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ASSISTments can be used for homework letting students get immediate feedback, which causes better learning. Students don't practice the same wrong procedures over and over again only then have to unlearn them the next day.

ASSISTments can be used to deliver your homework and has two big benefits. First each student is helped individually. Second, going over the homework looks completely different making it more effective and allowing you to do more teaching and less bookkeeping.

Immediate Feedback

Here is a student getting immediate feedback. Notice that child got a question wrong, tried something different, and got the feedback he was correct. Imagine, what is the chance the student would have remembered what he did tomorrow in class?

Research Results Showing ASSISTments for Homework causes better Learning

We have two important articles that both show ASSISTments is better for homework than traditional methods. The first study is with 5th graders and the second study with 8th graders.

Here is an article that shows ASSISTments dramatically increases student knowledge when used for homework compared to traditional homework (feedback the next day).
- Mendicino, M., Razzaq, L. & Heffernan, N. T. (2009). Comparison of Traditional Homework with Computer Supported Homework. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 41(3), 331-359. PDF

Here is a study that replicated the above results and did so in an even more convincing manner methodologically (we randomly assigned students to conditions rather than assigning classrooms to conditions).
- Singh, R., Saleem, M., Pradhan, P., Heffernan, C., Heffernan, N., Razzaq, L. & Dailey, M. (2011). Improving K-12 Homework with Computers. "Proceedings of the Artificial Intelligence in Education Conference." PDF

How it changes the classroom

Heffernan, N., Kelly, K, Dietz, K., Soffer, D., Pellegrino, J. W., Goldman. (in preparation). Does giving students correctness feedback at home improve student learning?

Homework Discussion

In a study we are preparing for publication we wanted to see how a teacher goes over homework differently (used with permission). The control condition video below shows the teacher putting up the answers, giving students time to check their answers and then ask questions. The video is boring as it takes a long time for someone to ask a question and even then it is not clear that a good discussion was generated. You may also notice that several students didn't have their work with them, preventing them from checking their answers or asking questions. The second video shows the teacher having her item report on the screen that shows what questions were the toughest. She knows before class begins what questions she wants to go over. Listen to the video and notice how the teacher shares the common wrong answer, and starts a discussion about common misconceptions. (WPI and UIC's Pellegrino and Goldman are collaborating to write up these results.) Additional studies have shown similar findings. We tested students just before going over the homework, and then just after. Students learned more in the condition where the teacher was using the ASSISTments data.