Students' Perceptions on the Impact of Online Homework Systems on Their Performance in a General Chemistry Course

Student perceptions toward homework assigned in general chemistry courses was investigated in this study. The study participants were required to complete homework assignments using two different online systems, ALEKS (adaptive-responsive system) and Sapling (traditional-responsive system). An online survey investigating their general perceptions of homework was administered at the beginning of the semester, and after the participants had completed most of the course, another survey was administered toward the end of the semester exploring their perceptions of both homework systems used in the course. We found that most students believed homework was important to their performance in the course. Our results also showed that students' prior experience in high school science classes had an impact on their perceptions of the amount and the frequency of homework they expected in their general chemistry course. In general, students perceived ALEKS to be a more effective tool for preparing exams, however they also complained that the system was more time-consuming compared to Sapling. For CHEM 1, we did not see a significant change in students' performance based on their homework system preference. In conclusion, students believed homework was a tool to help them learn the subject matter better, and they generally had positive perceptions toward both online homework systems.