Web-Based Homework Provides New Opportunity for Students and Teachers

‍Research Summary:

In this study, we put the ASSISTments platform to the test to understand the impact of artificial intelligence in education for web-based homework in comparison to traditional homework. We found that students learned reliably more in the web-based homework condition, even without the benefits of additional tutoring features such as hints and feedback messages.

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Methods:

There were two conditions in this study. The control group that received immediate feedback when completing their homework and where the teacher used a report to review the homework. The experimental group that followed a more typical homework routine. These students did not find out the answers to the problems until the next day during the homework review when the teacher put the answers up on the board and reviewed them.

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Major Findings:

This study found that

• Students learned more when they received immediate feedback on their textbook homework assignment for one night
• This effect is enhanced when the teacher reviewed the homework the next day using the reports to help drive instruction.

Participants:

Participants were 63 seventh grade students, who were currently enrolled in an eighth grade math class, in a suburban middle school in Massachusetts. They completed the activities included in the study as part of their regular math class and homework.

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Further Reading:

• Full Study
• Bangor Daily News Feature