Improving Instruction and Reducing Costs With a Web-based Learning Environment

Abstract: An electronic learning environment manages homework assignments for more than 3,000 students in large enrollment courses at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Originally developed to fulfill a critical need in the Chemistry Department, the system has been so successful that it has been expanded to other departments and supports new, interactive forms of learning over the World Wide Web. Careful and thorough evaluation has been an integral part of the system’s development, which has now been adopted by ten departments and seven other institutions. We report here on the costs and benefits of using the basic system and on significant increases in student performance. 1. Enhanced Undergraduate Teaching Costs in higher education place tremendous pressure on institutions. Faculty lines are difficult to acquire and budgets for TA resources are often reduced. These pressures are acute in teaching “service ” courses such as general chemistry and physics required for majors in many other departments. For example, the two-course general chemistry sequence offered by our Chemistry Department serves 1400 students from 35 departments. The challenge was to develop an effective system that supported increased student study time and reduced the need for mor