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Interview Protocol Draft

The math department of a large university is evaluating the effectiveness of a new Homework Help computer-based feedback system. Four of eight Basic Calculus classes have the Homework Help system introduced to them midway through the semester. The system allows students to track and record the answers to assigned math problems, providing feedback, examples, and extra practice problems based on performance. Although outcome data from a common final exam will be used to compare the performance of students with and without Homework Help, the department also wants to interview several students from each of the Homework Help classes. The department has met and has generated a list of potential interview questions, which appear below. Your job is to shape an interview protocol from this list, knowing that there will be approximately 1 hour available to conduct each interview.

Brainstormed Questions for Homework Help Interviews
  1. How often do you use Homework Help? How many times per week?

  2. When you use Homework Help, how much time do you spend on an average session?

  3. Is Homework Help easy to use? Why or why not?

  4. How long did it take you to feel comfortable with using Homework Help?

  5. Do you use Homework Help to record and track all of your homework? Why or why not?

  6. How helpful is the feedback you get from Homework Help?

  7. Do you ever try the extra practice problems on Homework Help? Why or why not?

  8. How much experience did you have with using computers prior to using Homework Help?

  9. Compared with how you did homework the first semester, was Homework Help an overall improvement? Why or why not?

  10. Do you have suggestions for how Homework Help could be improved?