Derivita Power User Stories: An Online Homework Solution

Last week, our Marketing Director, Arianna Irwin, sat down with High School Math Teacher and Derivita Power User - Rebecca (Becky) Waters to hear about how she started with Derivita and how she uses the platform today. 

Becky has been teaching for thirty (30) years and teaches mathematics at Alta High School within Canyons School District in our home state, Utah. She currently teaches about 230 students and most of them use Derivita. Canyons School District also recently launched their 1 millionth assignment in Derivita in early March. 

Watch her full video interview on YouTube here.

Becky admits that when Canyons brought in Derivita she was hesitant to use it - especially online math homework. “I had taught so long with paper. As a math teacher, I like to see how the kids think and how they're writing, what they're doing and any mistakes they're making - so I am very old school when it comes to homework”. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Becky didn’t have much of a choice and was encouraged to utilize Derivita by her co-workers in the math department.

She says, “my department converted me and now I love it”. 

How Becky Uses Derivita in Her Classrooms

Becky says that the Summary report is her favorite part of Derivita because it informs her lesson planning for the day. She knows exactly where her students are in terms of comprehension of the concepts addressed in the homework. She adds, “with paper you don't get that it's always after the fact and then you have to go back and try to remember by the time we have class with them again”. 

Becky’s favorite Derivita feature

Michelle’s favorite feature is the randomization of the questions in the Derivita Item Bank. Each question is equipped with 10’s-100’s of randomizations, so each student can be assigned a question testing the same concept with varied values. Michelle comments, “So my favorite thing is the randomization of the prompts that not all of the students are doing the same prompt. It really forces them to be more critical in their thinking and not just replicate form and procedure. They have to look at their problem and actually kind of consider their values and how it impacts the scenario at the same time”. 

But do the students like it?

Becky’s answer is simple, “They like getting the immediate feedback and having some hints as they go through. If they're struggling with the problem, they can look at an example right there of how to do it and then [Derivita] generate[s] a new question. So they like it.” Those are our favorite parts too!

Ready to start your own Derivita user journey?

Request a demo in your preferred LMS with a Derivita expert today!