Mastering A&P leads to increased student success
Pearson | October 7, 2021 in Meaningful Outcomes
by Pearson
How Mastering A&P contributes to student success
In Spring 2018, Pearson partnered with Professor Xavier Aranda from the University of Texas at Arlington in Arlington, TX to investigate the impact of Modified Mastering™ A&P for Human Anatomy & Physiology by Maireb & Hoehn on student success in his Anatomy and Physiology I course.
Researchers found that:
- 88% of students scoring above average on MyLab homework earned an A, B, or C as their average exam grade.
- Data indicate that successful completion of MyLab homework assignments was indicative of higher quiz and exam scores.
- 85% of student survey respondents agreed that MyLab Finance helped them achieve a higher grade on their exams and/or the course.
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Challenges that led Professor Xavier Aranda to adopt Mastering A&P
Aranda finds that students often struggle with knowing how to study, learning and applying course concepts, and managing their time. He feels they often have trouble staying on track during the semester, which can impact their performance in the course.
His course structure is designed with a consistent schedule throughout the semester; students see concepts multiple times before an exam and have multiple resources available to help them practice and learn outside of class. Modified Mastering A&P (MA&P) was piloted in his A&P I course in Summer 2017 and adopted for the Fall 2017 semester.
How was Mastering A&P implemented?
Fifteen chapter quizzes and two module quizzes were completed outside of class time in MA&P.
- Chapter quizzes contained 10 questions and after Aranda lectured on a topic, students had one week to complete the corresponding quiz.
- Module quizzes covered approximately five chapters each and contained mainly questions from the test bank. Students had one week to complete the quizzes.
During the semester, Aranda informed students about the Dynamic Study Modules (DSMs) and the Mastering study area to encourage them to use those for practice and learning, but he did not require the DSMs as homework. Aside from the Mastering work, assessments included lab, three lecture exams and a comprehensive final exam. Mastering assessments accounted for 18% of the total course grade.
Were students successful in the course?
For Aranda’s Spring 2018 students, the average score for the MA&P quizzes was 90%. An analysis was done grouping students based on their quiz average, showing the following:
- The group of students who scored above average on the quizzes had a significantly higher final exam average than the group of students who scored at or below the MA&P quiz average.
An analysis was done grouping students based on their performance on the first semester exam in conjunction with their MA&P quiz performance.
- Results show a trend for students who did well on the MA&P quizzes to perform better on the final exam than the equivalent group of students who had earned lower MA&P quiz scores.
Did students like using Mastering A&P?
On the end-of-semester survey 91% of responding students agreed they would recommend Mastering to another student.
When asked what they liked most about Mastering, some responses were:
“I like Mastering because it helped me realize what I needed to study and tested me to see if I really understood what I had learned.”
“I found the Dynamic Study Modules to be the most useful resource for studying.”
“It has plenty of diagrams, practice quizzes, and flashcards that help you study for the exam.”
Learn more about how Mastering A&P could benefit your course
