One cannot overestimate the value of a good online homework system. In a math literacy classroom, we spend lots of time working in teams and developing concepts. But students do need some time on their own to make sure they have extracted and practiced the skills needed to carry out a solution to its completion, and to independently practice applying the concepts they have developed in class.
What we have found:
- Not all platforms are created equal. We started with Connect, which we found to be unstable, glitchy, and badly supported. Students can’t focus on the concepts when they can’t get the system to work.
- You cannot adapt a homework system designed for a traditional algebra class. We tried. Students had great difficulty seeing the connections between the classroom and the online work, because the questions and explanations were phrased so differently. It became a distraction instead of a learning tool.
So we switched to Connect Hosted by ALEKS (a completely different and much more stable platform), and built materials specifically for our course. IT HAS CHANGED MY LIFE. I do not exaggerate. I no longer want to throw my computer through a window. My students don’t come to my office completely confused because they don’t recognize how a question relates to what we did in class. They actually turn to the online homework for support, because the explanations help them understand both the basic skills and the bigger concepts we have developed in class. The online system is supporting their learning, and enhancing what we do in the class instead of feeling like an add-on. This integration has made the course more rewarding, for me and for them.