Case studies

  The University of Queensland

 Computer Science: INFS1200

  2018

  480

   Delivery: weekly two-hour face-to-face lectures and one-hour tutorial 

Why was RiPPLE used? 

RiPPLE was implemented in this course as part of a pilot experiment to test the platforms learning effectiveness, usability, and students judgments of learning. This course was specifically chosen because of the diverse range of student ages, backgrounds, and ability levels.

How was RiPPLE used?

RiPPLE was implemented as an optional study tool for students to practice course content. 

To cater for students’ self-selection, the course used two rubrics for computation of final grades. In one of the rubrics, the final exam and RiPPLE respectively had 40% and 10% contributions towards the final grade. In the other rubric, the final exam and RiPPLE respectively had 50% and 0% contributions towards the final grade. The final grade of a student was computed as the maximum of the values computed using the two assessment rubrics. The grade associated with RiPPLE included the following two criteria: 

• Answering and creating questions: Students participated in a total of 4 rounds of authoring and answering questions. They received a total of two marks for each round of participation, once they correctly answered ten questions (1 mark) and created at least one correct and effective question (1 mark). The effectiveness of questions was evaluated by the teaching staff and student peers.  
• Overall rating: The overall rating of a student had a 2% contribution towards their grade. This was computed as an average rating calculated across all of the knowledge units set by the instructor. The mark associated with their overall rating was computed by Min (Max(0, (rating-1000)/100), 2). The Min and Max functions are used to ensure a mark between 0 and 2.

Outcomes:

The findings of a peer-reviewed journal paper demonstrate:

• students who used RiPPLE performed, on average, 10% better on the mid-semester exam compared to similar students who did not use the platform,
• RiPPLE was more successful compared to PeerWise (a platform that allows students to create questions) in enabling students to identify and attempt effective questions,
• the majority of students answering a survey agreed that RiPPLE improved their learning:
  • 67% of students agreed answering questions on the platform improved their learning
  • 64% agreed creating questions helped their learning, 64% agreed writing solutions improved their learning
  • 56% agreed rating questions helped them learn
  • 51% agreed writing comments helped their learning.