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Online Homework Management Systems: Should we Allow Multiple Attempts?

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  • M. Taylor Rhodes
  • Jeffrey K. Sarbaum

Abstract

Homework is increasingly being auto-administered online with systems that offer numerous assignment settings. This paper discusses the results of a quasi-experiment designed to evaluate student behavior under single and multiple attempt homework settings using an online homework management system. We explore whether or not multiple attempts lead to more effort and improved performance, and evaluate alternative, less desirable, behaviors that are potentially incentivized. We find that multiple attempts lead to “guessing†behavior and in turn grade inflation, hence improving scores without improving learning outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • M. Taylor Rhodes & Jeffrey K. Sarbaum, 2015. "Online Homework Management Systems: Should we Allow Multiple Attempts?," The American Economist, Sage Publications, vol. 60(2), pages 120-131, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:amerec:v:60:y:2015:i:2:p:120-131
    DOI: 10.1177/056943451506000203
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. William Lee & Richard H. Courtney & Steven J. Balassi, 2010. "Do Online Homework Tools Improve Student Results in Principles of Microeconomics Courses?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 100(2), pages 283-286, May.
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    3. Brendan Kennelly & John Considine & Darragh Flannery, 2011. "Online Assignments in Economics: A Test of Their Effectiveness," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(2), pages 136-146, June.
    4. Wayne A. Grove & Tim Wasserman, 2006. "Incentives and Student Learning: A Natural Experiment with Economics Problem Sets," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(2), pages 447-452, May.
    5. Pablo Calafiore & Damian S. Damianov, 2011. "The Effect of Time Spent Online on Student Achievement in Online Economics and Finance Courses," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(3), pages 209-223, July.
    6. Steve Trost & Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, 2012. "Targeting Teaching The Effect of Homework on Exam Performance: Experimental Results from Principles of Economics," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 79(1), pages 224-242, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Carlos Cortinhas, 2017. "Does formative feedback help or hinder students? An empirical investigation," Discussion Papers 1701, University of Exeter, Department of Economics.

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