Effect of Assignment Choice on Student Academic Performance in an Online Class

Abstract

Choice of assignment has been shown to increase student engagement, improve academic outcomes, and promote student satisfaction in higher education courses (Hanewicz, Platt, & Arendt, Distance Education , 38 (3), 273–287, 2017 ). However, in previous research, choice resulted in complex procedures and increased response effort for instructors (e.g., Arendt, Trego, & Allred, Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education , 8 (1), 2–17, 2016 ). Using simplified procedures, the current study employed a repeated-measures with an alternating-treatments design to evaluate the effects of assignment choice (flash cards, study guide) on the academic outcomes of 42 graduate students in an online, asynchronous course. Slight differences between conditions were observed, but differences were not statistically significant. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40617-021-00566-8.

Does Autonomy Improve Satisfaction and Performance? A Case on Learner Choice

“…Overall, learners performed well on the assignment, regardless of whether they were able to choose the film they analyzed. This aligns with previous research that found no significant differences in student performance between those receiving a choice in assignment and those who did not (Baldwin et al, 1991;MacNaul et al, 2021;von Mizener et al, 2009). Additionally, learners characterized the assignment as easy and enjoyable.…”

“…Some research indicates that autonomy and intrinsic motivation have positive impacts on learners' academic achievement and conceptual understanding (Oyelana et al, 2022). Similarly, effects of choice-based learning on learner outcomes have been explored, with much research indicating choice increases learner motivation (Arendt et al, 2016;Hanewicz et al, 2017;Lewis & Hayward, 2003;MacNaul et al, 2021;Schneider et al, 2018;von Mizener & Williams, 2009). However, performance outcomes are mixed, with some research indicating that choice enhances retention and transfer (Schneider et al, 2018;von Mizener et al, 2009) and other research finding no significant difference in performance between learners who received a choice and those who did not (MacNaul et al, 2021;von Mizener et al, 2009).…”

How Assessment Choice Affects Student Perception and Performance

“…They found that, while grades did not increase when students were offered their choice of assessment, student subject satisfaction and positive feedback of the course increased in the course sections that offered assessment choice. Similarly, in a study of students in an online master's program, choice of assessment did not significantly increase course grades (MacNaul et al, 2021), which further supports that assessment choice may lead to greater engagement without grade inflation. In a more radical example, an online technology management course at Utah Valley University afforded students the choice of not just which assessments they could complete but also how many, with the understanding that the more assessments they completed, the higher their final grade would generally be (Hanewicz et al, 2017).…”

An Investigation of Self-Efficacy and Perceived Benefit Beliefs Regarding Distance Education of Preservice Teachers as Future Implementers

“…On the other hand, some of the preservice teachers stated that assignments enabled them to learn better, whilst others found the assignments too difficult to complete, heavy going, or problematic because of group working issues. In future courses, preservice teachers could be provided with the opportunity to choose their assignments so as to increase student course satisfaction (MacNaul et al, 2021). Finally, live class sessions could be kept shorter by providing more breaks, as a few of the preservice teachers in the current study found the class time was too long for their liking.…”