The Effect of using online homework exercises on student achievement in a Quantitative methods course

Abstract: Quantitative Methods (QM) is a compulsory course in the Social Science program in CEGEP. Many QM instructors assign a number of homework exercises to give students the opportunity to practice the statistical methods, which enhances their learning. However, traditional written exercises have two significant disadvantages. The first is that the feedback process is often very slow. The second disadvantage is that written exercises can generate a large amount of correcting for the instructor. WeBWorK is an open-source system that allows instructors to write exercises which students answer online. Although originally designed to write exercises for math and science students, WeBWorK programming allows for the creation of a variety of questions which can be used in the Quantitative Methods course. Because many statistical exercises generate objective and quantitative answers, the system is able to instantly assess students’ responses and tell them whether they are right or wrong. This immediate feedback has been shown to be theoretically conducive to positive learning outcomes. In addition, the system can be set up to allow students to re-try the problem if they got it wrong. This has benefits both in terms of student motivation and reinforcing learning. Through the use of a quasi-experiment, this research project measured and analysed the effects of using WeBWorK exercises in the Quantitative Methods course at Vanier College. Three specific research questions were addressed. First, we looked at whether students who did the WeBWorK exercises got better grades than students who did written exercises. Second, we looked at whether students who completed more of the WeBWorK exercises got better grades than students who completed fewer of the WeBWorK exercises. Finally, we used a self-report survey to find out what students’ perceptions and opinions were of the WeBWorK and the written exercises. For the first research question, a crossover design was used in order to compare whether the group that did WeBWorK problems during one unit would score significantly higher on that unit test than the other group that did the written problems. We found no significant difference in grades between students who did the WeBWorK exercises and students who did the written exercises. The second research question looked at whether students who completed more of the WeBWorK exercises would get significantly higher grades than students who completed fewer of the WeBWorK exercises. The straight-line relationship between number of WeBWorK exercises completed and grades was positive in both groups. However, the correlation coefficients for these two variables showed no real pattern. Our third research question was investigated by using a survey to elicit students’ perceptions and opinions regarding the WeBWorK and written exercises. Students reported no difference in the amount of effort put into completing each type of exercise. Students were also asked to rate each type of exercise along six dimensions and a composite score was calculated. Overall, students gave a significantly higher score to the written exercises, and reported that they found the written exercises were better for understanding the basic statistical concepts and for learning the basic statistical methods. However, when presented with the choice of having only written or only WeBWorK exercises, slightly more students preferred or strongly preferred having only WeBWorK exercises. The results of this research suggest that the advantages of using WeBWorK to teach Quantitative Methods are variable. The WeBWorK system offers immediate feedback, which often seems to motivate students to try again if they do not have the correct answer. However, this does not necessarily translate into better performance on the written tests and on the final exam. What has been learned is that the WeBWorK system can be used by interested instructors to enhance student learning in the Quantitative Methods course. Further research may examine more specifically how this system can be used more effectively.

A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial of sodium nitrate in patients with stable angina INAS

In an aging western population, a significant number of patients continue to suffer from angina once all revascularization and optimal medical treatment options are exhausted. Under experimental conditions, oral supplementation with inorganic nitrate was shown to exhibit a blood pressure-lowering effect, and has also been shown to promote angiogenesis, improve endothelial dysfunction and mitochondrial efficiency in skeletal muscle. It is unknown whether similar changes occur in cardiac muscle. In the current study, we investigate whether oral sodium nitrate treatment will improve myocardial ischemia in patients with stable angina.

The effect of gender context on children's social behaviour in a limited resources situation : an observational study

Knowing when to compete and when to cooperate to maximize opportunities for equal access to activities and materials in groups is critical to children's social and cognitive development. The present study examined the individual (gender, social competence) and contextual factors (gender context) that may determine why some children are more successful than others. One hundred and fifty-six children (M age=6.5 years) were divided into 39 groups of four and videotaped while engaged in a task that required them to cooperate in order to view cartoons. Children within all groups were unfamiliar to one another. Groups varied in gender composition (all girls, all boys, or mixed-sex) and social competence (high vs. low). Group composition by gender interaction effects were found. Girls were most successful at gaining viewing time in same-sex groups, and least successful in mixed-sex groups. Conversely, boys were least successful in same-sex groups and most successful in mixed-sex groups. Similar results were also found at the group level of analysis; however, the way in which the resources were distributed differed as a function of group type. Same-sex girl groups were inequitable but efficient whereas same-sex boy groups were more equitable than mixed groups but inefficient compared to same-sex girl groups. Social competence did not influence children's behavior. The findings from the present study highlight the effect of gender context on cooperation and competition and the relevance of adopting an unfamiliar peer paradigm when investigating children's social behavior.