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WebAssign Survey Analysis Fall 1997

Synopsis

From over 1000 students surveyed about WebAssign during the week of October 6. :

  • 94% of students are comfortable with the web
  • 69% of students are comfortable with WebAssign
  • 58% of students say it corresponds well with material as it was presented in class.
  • 96% of students agree that the immediate feedback of grades is helpful.
  • 80% of students feel that problems such as incorrect answer keys, server errors, etc., are handled properly.
  • 71% of students feel they received adequate instruction and assistance in using the homework system.
    The majority receive help from other students. This system promotes collaboration and peer instruction!
  • 69% of students feel that the homework system is fair.
  • 72% of students recommend that we continue to distribute, collect, and analyze homework on-line.
  • 55% of students access the homework system from computer labs, 41% from home or dorm.
  • 66% of students have had technical difficulties with the system once a month or less.
  • 58% of students rarely or never have to wait to get to a computer.
  • The vast majority do not have to wait more than a minute for a computer. The average wait time is less than 9 minutes.
  • 60% of students give WebAssign a grade of A or B.
  • On a "free response" question about the positive aspects of the system, 44% mention the immediate, objective response and availability of grades.
This is extraordinary for a brand new system implemented so recently and quickly!
Details
How comfortable are you with the World Wide Web?
very comfortable
54 %
fairly comfortable
40 %
hardly comfortable
4 %
not comfortable
2 %

Number responding: 1008


How comfortable are you with this homework system?
very comfortable
17 %
fairly comfortable
52 %
hardly comfortable
18 %
not comfortable
13 %

Number responding: 1007


Were homework assignments timed to correspond well with material as it was presented in class?
Always
8 %
Usually
50 %
Sometimes
33 %
Rarely
7 %
Never
2 %

Number responding: 1007



Is the immediate feedback of grades helpful?
yes
96 %
no
4 %

Number responding: 1007



Do you feel that problems such as incorrect answer keys, server errors, etc., are handled properly?
Yes
80 %
No
20 %

Number responding: 1000



Have you received adequate instruction and assistance in using the homework system?
yes
71 %
no
29 %

Number responding: 1003


From whom have you received the most assistance?
TA
2 %
Computing Center consultant
1 %
Professor
22 %
WebAssign administrators
2 %
Fellow student(s)
55 %
Other
18 %

Number responding: 1002



How many answers to Frequently Asked Questions on the WebAssign homepage have you read?
all
12 %
most
16 %
some
19 %
few
23 %
none
30 %

Number responding: 1006



Do you feel that the homework system is fair?
Yes
69 %
No
31 %

Number responding: 1002



What grade would you give WebAssign?
A
16 %
B
44 %
C
27 %
D
10 %
F
3 %

Number responding: 1010



Do you recommend that we continue to distribute, collect, and analyze homework on-line?
Yes
72 %
No
28 %

Number responding: 1000



From where do you most often access the homework system?
Computer lab
55 %
Home (on-campus or off-campus)
41 %
Work
1 %
Other campus location
2 %
Elsewhere
1 %

Number responding: 1011



How often have you had technological difficulties with this homework system?
more than once per week
6 %
once per week
28 %
once per month
33 %
very rarely
27 %
never
6 %

Number responding: 1008



How often have you had difficulty obtaining a computer to submit homework?
Never
31 %
Rarely
27 %
Sometimes
31 %
Most of the time
10 %
All the time
2 %

Number responding: 1001


On average, how often do you have to wait to use a computer (insert a number in minutes)? minutes
Mean=8.7 minutes

Approximately how many times this semester have technological difficulties prevented you from completing an assignment (please insert a number)?

Mean=2.6
0
18 %
1-5
76 %
6-20
7 %
more than 20
  0.1 %

Number responding: 1006



How often do you print the assignment?
Never
13 %
Rarely
11 %
Occasionally
15 %
Most of the time
25 %
Always
35 %

Number responding: 1008



When you took PY205, what type of homework did you have (Note: if you did not take PY205, consider the previous physics class that you took)?
on-line homework
27 %
paper-and-pencil homework
73 %

Number responding: 529


Which type of homework do you prefer?
on-line homework
59 %
paper-and-pencil homework
41 %

Number responding: 528



 
What is the most positive aspect of on-line homework?
44.3% immediate response/availability of grades/objectivity and consistency of grading.
20.1% convenient; this can be working at home or all-hours availability as well.
18.6% extra chances, resubmissions allowed.
18.0% keeps one motivated/good practice/good review/pleased with frequency of assignments.
13.3% no paper; forgetting of homework/killing of trees/enjoying computers.
10.6% relevant to in-class material, good exam preparation, relevant to in-book problems.
7.0% everything else
5.5% ambivalent or negative responses/ damning with faint praise
Note: numbers add up to more than 100% since many students responded in more than one category.

 
What is the most negative aspect of on-line homework?
22.0% Workstation availability/"no computer at home"/using print quota to do homework/connectivity problems that seem to originate with someone else's hardware/software/long waits/inconvenient trips
21.8% No training, PTC/professors unfamiliar with system/ no paper/ must check on the homework myself/not notified by professor/ "There are answers, but no solutions." Most of the generally computerphobic.
19.8% System down/ bugs/ connectivity problems likely to have originated with our hardware/software/ incorrect answers. There were some complaints about the pink used in the screen background ("acid", "annoying", "obnoxious").
15.8% Too frequently (including several suggestions that 12 problems once a week would be much better than 4 problems 3 times a week)/ homework due on test days/ problems are too hard.
14.2% Format intolerant, sigfigs, "not multiple choice".
11.3% No partial credit.
10.7% Miscellaneous: the more remarkable (good and bad) responses are here, as well as those which made no sense/ random few typical complaints.
8.2% Doesn't follow along with class, not good for exam preparation, problems different from those in class.
5.6% Problems reading animations/ general problems with resolution.
3.5% Inconstant scheduling/ changes in scheduling.
3.3% Nothing negative to say, or negative comments mild and patiently delivered/ praising with faint damns
Note: numbers add up to more than 100% since many students responded in more than one category.


Credits: Thanks to Aaron Titus for writing the analysis program and to Jeff Freeman for sorting the essay answers.

by Larry Martin, Wed Oct 22, 1997