Abstract:

The presence of technological tools (graphical calculators, computer software programs, internet access) makes the teaching and learning experience richer for students, and prompts instructors to find new ways to integrate technology effectively in their pedagogies. The presence of a variety of online software platforms that deliver content and test students online is helpful in enabling students’ building skills, but does not directly target students’ conceptual knowledge, simply because many of those tools are used as homework collectors, a limited benefit that does not portray their potential. In this talk, the presenter is going lay out a summary of the features of 3 major online platforms (MathXL, WileyPlus, Webassign). There will be a discussion with the participants of some of the software’s perceived limitations, and finally the presenter will detail a number of add-ons he designed and incorporated to promote students' conceptual competence as well as their "deep" procedural proficiency.

Keywords:

Online platforms, procedural and conceptual knowledge, Learning Management Systems.