The process of learning does not take place solely (or perhaps even primarily) in the classroom. A clear understanding of how students learn must also account for the process of developing both skill in completing standard paradigms and deep conceptual understanding through study and homework completed outside the classroom. While new methods of online assessment provide advantages for faculty and students in practical terms (immediate feedback, multiple practice attempts, automated grading), they also provide opportunities for researchers to track the learning process by applying data mining techniques to the generated database of student responses.

Currently, we have developed an online homework system that has the following features:

• Different assignments for all students
• Unlimited number of attempts on each assignment
• Multiple forms of answers (not multiple choice)
  • Numbers
  • Functions
  • Graphs
• Immediate feedback
• Automated grading

This system was piloted in Fall 1999 and used regularly in Spring 2000 in Math 150, Trigonometry, at Kansas State University. During the 2000-2001 academic year we have analyzed initial results and worked with course instructors to revise the system, primarily to improve usability and to significantly improve feedback and tracking data. The revised system will be field-tested in Fall 2001.

To sample online assignments, you will need to be registered. The advisory committee and project staff are already registered with the initial password of "password" (all lower case). Please contact bennett@math.ksu.edu if you need to be registered or if you have difficulties accessing the sample assignments. Note that you should always enter the sample assignments through the login. In particular, trying to use the Back button to return to an assignment after viewing the solutions will let you appear to change your answers, but on resubmission they will be marked 0.

• Review Of Equations Of Lines (Appendix VI)
• Sinusoidal Graphs (Section 2-6)
   
• Change Your Password