Use Case: Assignment

  • Using Practice Exams to Increase Proficiency and Reduce Anxiety

    Online practice exams create transparency around exam format and identify areas where students should practice more before the actual exam.

  • Testing Probabilistic Intuition Using Thousands of Trials in a Digital Environment

    Students are directly engaged through hands-on coding and experimentation in R, rather than passively receiving information. They create simulations, run trials, visualize outcomes, and dynamically explore probabilistic concepts, thus becoming deeply embedded in their own learning process.

  • Learning About Students Through an Introductory Online Survey

    In recent years, Latulippe has begun using a brief online introductory survey to get to know a little bit more about students in her courses. She uses Microsoft Forms, but there are many other digital survey tools available including Qualtrics, Google Forms, Survey Monkey, or a quiz built into your LMS or online homework system.

  • Confirming Our Worth as Human Beings via an Online Discussion Board

    Precalculus students listen to and discuss a talk which communicates to students that they have an inherent dignity apart from their grades. This message is foundational to creating a sense of belonging both in the classroom and in STEM fields.

  • Using LMS Platforms and Discipline-Specific Digital Tools that Have Peer Assessment Features

    Maria Tackett, a professor of statistical science, employs peer assessment as a part of her overall statistics course structure the utilizes a self-created website and a GitHub repository. As a part of students’ main team project, they review other team’s projects and leave feedback directly within GitHub. Dr. Tackett uses GitHub and RStudio so that…

  • Using Quiz Tools to Offer Frequent Opportunities for Practice

    Professor Kimberly Jackson uses Canvas combined with Aktiv Chemistry to provide daily and pre-class quizzes for her students. Depending on the course, students can earn tokens by taking daily quizzes, which can be used to retake “Mastery Quizzes,” or can earn participation tickets. 

  • Using Digital Discussion Platforms to Enable Students to Problem Solve Together

    Binyomin Abrams, a professor of chemistry, and Edray Goins, a professor of mathematics and statistics, use Piazza and Overleaf, which in particular, brings STEM-specific collaboration to a centralized digital space. Both professors utilize its LaTeX editor, anonymous posting, and customizable polls to encourage peer collaboration.

  • Engaging Students Through Gamified Digital Learning Curriculum

    Neil Garg, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and a group of UCLA students developed the app, Backside Attack, to help students learn the SN2 mechanism, a key concept for organic chemistry. The app mixes both games alongside assessment pieces to ensure that students can translate what they are learning to how they may be…

  • Creative Assignments that Leverage Technology for Peer Collaboration

    Neil Garg, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry, assigns projects that ask students to translate chemistry concepts into creative exercises. In his organic chemistry music video assignment, he has students form groups to create music videos illustrating chemistry concepts that in turn teach their peers. More than 1200 students in Neil’s Chem 14D course have…

  • Creating Virtual Discussion Spaces with Perusall

    Kimberly Jackson, a professor of biochemistry, uses Perusall to enable Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) activities by creating question prompts and having students digitally respond to their peers in groups. Professor Jackson creates question prompts in Perusall and has students digitally respond to their peers in groups.