This case study used a design-based research approach to examine the development and evaluation of an online homework system to support learning and problem-solving in a high school physics course. Emergent themes included challenges of building the system, strengths and weaknesses of it, and the benefits to students. While the system largely met…

This article uses a difference-in-differences strategy to evaluate the impact of a one-to-one laptop program. Teaching practices changed with the introduction of the program, and the district worked to make wireless Internet more accessible in the community. We find that while short-term impacts of the program were statistically insignificant,…

Managing student needs for effective learning in a large-enrollment, introductory organic chemistry course can be a challenging task. Because instructor time is at a premium, it is imperative to find resources that engage the students in active learning and provide them with feedback about their understanding of course content. Appropriately…

Online homework assignments have been shown to enhance student performance. Our research on gendered responses to these assignments adds new and useful information. We investigated differences between male and female students' responses to online homework in large-enrollment general chemistry courses. Replacing in class quizzes with online…

This paper compares and contrasts two projects in order to better understand the complex issues surrounding the use of technology to support parental involvement with schools and their children's learning. The Becta-funded ICT Test Bed evaluation (2002-2006) had the intention of saturating schools (in three areas of social deprivation) with a…

As the use of web-based homework delivery and checking systems expands, we have greater need to evaluate how students engage with these systems and how changes in the systems influence student behavior. Reported here is the assessment of WeBWorK, an open-source web-based homework program used largely in postsecondary math and science courses, with…

We describe a program that provides structured practice of prerequisite material to students in an ordinary differential equations course using an existing automated homework system originally designed for precalculus and calculus classes. The goal of the program is to improve students' comprehension of material presented in class by timing the…

The World Wide Web influences education and our lives in many ways. Nowadays, Web-based homework has been becoming widespread practice in physics courses and some other courses as well. Although are some disputes whether this is an encouraging or risky development for student learning, there is limited research assessing the pedagogical effect of…