology access persist. This "digital divide"--the gap between people who have…

With increasing class sizes, faculty have increasingly been using online homework software (OHS) and in-person discussion groups as the classroom evolves. We sought to determine the effect of online homework software and in-person discussion groups on student engagement. Specifically, we posited that expectations influence this relationship, and…

Feedback-driven online homework systems provide students with a comprehensive set of practice questions that can accompany and enhance other instructional resources. However, the available e-homework systems do not contain content that aligns well with our course objectives, provide too few questions in key areas, and use assessment format(s) that…

Although the use of traditional just-in-time teaching techniques has long been viewed positively by students and instructors in undergraduate calculus courses, past studies in this area have not addressed gains in student achievement with respect to specific calculus topics. This paper investigates the latter by administering modified just-in-time…

Supporting student success in entry-level mathematics courses at the undergraduate level has and continues to be a challenge. Recently we have seen an increased reliance on technological supports including software to supplement more traditional in-class instruction. In this paper, we explore the effects on student performance of the use of a…

This paper examines the impact of supplementary web-based materials on students' academic performance in a first-year economics unit at university. In particular, the paper considers the impact of students' usage of the unit's webpage, voluntary on-line discussion board, voluntary on-line quizzes and voluntary on-line homework questions on their…

In this paper we demonstrate how video game mechanics can be used to help improve student engagement with online mathematics homework. Specifically, we integrate two common video game systems, levels and achievements, with the online homework program "WeBWorK." We describe the key features of the implementation of these systems and…

Two different online homework systems were administered to students in a first-quarter general chemistry course. This study used a multiple regression model to control for the students' academic and socioeconomic background, and it was found that students who completed the online homework activities performed significantly better on a common…