MyLab IT and MyLab Accounting set students up for success
Pearson | August 20, 2021 in Meaningful Outcomes
by Pearson
How MyLab IT and MyLab Accounting contribute to student success
In Spring 2019, Professor KD Hatheway-Dial at the University of Idaho in Moscow, ID partnered with Pearson to investigate whether MyLab IT™ for Skills for Success for Office 2016 by Adkins and MyLab Accounting for Horngren’s Financial and Managerial Accounting by Miller-Nobles, Mattison, and Matsumura positively impacted student success.
Researchers found that:
- 63% of students who completed all MyLab IT assignments passed the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Excel certification exam, while just 25% of students who skipped one or more assignments passed.
- 78% of respondents on an end-of-semester survey agreed that the assignments in MyLab IT prepared them for the MOS Excel certification exam.
- Students with higher average MyLab Accounting scores also earned higher average exam scores.
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Why did Professor KD Hatheway-Dial adopt MyLab?
In Fall 2018, the Accounting Department at the University of Idaho reached a decision to use MyLab Accounting as their digital assignment program. Additionally, Professor Hatheway-Dial saw the need to include Excel proficiency in her introductory course so to encourage student participation and increase motivation for learning Excel, Hatheway-Dial used MyLab IT for Excel practice and assessment.
How was MyLab implemented?
Introduction to Financial Accounting is a three-credit service course for business and other majors. MyLab IT is only used during the first five weeks of the course, to prepare students for the MOS Excel certification exam. Weekly assignments include both the Simulation Trainings and Grader Projects for each of the four Excel chapters. MyLab IT assignments and Microsoft Office Specialist Excel certification exam accounted for 10% of the course grade.
MyLab Accounting assignments consist of approximately 10 end-of-chapter problems along with one Excel project per chapter. Hatheway-Dial allows for unlimited attempts with flexible due dates. However, students are encouraged to complete homework prior to the associated exam and are incentivized with two bonus points per chapter if an 80% or higher is achieved on the MyLab assignment prior to the due date. MyLab Accounting assignments accounted for 10% of the course grade.
Were students successful in this course?
In Spring 2019, 122 students completed Hathaway-Dial’s Introduction to Financial Accounting course, and 91% of her students sat for the MOS Excel certification exam.
- 63% students who completed all MyLab IT assignments passed the MOS exam, while just 25% of students who skipped one or more MyLab IT assignments passed the MOS exam.
Average accounting exam letter grades are associated with average MyLab Accounting scores:
- Students earning higher average MyLab assignment scores also earned higher average exam letter grades.
Did students like using MyLab?
Responses from the end-of-semester survey of Hatheway-Dial’s students indicate that the majority of responding students recognize the value of MyLab Accounting and MyLab IT.
- 89% of respondents agreed their understanding of Excel increased as a result of using MyLab IT.
- 80% of respondents agreed their understanding of the course material increased as a result of using MyLab.
- 74% of respondents agreed MyLab homework assignments positively impacted their quiz and exam scores.
One student said:
“These two programs helped me with my overall understanding of accounting and gave me lots of help that I would not have received without them.”
Conclusion
The immediate feedback in MyLab offers Hatheway-Dial’s students something that paper-and-pencil homework cannot, helping them quickly identify areas of strength and weakness, leading to more focused practice opportunities. In addition, the use of MyLab IT to develop and improve Excel proficiency was very successful, with 55% of her students passing the MOS Excel certification exam.
Learn more about how MyLab IT and MyLab Accounting could benefit your course
