Computer-Assisted Generation and Grading of Pharmacokinetics Assignments in a Problem-Solving Course1

Computer-generated practice problems (with opportunity for unlimited practice) and assignments (with automatic grading by computer) were developed for a problem-solv-ing course in basic pharmacokinetics. For each topic, a problem was developed using the spreadsheet program Excel®. The students, then, used these files to generate their own assignments and practices. Although the general struc-ture of each problem is the same for all generated cases, the problem (including the data and in some cases the text of Questions) is dynamic in that by pressing a button a new problem is generated randomly from a preset range of parameters and/or text scenarios. After working on the generated assignments, the students enter the solutions in the program and electronically submit their assignments to a “Drop Folder ” in a “Pharmacokinetics ” server using a local network on campus. The received assignments are then graded automatically using a “Grader ” spreadsheet developed for each assignment. The project was successfully implemented during the Fall of 1996 in a class of 150 students. Evaluative data indicate that the project substan-tially improved students understanding of the subject and helped them perform better in formal examinations