Do homework grading policies affect student learning?

• Autores: Ali Yalcin, Autak K. Kaw
• Localización: The International journal of engineering education, ISSN-e 0949-149X, Vol. 27, no. Extra 6, 2011, págs. 1333-1342
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • A significant amount of teaching assistant and instructor time is allocated to grading homework assignments, especially in largeenrolment courses. However, the benefits of such a time- consuming activity are unknown and not well documented. Our goal is toexamine the impact that different homework grading policies have on students’ final examination performance. We are interestednot only in the overall student performance, but also in the performance of specific student subgroups with varying backgrounds,as well as the impact of homework on the type of learning that takes place in the course. The study was conducted in a NumericalMethods course at the University of South Florida over a period of three years encompassing data from over 300 MechanicalEngineering students. Statistical analysis of data regarding the impact of homework grading policies on student subgroups based onseveral factors is presented. Our results indicate that there is no statistically significant difference in student examinationperformance when homework is graded versus when homework is assigned but not graded. However, certain grading policies didseem to put some subgroups of students at a disadvantage. While grading homework may not be critical in improving studentexamination performance, it is important to ensure that students practice the concepts.