Online homework systems have been shown to help student achievement in chemistry courses. This study sought to compare the levels of knowledge retention in students over the course of a semester, using two different types of homework systems--the adaptive-responsive system and the traditional-responsive system. Two sections of a first semester…

The primary purpose of this study was to compare academic variables from students participating in mixed teaching methods/course revitalization biology courses to those in traditional courses at two community colleges in Tennessee. A two-group comparison design using archived data was used, which evaluated differences in final grades, exam scores,…

This study investigated whether clustering can identify different groups of students enrolled in a massive open online course (MOOC). This study applied self-organizing map and hierarchical clustering algorithms to the log files of a physics MOOC capturing how students solved weekly homework and quiz problems to identify clusters of students…

This study assessed the impact of an "active learning" strategy employed alone or in combination with traditional lectures on the learning of mammalian physiology by undergraduate students. The study investigated the impact of three teaching strategies, namely (1) traditional lecture, (2) group discussion alone, and (3) combination of…

The typical introductory physics lecture requires students to consolidate and assimilate a large quantity of complex information that is often novel to them. This can leave students overwhelmed, slow the pace of their learning, and lower their motivation. We find that carefully designed multimedia summaries in the form of one-minute videos and…

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is an international comparative study designed to measure trends in mathematics and science achievement at grades 4 and 8, as well as to collect information about educational contexts (such as students' schools, teachers, and homes) that may be related to student achievement. TIMSS has…

Phylogenetic trees have become increasingly important across the life sciences, and as a result, learning to interpret and reason from these diagrams is now an essential component of biology education. Unfortunately, students often struggle to understand phylogenetic trees. Style (i.e., diagonal or bracket) is one factor that has been observed to…

Learner-centered pedagogical methods that are based on clinical application of basic science concepts through active learning and problem solving are shown to be effective for improving knowledge retention. As the clinical relevance of biochemistry is not always apparent to health-profession students, effective teaching of medical biochemistry…

Homework is an important component of most physics courses. One of the functions it serves is to provide meaningful formative assessment in preparation for examinations. However, correlations between homework and examination scores tend to be low, likely due to unproductive student behavior such as copying and random guessing of answers. In this…

Homework is a common instructional practice that is used to motivate students, develop students' studying skills and habits, inform parents about student learning, and increase student achievement. Homework provides an opportunity for students to revisit daily topics, and improve students' understanding of math concepts and problem-solving skills,…

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…

Student experience and achievement in undergraduate science courses is important for degree retention and generating interest in careers in STEM. Graduate student teaching assistants (GTAs) provide a majority of instruction in STEM laboratory courses at universities and play a critical role in the educational experience of students. Many GTAs…

We present a comment on "Benefits of completing homework for students with different aptitudes in an introductory electricity and magnetism course", by F. J. Kontur, K. de La Harpe, and N. B. Terry PRST-PER 11, 010105 (2015). Our data show that the conclusions Kontur and coworkers draw from their data may not be generally applicable.

Socrative is an online assessment and student response tool that provides opportunities to increase student engagement in the classroom. We used Socrative as an online homework completing platform to increase students' exam scores in physics. To explore the relationships among factors and the educational effectiveness of Socrative, data from 85…

Homework is generally one factor that has been discussed and claimed to have a relationship with achievement; it has a central role in providing students with opportunities to continue learning out of the school. This study forms one of cross-cultural investigations that analyze the links between homework variables and achievement in mathematics.…