2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The impact of using publisher-platform learning site and synchronous video conferencing on exam and homework grades in an online graduate course

Presented at Engineering Management Pedagogy: Teaching for Real-World Impact

This study examines student engagement in online class discussions and the use of publisher-provided exercise platforms as factors influencing the student learning outcomes in an online master’s level business analytics course. Individual course assignments and exams are variables of interest. Scores of 212 students in seven course sections were collected and compared. Statistical methods were used to analyze the data looking for significance of difference between the mean outcomes from different sections. One section of this course used a publisher-provided platform for students to study and perform practice exercise of course topics, while the other sections used assignments and exercises provided by their professor. While engaging in class discussion forum is a required and graded activity in this course, one section was exempt from this activity. The instructor encouraged students in this section to join regular video conferencing sessions for discussion and asking questions. After collecting the homework and exam data from all students, we compared the learning outcomes of all sections against the one class that used the publisher material. In another part of the study, we compared the student performance in all sections with the one section where discussion board participation was not required.

Authors

Dr. Majid Nabavi University of Nebraska - Lincoln [biography]

Dr. Majid Nabavi received his Ph.D. at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2006. He earned his MBA in Computer Science and Management at University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2002 and Master of Engineering from University of Tehran in 1992. He joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Business in 2015.
Dr. Nabavi’ s teaching and research interests include pedagogical studies, business analytics, database systems, and application of analytical models for business problem solving, and operations management. He has published data analysis textbooks, research articles in Quality Management Journal, and Journal of Brand Strategy.
Dr. Jena Shafai Asgarpoor University of Nebraska - Lincoln [biography]

Dr. Jena Asgarpoor is a Professor of Practice at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and the Director for the Master of Engineering Management Program in the College of Engineering. She received her Ph. D. and M.S. in Industrial Engineering, specializing in Engineering Management, from Texas A&M University in College Station where she had previously earned a B.A. in Political Science (Summa Cum Laude). Prior to UNL, she was a professor at Bellevue University for 26 years, where in 1994 as part of her teaching portfolio she developed and taught the first fully online asynchronous web-based course offered by that institution. Her interests lie in engineering management, quality management, pedagogy, and assessment of teaching and learning, particularly in the online space. She is active in the American Society for Engineering Management (ASEM) and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). In recent years she has President of the Council of Engineering Management Academic Leaders (CEMAL) and Program Chair and Chair of the Engineering Management Division (EMD) of ASEE. Dr. Asgarpoor is currently serving as President of the American Society for Engineering Management (ASEM).

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