Revising Online Assignments and the Impact on Student Performance at a Community College

ABSTRACT

Recent developments in technology allow instructors to design meaningful customized homework assignments that enhance student performance, while reducing the time and resources required for grading and feedback. In particular, online assignments allow the instructor to utilize various setting options including auto-grading, number of attempts, and timing of access to answer keys that result in assignments that uniquely fit student needs. This study investigates the impact of using such options by comparing single submitted and multiple submitted online assignments in an introductory economics course at a community college. Using the grades on multiple-choice homework assignments, quizzes, and a final exam as the performance measures, the authors tested hypotheses concerning the performance improvement of students at Kingsborough Community College who were allowed to revise and resubmit homework. Results indicate that (a) additional submissions yielded better results, even when students were not told which questions were incorrect on prior attempts; (b) single submitted attempts were not worse off than multiple submitted attempts; and (c) student perception of multiple submission opportunities was extremely positive. The data suggest that resubmitting assignments may serve both as a powerful learning tool to replace or supplement traditional study tools and as a catalyst for student growth mindset cultivation.