CLP: A Platform for Competitive Learning

Arpita Vats, Gheorghi Guzun, David C. Anastasiu

Abstract: We introduce the Competitive Learning Platform (CLP), an online continuous improvement tool that provides automatic partial performance feedback to students or groups of students on individual or collaborative assignments. CLP motivates students to do their best and come up with new solutions that can lead to improved assignment results before the assignment deadline. In this work, we describe the CLP system and present the results of a comprehensive set of analyses aimed at gauging the impact of utilizing this platform on student motivation, engagement, and performance. The analyses are based on a rich dataset containing CLP submission, student outcome, and student feedback data obtained from a variety of undergraduate and graduate classes using the tool at two universities over a period of five years. The sample includes 18 courses, 606 students, and 15782 CLP submissions. Results indicate that CLP is beneficial in this setting, leading to active student participation and improved motivation.