CAPA (Computer-Assisted Personalized Assignments) in a large university setting

A systematic study of the online homework system CAPA (Computer-Assisted Personalized Assignments) was carried out in the calculus-based introductory physics course at the University of Colorado, Boulder during the fall 2001 semester (N ≈ 500). This study looked at the effects CAPA had on student learning and attitudes. The students in this class were split into two groups. One group was initially assigned to CAPA; the other group was assigned to traditional homework. At mid-semester the groups switched identities (the students who began the course using CAPA had to complete traditional homework). Exam scores and Force and Motion Concept Evaluation gains showed no statistically significant differences between the groups. Written quizzes and exams were collected from a smaller sample of students and analyzed using a problem-solving rubric. No statistically significant differences in the problem solving abilities of the groups were seen. Student opinions about the effect each homework type had on their learning were elicited. Students with non-expert-like epistemologies felt that CAPA was a better learning tool while students with expert-like epistemologies believed that traditional homework was a better learning tool. Problem solving interviews were conducted weekly with 9 students. From the analysis of this data a problem solving characterization of students using CAPA and traditional homework was inferred. Four types of problems solvers emerged—the CAPA Thinker, Traditional Thinker, CAPA Guesser, and Traditional Guesser. Thinkers tend to have expert-like epistemological beliefs. Guessers generally have non-expert-like epistemologies. On quantitative problems traditional homework promoted metacognitive processes in the Traditional Thinker and CAPA hindered self-evaluation among CAPA Thinkers. On qualitative problems, the opposite was observed to occur. When the students switched homework types at mid-semester it was expected that CAPA Thinkers would become Traditional Thinkers and vice versa. Similar results were expected among Guessers. However, there were students who “switched” from Traditional Thinkers to CAPA Guessers as well as students who “switched” from CAPA Guesser to Traditional Thinker. This may imply that CAPA hinders metacognitive behaviors. Implications for the development of online homework systems are discussed. Directions for future research are suggested.