By Melanie Autin, Hope Marchionda
Information
There exists a belief that completing homework outside of a statistics course is paramount to a student’s success, but a large portion of students only possess the extrinsic motivation to complete assignments. Furthermore, grading weekly homework for large sections of a course is time consuming and can result in feedback that is not specific or is not timely. As a result, some instructors find other ways to motivate students, thereby giving students the autonomy to choose to complete assignments with fidelity and ask questions when they do not understand a particular problem. This study explored how the role of optional vs. required homework impacts multiple facets of a student’s experience in a calculus based introductory probability and statistics course. In one section homework was optional and not checked or graded, while in the other section homework was required and checked for completeness only and included as part of their course grade. Student attitudes towards statistics and their changes in those attitudes were measured via the Survey of Attitudes Towards Statistics (SATS©) pre- and post-tests, which contains 36 items that assess affect, cognitive competence, value, difficulty, interest, and effort. Their perceptions of homework and motivation were evaluated via open-ended questions. Course performance was determined by common weekly quizzes and course exams. The results of these various components can be used to inform other instructors’ decisions regarding homework implementation in statistics courses.