Numerical Methods Guy

In her recent piece, “Grading Is Broken,” in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Beth McMurtrie captures the growing frustration among faculty with grading practices. She notes how modern teaching, accelerated by the pandemic, has led to a proliferation of assignments, participation points, and quizzes, leaving professors wondering whether they are grading for mastery, effort, or mere completion. …

Is there a way to make up for the lack of time the student has but they have the attitude and ability? May 16, 2024. Read blog. Multiple Chance Testing as a Gateway to Standards-Based Grading, May 6, 2024. Read blog. Should we get into a tizzy about students meeting deadlines, April 7,2024. Read blog. Effect of Multiple Chance Testing on Student Performance and Perception, April 6,2024. Read blog…

Many students consider optimal approaches for effective learning. Often, preferences are influenced by cognitive comfort, akin to the appeal of ultra-processed foods, whereas more effective strategies, though less comfortable, resemble the benefits of fresh food. Enhancing student achievement depends not only on what is learned but also on how it is studied. In his comprehensive article (an exten…

In the age of AI tools like ChatGPT, a provocative argument has emerged: If it can be ChatGPTed, it shouldn’t be taught or tested. However, this perspective is flawed. While students can now Google or use ChatGPT to access much of the foundational knowledge we once memorized, it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t learn it. Foundational knowledge remains essential—it serves as the scaffolding that suppor…

In a 50-page paper, “The Memory Paradox: Why Our Brains Need Knowledge in an Age of AI“, the authors examine the paradox related to human memory during the advancement of artificial intelligence. While AI grants significant access to information, it may also impact cognitive abilities essential for in-depth analysis and learning. The authors suggest that heavy dependence on digital tools can impa…

Our paper was finally published. Citation: A. Kaw, A. Yalcin, R.M. Clark, R.B. Gomes, L. Serrano, A. Scott, Y. Lou, “On Building and Implementing Adaptive Learning Platform Lessons for Pre-Class Learning in a Flipped Course,” ASEE Computers in Education, Vol 14 (2), 2024,1-23. Abstract: Research shows active learning improves student performance and narrows the achievement gaps for marginalized g…

I asked students who scored 90% or above in my first test in a required Year 3 Numerical Methods course to share their study methods and class attendance records. Several shared their views. This information may be useful for anyone looking to improve their performance. I teach the class in a blended format, with about one-third of the class time dedicated to active learning activities such as cl…

A professor wrote in a newsletter: “However, many students are taking on too much, doing more than one ‘full-time’ thing: paid work, university courses, and other responsibilities. Many students who have the attitude and ability to succeed don’t have the time and energy needed to achieve their best.” The question that followed was whether there was a way to make up for the lack of time the studen…

Multiple Chance Testing as a Gateway to Standards-Based Grading Autar Kaw May 6, 2024 Traditional grading may not reflect student learning, which is a common concern. Imagine a large enrollment class that assesses learning via three midterm tests and a final exam, each weighing 25% of the semester grade. If a student scores 46%, 90%, 90%, and 90% on the four assessments, they will have a grade of…

April 7, 2024 In a recent paper on extending deadlines for student assignments, researchers point out that it is not an issue we need to sweat about. “This study uses evidence to debunk common misconceptions about assignment extensions.” “The extension without penalty system was used by 78% of the students, but half of them only used it once” My two cents: There is always a happy medium between b…

April 6, 2024 We just published an article in the International Journal of Engineering Education on multiple chance testing in an engineering course. A. Kaw, R. Clark, “Effects of Standards-Based Testing via Multiple-Chance Testing on Cognitive and Affective Outcomes in an Engineering Course,” International Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 40, (2), 2024, pp. 303-321.  The … Continue reading…

The other day a student came to ask me for help in solving a first order ordinary differential equation using the ode45 routine of MATLAB.  To use ode45, one needs to be familiar with how the inputs are required by MATLAB. To solve a first-order ODE by ode45 is straightforward. The ODE given is given … Continue reading "How do I solve a first order ODE numerically in MATLAB?"

August 28, 2023 As part of various instructional approaches, adaptive learning platforms are becoming increasingly popular. In this article, we focus specifically on the use of adaptive learning in personalized, preclass learning for a flipped classroom. In the past, data on student engagement with course content generated by adaptive learning platforms was not easily accessible. … Continue readi…

I took the student evaluations of my course in Computational Methods taught to juniors in engineering and asked ChatGPT to summarize how I can improve my teaching. Based on the student evaluations, here are some key points to consider for improving your teaching: Adaptive Lessons: Students found the adaptive lessons to be beneficial as they … Continue reading "Asking ChatGPT to look at my student…

While many social scientists tend to get excited to report p-values of less than 0.05 when comparing two groups, they tend to forget to report effect size. One can get a low p-value just by having a very large sample size but it is the effect size that tells you how much pragmatic difference there … Continue reading "A VBA function for Cohen’s effect size"

Introduction: I have been using Poll Everywhere in my Numerical Methods course for a year.  As per their website, “Poll Everywhere is a web-based audience response system that lets speakers embed live activities directly into their presentations. Using a variety of activity types, you can turn a series of slides into an effective, interactive experience. … Continue reading "Using PollEveryWhere i…

Autar Kaw December 19, 2022 Social mobility is becoming ever so popular a criterion to evaluate university education.  However, we all know that reputation of university matters as well because it attracts high-caliber students, faculty, and staff, and hence presumably, the quality of education and opportunity of high impact practices, such as research experiences, internships, … Continue reading…

When integrating functions given at discrete data points in MATLAB, trapz is the function of choice to go for. But we can get more accurate results by interpolating via cubic splines with the MATLAB spline function.  Since the spline function is made of piecewise cubics, Simpson’s 1/3rd rule can be used to exactly integrate them.   … Continue reading "Integrating functions given at discrete point…

Ian Sanders and Autar Kaw Step 1: Print out the required MCQ sheets 75 Question Variant (Download from here or here) 150 Question Variant (Download from here or here) Step 2: Conduct the test Give your printed question paper and the blank MCQ sheet to each of the students.  Ask them to bubble items such … Continue reading "Quick Start Guide to OpenMCR Program for a Single Key Exam"

Ian Sanders and Autar Kaw As we are back in face-to-face classes, we may wish to again conduct multiple-choice question examinations in the classroom without the use of computers to alleviate academic integrity concerns, not have to depend on the reliability of the laptop battery and available WiFi, and not have to continue to make … Continue reading "A multiple-choice question response reader"