Online Assignment Research Articles

Can leagues mitigate the demoralization effect of rank feedback? A randomized controlled trial

In a randomized controlled trial involving hundreds of university students, we provide relative performance feedback specifically designed to reduce low performers’ demoralization, by dynamically assigning students to small leaderboard groups that share a similar score in a semester-long online assignment. Treated students appear 2.6% more likely to go beyond the call-of-duty on their assignment by mid-semester. For low performers, this translates in 0.27 SDs higher exam grades, more stress, increased effort and lower procrastination. High performers are happier, procrastinate less and overachieve in the assignment on which they are ranked, but ultimately also score 0.25 SDs lower exam grades.

Online and Offline Model for Housekeeping Order Assignment Based on Dynamic Programming Algorithm

With the booming development of door-to-door housekeeping service, the platform faces the problem of order assignment. Improving the matching mechanism between orders and housekeepers based on a dynamic programming (DP) algorithm can not only achieve flexible order allocation but can also improve the service efficiency and service quality. In this paper, a single objective nonlinear programming model is established, which takes the maximum total weight value as the objective function to study the order allocation problem under offline and online conditions. Under the offline condition, the number of housekeepers is taken as the decision variable. The status of order and housekeeper, order time, and action trajectory are taken as constraints. For online assignment, the order backlog status is treated as the decision variable. The reliability of the model was verified using real data from 20 groups of housekeepers and 50 groups of orders. Finally, the effect of order backlog on online allocation is discussed and the optimal threshold and maximum weight are found. The online order assignment model is compared with the nearest distance assignment model. The results show that the online assignment model with a total weighted score of 1045.14 is better than the nearest distance assignment model with a score of 810.25.

Learning Environment and Online Assignment Behaviors as Predictors of the Academic Performance of Low Socioeconomic Status (SES) Junior High Students

The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly impacted the methods of instruction for K-12 and higher education institutions around the world. Schools and families were challenged to adapt to online-based modes of instruction with minimal preparation. This study examined the importance of the learning environment and commitment to assignments as predictors of the academic performance of junior high students during the COVID-19 pandemic. We obtained data from 328 seventh through ninth grade students enrolled in an urban school district in the Delta region of Arkansas. Students used the same online learning platform, Lincoln Learning Solutions, receiving instruction in virtual, mixed, or on-site learning environments. We examined the total time spent in each course, overall assignment completion, and average grades for science, mathematics, and ELA. Our results show that when we considered only the learning environment, students in the on-site environment consistently outperformed their peers in the virtual learning environment across all subjects and grade levels, except for mathematics at the eighth-grade level. However, when we also considered students’ online assignment behaviors (time spent working on assignments, and number of assignments completed), there was a significant improvement in the prediction of academic performance for mathematics in the seventh and ninth grade, for science at the eighth-grade level, and for ELA at the ninth-grade level.

Developing and assessing pre- and in-service science and engineering teachers’ systems thinking and modeling skills through an asynchronous online course

Systems thinking and modeling are two critical 21st-century skills that teachers and educators are expected to impart to students, and students are expected to acquire and master them as part of their preparation to become literate citizens of a society and environment that is becoming ever more complex. Systems thinking is a thought process in which assumptions about interactions among interconnected elements of a system or a phenomenon can help predict the system’s behavior, outcomes, and in the case of human-made artifacts, the value to its beneficiaries. Conceptual modeling involves the simultaneous visual and textual representation of one’s ideas about a phenomenon or system in science or engineering. The qualitative study described here aimed to examine the effect of an online interdisciplinary asynchronous course on the development of systems thinking and conceptual modeling skills among pre- and in-service science and engineering teachers. Engaging in a qualitative case study with an exploratory orientation, we investigated how science and engineering teachers and teacher educators coped with (a) online learning of conceptual modeling and systems thinking using Object-Process Methodology in a food and sustainability context, and (b) developing an online assignment for teaching those skills to their students and assessing them. Research tools included the online assignment that the participants developed, a dedicated rubric for analyzing their assignments, accounting for use of modeling and systems concepts and the integration of sustainability and COVID-19 issues, a variety of thinking skills, visualizations and disciplines, and a mix of closed- and open-ended questions. Additionally, the participants’ reflections were analyzed to characterize their sense of self-efficacy and academic progression. We characterize five teacher-developed assignment cases along with the related teachers’ reflections, which exposed the benefits they had gained from the online course, as well as the systems thinking and modeling challenges they had faced. Analysis of the effect of the course with emphasis on the final task reveals that this approach is effective for developing the systems thinking and modeling skills of the teachers and serves as a catalyst for their professional development. The study offers a methodological contribution by providing a basis for evaluating teachers’ assessment knowledge and skills using a six attributes rubric.

The influences of working memory updating on word association effects and thematic role assignment during sentence processing

The current study investigated how individual variability in working memory (WM) updating affects real-time processing of thematic role assignment and word association during sentence reading comprehension when ERPs were recorded. By adopting a factorial design, four types of sentences were formed by crossing word association and role assignment as independent variables. The results indicated that associated words evoked a smaller N400 effect but a larger P600 effect than unassociated words in the high WM group, whereas no word association effect was found in the low WM group. In contrast, role reversal elicited larger N400 effects for both groups. These results suggest that individual differences in WM updating influenced whether and how readers retrieved and integrated the associated word in whole sentences but did not influence the online assignment of thematic roles during sentence reading. Individuals with high WM updating, in contrast to those with low WM updating, were good at making use of word-associated information provided by the preceding context in current processing.

Ronaki International School – Erbil (RISE) Students’ Attitudes Toward Online Assignment in Learning Management System (LMS)

Ronaki International School – Erbil (RISE) Students’ Attitudes Toward Online Assignment in Learning Management System (LMS)

Rancang Bangun Sistem Informasi Surat Tugas Online dengan Metode Prototype di PT PLN (Persero) Sumatera Utara

PT PLN (Persero) Sumatera Utara is a company engaged in the electricity sector, specifically as a 20 kV distribution control implementing unit whose job is to maintain the reliability of the 20 kV system in the work area of North Sumatra which includes Medan to Nias Island. The wide reach of the work scope of PT PLN (Persero) Sumatera Utara causes employees to work outside their positions. One of the travel documents that must be carried by employees who carry out work assignments in the field is a letter of assignment. PT PLN (Persero) Sumatera Utara so far still uses a manual assignment letter making system. Based on the research that I did, there were a number of obstacles, especially when there was an emergency job because the supervisor who was authorized to sign the assignment letter was in a meeting, or on a day off, or was out of the office. It is very important that an assignment letter is carried by employees when working in the field, either as a travel document, or as the identity of an official official from the company so that it does not raise customer suspicion about the activities carried out by the PLN officer. To accelerate the process of approval of the assignment letter, an Online Assignment Letter Information System Design with the Prototype Method was made at PT PLN (Persero) Sumatera Utara. The design and build of this Online Assignment Letter Information System has several features, namely as an admin, as a driver, as a user and as approval. The Information System Design is expected to speed up the approval process for assignment letters for employee official travel at PT PLN (Persero) Sumatera Utara

Benefits of Transitioning from Paper-Based to Online Assignments in Problem Solving Courses

Students registered in numerical-based problem-solving courses are often given a number of assignments to complete independently in order to demonstrate and refine their problem-solving skills. Traditionally, these assignments are paper-based and all students receive the same problems to solve; thus, they often rely heavily on their peers or on solution manuals to complete their assignments. As a result, assignment grades are typically high, but do not correlate with test or exam performance.
 In this paper, we describe the use of Numbas, an open educational resource created by the University of Newcastle, England, as a customizable, online assignment system. Using Numbas, each student is provided with a unique set of problems, each with randomly generated values. While they are still allowed to work collaboratively with their peers, this randomization encourages students to develop their critical thinking skills to solve unique problems. To identify if the use of the online assignment system is correlated with enhanced performance, final exam grades earned by students who were exposed to either the paper-based or the online assignment system were compared.
 Furthermore, data from student feedback surveys were analyzed to identify student-perceived strengths and challenges associated with the online assignment system, and to determine possible opportunities for improvement. The study demonstrated an improvement in knowledge-based skills among students who were exposed to the online assignment system, compared to those who wrote paper assignments. However, no significant improvement in problem-solving skills was observed. Similar findings have been reported by other research works studied the same concept. Further, 88% of students surveyed reported that the online assignment system improved their learning experience.

Virtual Assessment in English Language Teaching during COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Considerations in Bangladesh Perspectives

Background: 
 This study examines the methods of assessing the learners of English Language Teaching (ELT) learners virtually, obstacles both the teachers and students face in virtual assessment, the kind of renovations both teachers and learners have to accommodate for effective virtual assessment, and the imperative suggestions they have in terms of more fruitful and plausible assessment during COVID-19-like pandemics in the context of Bangladesh.
 Methodology: 
 10 teachers and 21 students from 5 renowned private universities in Bangladesh participated in the study. And it applied a mixed-method approach consisting of both qualitative and quantitative research methods.
 Findings: 
 The findings of the study revealed that all the teachers and students go through virtual assessment during the COVID-19 lockdown; the majority of them use Zoom Meeting App and Google Classroom for both summative and formative assessments in the form of mostly virtual viva voce, online assignment, and presentation; virtual assessment is time and money-saving, and has scheduled benefits; its disadvantages include, mainly, unstable internet connection across the country; and most suggest for both teachers’ and students’ training in dealing with technological devices and apps used for virtual assessment.
 Conclusion: 
 The major results of the research suggest that virtual assessment in ELT in the Bangladeshi context requires substantial technological modifications and renovations.
 Originality: 
 Since online assessment in ELT, like other academic disciplines, is in function in Bangladesh, better decisions on assessment methodology and, logically, more appropriate assessment policies can be formed. Conforming to this purpose, this research aims to unearth the existing challenges both teachers and learners encounter in virtual assessment and modifications recommended by them.

Investigation the Relationship between Online Homework, Academic Success and Self-Regulation

This research aimed to investigate the relationship between pre-service teachers’ online assignments, academic success, and self-regulation skills. In this study, the correlational research design was used. The research was conducted with 124 pre-service teachers studying in different departments of Elementary Mathematics, Turkish, and Social Studies Teaching at Gaziantep University in the 2020-2021 academic year. Three extreme values were determined and the answers of a total of 121 pre-service teachers were used as data. The scale for assignment effort, the scale for reflective thinking ability and the assignment evaluation rubric were used as data collection tools. As the result of the research, it is seen that pre-service teachers’ online assignment scores and average academic levels are high. When the assignment qualities of the pre-service teachers, their reflective abilities on teaching, assignment effort and academic success were examined in terms of department variable, the departments with the highest average academic success and reflexivity sub-dimension score were elementary school mathematics teaching, Turkish language teaching and social studies teaching respectively. It was also found that the assignment qualities of the pre-service teachers predict the academic success and assignment effort in a positive direction.

Self-Explaining Photosynthesis to Achieve Conceptual Change: An Analysis of Explanation Content

Students enter biology coursework with various misconceptions needing revision. However, achieving conceptual change of these misconceptions in the classroom is notoriously difficult and requires specific instruction. Self-explanations can promote conceptual change, but their effects can depend on the content produced. This study investigates how the content of learners’ explanations of photosynthesis processes affects learning. We examined data from an online assignment in introductory biology where 118 college undergraduates answered multiple-choice questions related to commonly misconceived processes in photosynthesis and respiration and were then prompted to self-explain the correct answer. One week later, students took a test that measured learning in the activity. Using mixed methods analyses, we qualitatively explored the types of explanations learners made, categorized the different types of explanations, and performed quantitative analyses to examine relations between explanation content and test scores. We identified five categories of self-explanations that varied in engagement, accuracy, and focus. Accuracy of the explanation mattered; accurate explanations predicted higher test scores, and inaccurate explanations predicted lower test scores. We also identified three different groups of learners: highly performing learners who were actively engaged and accurate; moderately performing learners who were engaged but often paraphrased or explained inaccurately; and low performing learners who were disengaged and avoided explaining. We provide implications for use of self-explaining misconceived material.

Distributed online assignment of charging stations in persistent coverage control tasks based on LP relaxation and ADMM

Distributed online assignment of charging stations in persistent coverage control tasks based on LP relaxation and ADMM

Second Language Development (SLD): What Factors Might Affect Students’ English Learning During Covid19 Pandemic

Abstract. This study aimed to investigate factors affecting the students’ L2 language development. This issue was raised because second language acquisition is one of the most impressive and fascinating aspects of human communication skills. This study was also intended to help students effectively learn and understand the language. This was a descriptive quantitative study. The samples were 158 preservice students in the English Education Department, Universitas Borneo Tarakan. This data was collected using an online questionnaire through google form to indicate the students’ responses on how English as a second language is acquired by the learning experience and was analyzed using factorial analysis (principle componential analysis). This research found that second language development is affected by linguistic factors like vocabulary enrichment, the structure of the native language, and the ability to pronounce words. Besides, non-linguistic factors like cognitive styles, psychological aspects, personality traits, technology use, and age also influenced students’ learning processes and outcomes. It can be shown from personal characteristics and experiences of the learner, social and cultural environment both inside (virtual/ offline meeting) and outside (online assignment/ project/ task-based) of the classroom, the opportunities for communication, access to both oral and written corrective feedback and instruction let by teachers. Those factors were not fully controlled by the teachers but understanding those aspects will make teachers able to consider how students learn English in effective ways to mitigate their learning loss in rapid knowledge growth and technological advancement era. This study reflected teachers’ development on their professionalism and their contribution to the second language acquisition theories. Keywords: Language acquisition and learning, Teacher Professional Development, Linguistics, and Non-linguistics Factors, covid19 pandemic

The effect of online-based assignment responses and student creativity in PJOK during pandemic in rural and urban area

Creativity is an ability that must not be lost during a pandemic. The purpose of this study is to find out whether there is an influence of online-based task responses to students' creativity during the pandemic period and the difference is based on students living in rural and urban area. This type of research is a mixed method collected through an online-based assignment response questionnaire instrument, student creativity questionnaire instrument, and interview instruments. The sample of this study was a student of the 2017 physical education, health and recreational education program at Padang State University with a number of 68 students. The data analysis technique in this study uses descriptive statistical testing and simple linear regression testing. The results of this study indicate that there is an influence between online-based task response to 51.5% creativity. Furthermore, online task-based response category is either dominated by students living in urban areas with a percentage of 72.2%. Then review based on student creativity during a pandemic period for students living in urban areas categorized both with a percentage of 84.2% while students who live in ranked are considered less good with a percentage of 54.5%. This research is expected to contribute to the world of education today and can change the perspective of the community or an individual regarding the positive impact of the online assignment given to students in the pandemic period.

Challenges of Emergency eLearning in Rural Bhutan: A Case of Kengkhar Middle Secondary School during the COVID-19 Pandemic

With the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic across the world, countries were locked down and the borders were sealed. Like in other countries, the education institutes in Bhutan were closed and the mode of learning shifted to online. There were some challenges with online teaching and learning (eLearning). This is a case study of Kengkhar Middle Secondary School. It attempts to examine various challenges of eLearning faced by the tutors, learners, and parents and guardians of schoolchildren. This study used primary data, which were collected from teachers, learners, and randomly selected parents using three tools (Student Survey, Online assignment, and Interview). It was found that about 90 percent of the students did not have personal smartphones and 80 percent of the students used the smartphones of their parents and guardians. Moreover, 87 percent of the respondents received support from their parents and guardians during emergency eLearning. However, there were several challenges involved with eLearning. Some of the major challenges included poor attendance of the students, limited digital skills, unfamiliarity with Google Classroom, and financial burden for parents. Similarly, teachers experienced challenges such as a poor response from students, low turnout rate, language barrier, and lack of proper planning and direction.

Two-stage Bilateral Online Priority Assignment in Spatio-temporal Crowdsourcing

With the advent of intelligent technology, the users of spatio-temporal crowdsourcing and their participation in the crowdsourcing tasks continue to increase exponentially. This poses new challenges to the crowdsourcing field. One of the core research areas of spatio-temporal crowdsourcing is task assignment. Most of the existing research on task assignment is focused on offline optimal task assignment, where, the platform has already learned all the information about workers and tasks beforehand. However, these studies cannot obtain good results in real-world situations. At the same time, online task assignment problems often result in local optimal assignment. To solve these problems, more attention needs to be paid to online task assignments and the arrival time of workers. This paper proposes an Online Bilateral Assignment (OBA) problem based on the online assignment model. The competitive ratio of the Greedy algorithm is analyzed according to the OBA problem model. Also, another solution to the OBA problem according to the Greedy algorithm, the Improved-Baseline algorithm, is proposed. Additionally, a Bilateral Online Priority Reassignment algorithm (BOPR) is proposed. The BOPR algorithm realizes real-time task/worker assignment through the bilateral assignment as a solution for online task assignment. In order to guarantee the number of matching tasks, a priority queue is designed in the BOPR algorithm. Considering the waiting time deadlines of tasks and workers and the error rate for priority ranking, it avoids tasks and workers waiting too long and assigns each task to the best possible extent. On this basis, a two-stage assignment strategy is designed for unsuccessful tasks, which could minimize the error rate of the task and significantly improve the efficiency of task assignment. Finally, through experiments on real data sets, the algorithm's performance in terms of global utility value and the number of matches is evaluated.

Integrating Blended Assessment in Blended Learning in a Nigerian University

Learning is assumed to have taken place only when a positive change in behaviour item of knowledge, skills and values occurred as a result of learners’ exposure to learning activities. The study, therefore, investigated the integration of blended assessment in blended learning in a Nigerian university. The study focused on the learning outcomes in blended learning using the Paper and Pencil Test, online assignment, Google classroom test and CBT test of undergraduates in EDU 212. The study adopted a repeated measure research design taught by five lecturers using face-to-face and google classroom interactions. One research hypothesis was postulated and tested using one-way ANOVA at a 0.05 level of significance. The population of the study was 45, 407 undergraduates of the University of Ilorin, Nigeria in the academic session 2018/2019. The target population comprised 10,908 undergraduates of the faculty of education. At 200 levels, 2,274 undergraduates registered for EDU 212 (Introduction to Educational Measurement and Evaluation). In the process, tests and end of the semester exams were administered to the students. Multiple-choice items were prepared based on the topics taught. Progressively, as the lectures continued, students were examined both offline and online. The finding of the study revealed a significant difference in blended assessment and favoured google classroom. It was concluded that blended assessment is an effective tool in enhancing better learning outcomes. There is, therefore, a need to have an effective, efficient, affordable and reliable Wi-Fi network in the university for blended assessment to be incorporated in teaching and learning.

The Influence of the Discipline of Online Assignment Collection Assisted by Edlink Sevima on the Learning Outcomes

The interaction of students and lecturers is essential in learning. There is no face-to-face in class intensively the Covid-19 pandemic has an impact on student discipline in assignments. It has an impact on the low student learning outcomes. This study aims to analyze the collection of bold assignments assisted by Edlink Sevima on student learning outcomes. This research uses quantitative research. This research method is quantitative. The research sample was 42 students—data collection techniques were used in two ways: questionnaires and tests. The instrument used in collecting data is a questionnaire. Research test instruments include validity and reliability tests. Data analysis using statistical tests. The results showed that the rcount was 0.656, and in consultation with the Product Moment rtable, the significance level of 5% with N = 22 was 0.423. So it can be stated that rcount 0.656 > rtable 0.423 implies that the proposed hypothesis can be accepted. The implication of this research in learning is that it is essential to apply courageous task collection when studying. For students who have a high learning discipline attitude, the learning outcomes obtained are also high, namely learning outcomes. The results of the research state that there is an effect of collecting daring tasks assisted by Edlink Sevima on learning outcomes.

A profile analysis of online assignment motivation: Combining achievement goal and expectancy-value perspectives

Online assignment is a global and growing phenomenon in higher education that presents significant motivational challenges for many online students. Yet, little is known on the motivational beliefs of students towards online assignment, and none on how in combination they affect student behavior when it comes to online assignment. This present study aims to identify online assignment motivation profiles based on achievement goal theory (mastery- and performance-approach goals) and expectancy-value theory (expectancy and value components). Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to examine if homogenous latent profiles exist within a sample of 612 college students in China. Our findings identified four distinct profiles: High Motivation, Moderate Motivation, Low Goal Orientation/Moderate Expectancy-Value, and Very High Goal Orientation/Very Low Expectancy-Value. Our findings further revealed that profile membership was associated with self-regulation of online assignment behavior, including handling distraction, arranging the environment, managing time, monitoring motivation, emotion management, and cognitive reappraisal. Finally, supplemental analyses showed the added benefit of integrating both achievement goal and expectancy-value theories when forming online assignment motivation profiles. These findings indicated the importance of promoting multiple motivational beliefs to better support self-regulation of online assignment behavior. The present study suggests that understanding online assignment motivation profiles can provide new insights into promoting an adaptive online learning environment and help online instructors enhance and sustain their students’ motivation with online assignment (e.g., to provide differentiated support based on the motivational needs of online students in each profile).

Multi-stage online task assignment driven by offline data under spatio-temporal crowdsourcing

In the era of the Internet of Things (IoT), the crowdsourcing process is driven by data collected by devices that interact with each other and with the physical world. As a part of the IoT ecosystem, task assignment has become an important goal of the research community. Existing task assignment algorithms can be categorized as offline (performs better with datasets but struggles to achieve good real-life results) or online (works well with real-life input but is difficult to optimize regarding in-depth assignments). This paper proposes a Cross-regional Online Task (CROT) assignment problem based on the online assignment model. Given the CROT problem, an Online Task Assignment across Regions based on Prediction (OTARP) algorithm is proposed. OTARP is a two-stage graphics-driven bilateral assignment strategy that uses edge cloud and graph embedding to complete task assignments. The first stage uses historical data to make offline predictions, with a graph-driven method for offline bipartite graph matching. The second stage uses a bipartite graph to complete the online task assignment process. This paper proposes accelerating the task assignment process through multiple assignment rounds and optimizing the process by combining offline guidance and online assignment strategies. To encourage crowd workers to complete crowd tasks across regions, an incentive strategy is designed to encourage crowd workers’ movement. To avoid the idle problem in the process of crowd worker movement, a drop-by-rider problem is used to help crowd workers accept more crowd tasks, optimize the number of assignments, and increase utility. Finally, through comparison experiments on real datasets, the performance of the proposed algorithm on crowd worker utility value and the matching number is evaluated.