Timely Feedback and Strengthened Study Habits via Computer Automated End-of-Lecture Questions

Paul J. Weber

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Conference: 2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Vancouver, BC
Publication Date: June 26, 2011
Start Date: June 26, 2011
End Date: June 29, 2011
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: Technology in the ECE Classroom
Tagged Division: Electrical and Computer
Page Count: 9
Page Numbers: 22.1528.1 - 22.1528.9
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--18548
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/18548
Download Count: 425

Paper Authors

biography

Paul J. Weber Lake Superior State University

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Paul J. Weber is an Assistant Professor at Lake Superior State University. Since completing his Ph.D. at Michigan Tech in 2006, he has taught courses in digital and computer systems as well as electronics, circuit analysis, and robot vision. His research interests include alternative energy, energy efficiency, distributed control, and engineering education.

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Abstract

Timely Feedback and Strengthened Study Habits via Computer Automated End-of-Lecture QuestionsAbstractTimely feedback is crucial to the learning process. Two important goals as an educator thereforeare to assess students’ comprehension of the covered concepts in a relatively fast manner, and tohelp students develop study habits which naturally provide ways for them to quickly assess theirown understanding. Automated end-of-lecture questions provide one useful tool to achieve bothof these objectives.This paper will describe how such questions have been implemented via a computer automation.The semester-long assignment consisted of one to three questions at the end of the each classperiod which the students were required to answer prior to the start of the next class period. Todo so, students were required to log into a course management system, within which thequestions were posted. Immediately after answering the questions, students were provided withthe correct response(s) to the question. In addition, the answers were also used as part of a briefrecap of that lecture during the next class period, and time was made available for discussionabout the questions.The quantifiable results of implementing such end-of-lecture questions will comprise anassessment of the students’ performance on the midterm and final exam given during thesemester and the characteristics of their answers to the end-of-lecture questions. Possible metricswill include whether specific questions were answered, if they were answered correctly, and howsoon after class they were answered. These measures will then be compared to studentperformance with respect to similar questions and concepts on the exams.In addition to assessing the effectiveness of this educational method, the research will alsoexplain the logistics and trade-offs of implementing the questions and the pedagogical basis fordoing so. The former will include a discussion of benefits such as providing more class time forhigher-level learning, and also potential issues such as the learning curve for the instructor withrespect to the chosen method of automating the questions (e.g. a course management system).The latter will focus primarily on the concept of moving information from short term to longterm memory via repeated exposure both in class and shortly thereafter via the end-of-lecture.Lastly, the traits of particularly (in)effective questions will be explored, including questioncomplexity and phrasing, using questions from Computer Engineering courses as case studies.

Citation
Format

Weber, P. J. (2011, June), Timely Feedback and Strengthened Study Habits via Computer Automated End-of-Lecture Questions Paper presented at 2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Vancouver, BC. 10.18260/1-2--18548

TY  - CPAPER
AB  -                  Timely Feedback and Strengthened Study Habits                via Computer Automated End-of-Lecture QuestionsAbstractTimely feedback is crucial to the learning process. Two important goals as an educator thereforeare to assess students’ comprehension of the covered concepts in a relatively fast manner, and tohelp students develop study habits which naturally provide ways for them to quickly assess theirown understanding. Automated end-of-lecture questions provide one useful tool to achieve bothof these objectives.This paper will describe how such questions have been implemented via a computer automation.The semester-long assignment consisted of one to three questions at the end of the each classperiod which the students were required to answer prior to the start of the next class period. Todo so, students were required to log into a course management system, within which thequestions were posted. Immediately after answering the questions, students were provided withthe correct response(s) to the question. In addition, the answers were also used as part of a briefrecap of that lecture during the next class period, and time was made available for discussionabout the questions.The quantifiable results of implementing such end-of-lecture questions will comprise anassessment of the students’ performance on the midterm and final exam given during thesemester and the characteristics of their answers to the end-of-lecture questions. Possible metricswill include whether specific questions were answered, if they were answered correctly, and howsoon after class they were answered. These measures will then be compared to studentperformance with respect to similar questions and concepts on the exams.In addition to assessing the effectiveness of this educational method, the research will alsoexplain the logistics and trade-offs of implementing the questions and the pedagogical basis fordoing so. The former will include a discussion of benefits such as providing more class time forhigher-level learning, and also potential issues such as the learning curve for the instructor withrespect to the chosen method of automating the questions (e.g. a course management system).The latter will focus primarily on the concept of moving information from short term to longterm memory via repeated exposure both in class and shortly thereafter via the end-of-lecture.Lastly, the traits of particularly (in)effective questions will be explored, including questioncomplexity and phrasing, using questions from Computer Engineering courses as case studies.
AU  - Paul J. Weber
CY  - Vancouver, BC
DA  - 2011/06/26
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Timely Feedback and Strengthened Study Habits via Computer Automated End-of-Lecture Questions
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/18548
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--18548
ER  -