Student success using MyLab Math
Pearson Results Team | May 21, 2021 in Meaningful Outcomes
In fall 2013, Pearson worked Leslie Goldstein, Senior Lecturer at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, to investigate whether the use of MyLab Math helped students succeed.
Researchers found that:
- Student persistence in Introduction to Algebra was statistically significantly higher when attendance at the campus tutoring center or increased MyLab Math usage were required.
- Student level of completion of MyLab Math online homework was significantly correlated with their final course grade.
- Student performance in the subsequent developmental math course, Intermediate Algebra, was statistically significantly better when usage of MyLab Math was increased in the introductory course.
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Why did Leslie Goldstein adopt MyLab Math?
After many years as a developmental mathematics educator, Goldstein wanted to address what she believed to be a key obstacle to student success: students repeatedly not doing enough work outside of class to hone their mathematical skills.
She and her colleagues hypothesized that two interventions—increasing tutoring center use and online math homework completion—would improve student performance and success in the Introduction to Algebra course.
How was MyLab Math used in her course?
Three sections of the course were offered in Fall 2013, each taught by Goldstein.
In the first section, students were expected to complete twenty assignments and seven end-of-week quizzes in MyLab Math, and four written tests including a final exam.
Students in the second section of the course completed all of the assignments, quizzes, and tests as in the control section, but the twenty MyLab Math assignments contained nearly double the number of exercises with the expectation that this group would then spend two hours per week on online homework instead of one hour weekly.
In the third section of the course, the tutoring group, also completed all of the assignments, quizzes, and tests as in the control section, but were additionally required to attend the Algebra Alcove a minimum of two hours per week.
Did MyLab Math improve student success?
Students’ level of completion of MyLab Math online homework across sections was significantly correlated with their final course grade. Students’ use of the tutoring center across sections was significantly, but less strongly, correlated with the final course grade.
It was also shown that the MyLab Math online homework intervention also had “sleeper effects” the following semester in a student’s next level math class. Students in the MyLab Math group performed nearly a full letter grade higher in Intermediate Algebra than students from the other two groups.
Did the students like using MyLab Math?
Goldstein received the following comments from students enrolled in course:
“The program [MyLab Math] itself was a little confusing at first, but once I got it it was easy to use. I loved seeing “Good job!””
“I felt like the online assignments [in MyLab Math] really helped solidify the information we [went] over in class.”
Conclusion
Goldstein believes that the study has confirmed her working hypothesis. Students who are required to spend more hours outside of class time—either in the tutoring center or doing online homework—perform better in their classes than students who are left to their own devices.
But the specific type of help that students receive may make a substantial difference in the long run. Requiring more students to do more skill practice on their own, with a program such as MyLab Math, yielded a sleeper effect that may work on multiple levels. Not only do students get practice with foundational skills, but they also receive immediate feedback on their mastery of those skills that may boost their self-efficacy.
