The effectiveness of a web-based homework and testing software for operations management

摘要

Online students' enrolments have been increasing, but not as much lately. The cost of education and student loan debt is having an impact on the enrolments. Many look to technology to bring down costs, but some academics that teach quantitative courses such as operations management (OM) are very reluctant to offer courses online. OM can be challenging course to many students because of its quantitative content. Regularly scheduled homework and quizzes become important to prepare students for the tests, but the time it takes to grade is prohibitive. Web-based homework and testing software such as MyOMLab? or Connect? can come to the rescue and it can enhance student learning as well. This paper focuses on such software, examines the features in detail and their usefulness to students, and if the software actually improves student learning. A survey is also used to assess the student perceptions on the effectiveness of the software. The effectiveness of the software is measured by the correlation of pre-test homework assignment grades and test grades. The results of this study would be useful to the instructors of operations management in deciding whether to use a web-based homework and testing software in their classes.