Using Graphical User Interfaces with Try-Again Feedback

Try-again feedback is a feedback type that provides students with immediate feedback on assignment submissions and allows a student to retry a problem if the submission was incorrect. This feedback type can be easily automated with certain problem types that include: multiple choice problems, matching problems, definition problems, numerical problems, and some equation solutions in engineering. Some engineering solutions require that students create diagrams/graphs that are the solution being submitted. Many learning management systems (LMS) are not able to provide automated try-again feedback on these types of solutions and therefore the effectiveness of try-again feedback is minimized for graphical solutions. Graphical user interfaces (GUIs) are interfaces where a computer allows a student to interact with graphics controlled by the user through underlying code. GUIs can be programmed in many computer languages. This work uses Matlab GUIs to present students with shear and moment diagram problems that are interactive with the graphical solutions. A student is able to draw the shear and moment diagram, using a stylus or mouse, on the computer screen and submit the drawn diagram for immediate grading. The GUI informs the student if the diagram is correct and allows the student to try again after an incorrect solution. GUIs with try-again feedback were used in a Strength of Materials course where shear and moment diagrams are a part of the learning objectives. The development of the GUIs, results from this course, and the effectiveness of using GUIs to provide try-again feedback are presented.