Rethinking Homework

Pastor, L.

Homework is intended to improve student learning and understanding. However, if students are sharing answers and not completing homework on their own, does traditional homework accomplish this goal or is there a better way? The new homework treatment adapted a practice used in “flipping the classroom” in which students took short individual in-class quizzes based on a set of previously assigned homework questions. The study sought to determine if the new treatment of homework contributes to learning better  than traditional homework based on performance on exams. Homework and exam scores at the end of the semester and from prior semesters with traditional homework was used to test the hypothesis that the homework treatment would be a better learning tool than traditional homework. The research indicates that the homework treatment resulted in a more significant relationship to exam scores than traditional homework. Additional benefits include (1) evaluating students’ understanding on a timelier basis for faculty, (2) immediate feedback to students (3) active-learning opportunities for improved student learning and (4) fewer homework academic integrity issues. 

Lynne Pastor, Heinz