My favorite things about FirstClass are the mail system, the chat options and the conferences that become 'bulletin boards' for class discussion. Mallard Mallard is a World Wide Web-based interactive learning environment suitable for virtually any subject. Some 119 licenses for usage have been assigned at Eastern. Mallard provides a secure environment in which on-line course materials can be organized and students tested through interactive quizzes with instant problem correction and grading. Student responses can be evaluated by intelligent grading programs that not only assess response correctness but also determine why an answer was incorrect.
Students receive immediate feedback and can access on-line assistance.
The students then come to class and take another version of the RAT in their groups. I have been very pleased with the outcome. Students have indicated to me that they learn a lot by getting instant feedback on incorrect answers and being able to re-tackle their weak areas. With Mallard, instructors have a large number of utilities that allow them to teach more effectively, including detailed student logs and allowing student progress to be observed before assignments are due. Since quizzes are submitted and graded on-line, the instructor does not have to collect, correct or even record grades.