Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

Re: [Phys-l] Cramster.com



There are several ways around this practice. The easiest is to assign problems using an online service such as Webassign or the UT free assignment service. There is evidence that this is not detrimental, but also it does not produce better results. These services vary the numbers in the problems so each student has to produce different answers. For students who like to copy work, this is a definite plus. They also take care of the grading process and present individualized solutions.

Another solution is to use the Modeling Method where students have to orally present solutions to problems. They are pressed to explain all problems on their feet. This method has been shown to produce better understanding of concepts. The Modeling problems are fewer in number, but they are carefully sequenced, unlike the back of the chapter problems.

Unfortunately the grading services can not really grade important things like motion maps and graphs, or energy bar charts. They also can not assess the quality of the problem solving process a la the rich context problems of the Hellers.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX


Two students in my university General Chemistry II course purchased solutions to text problems. It was easy to determine that they had obtained the solution-manual answers, as they made little attempt to change the wording. When confronted, both admitted obtaining the answers "online", and could not understand why their actions would be considered dishonest. I immediately switched to assignments containing questions that I had written (or rewritten from other sources). [Despite student requests, I did not and will not publish the solutions to my problem sets, as I was and am certain that the solutions would enter the public domain, rendering my assignments no more useful than textbook questions.]

Even at the university level, students seem to view education as a contest. Assignments are therefore part of the "us vs. them" struggle, to be circumvented at every opportunity, and are not viewed as they are meant--as tools to assist learning.

--Daniel Price, Columbine High School