Blogging and Self-Graded Homework in Contemporary Problem Solving

Abstract

In the age of the internet, it is increasingly difficult to write homework assignments in a way that encourages students to struggle with a problem on their own without seeking answers from other sources. This is especially true in lower-level courses, where students often start with the attitude of “I can’t do this.” In this article, I describe some techniques I use to encourage students to solve problems on their own and to look for applications of mathematics in the world around them. In particular, I will describe two homework techniques that I apply in my contemporary mathematics course aimed at non-STEM majors: self-graded homework and blogging. These techniques provide two different opportunities for students to manifest their understanding in a low-pressure environment that encourages student success.

KEYWORDS:

• Blog
• contemporary mathematics
• quantitative reasoning
• homework
• self-assessment

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lori McCune

Lori McCune received her B.S. at the University of Akron and her Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She hopes to challenge her students to find applications of mathematics all around them. Her spare time is spent practicing counting and the ABC's with her two small children as well as providing daily recitations of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” to her three-year old daughter.