1.5.6. Intelligent Homework System (IHS)

"The Intelligent Homework Service (IHS) website provides automated homework problems. Generally, these are randomly-created, conceptual problems testing some area in Computer Science. Although the rules vary per problem, most IHS problems will require students to retry the problem repeatedly until they reach a certain level of ability at the problem." - IHS's Student Manual.

Good Features:

• Alert feature that conducts a countdown until the next assignment is due
• Students must authenticate themselves before being allowed access to the site
• Instructor can create multiple "workbooks" and control student access via names and passcodes for each workbook
• A bar chart on each assignment highlights an individual's score range with respect to the rest of his or her classmates
• Modules and workbooks open out horizontally rather than vertically, reducing the amount of scrolling users have to do
• Semi-interactive console

Bad Features:

• Because the code is compiled on a remote server, it is not always reliable
• Students have to navigate to a separate website to view the corresponding lectures and videos
• Students are expected to complete a grossly excessive amount of problems, which does not encourage the sense of accomplishment or learning in students
• The problems are still grouped into subjects rather than sorted by due date, which makes it difficult to distinguish deadlines and time limits

Missing Features:

• Immediate instructor feedback or support for students who are struggling with complexity or code that isn't working properly; even minor hints would be a big help
• Overall course progress statistics as well as workbook progress