MyLab Math Companion Study Plans positively impact student success
Pearson | October 7, 2021 in Meaningful Outcomes
by Pearson
How does MyLab Math contributes to student success?
In Fall 2017, Professor Brandi Winchester from J.F. Drake State Community and Technical College in Huntsville, AL partnered with Pearson to investigate how MyLab™ Math for Developmental Mathematics: Basic Mathematics and Algebra, with workbook by Lial, Hornsby, McGinnis, Salzmann, and Hestwood impacted student success in her Basic Mathematics and Elementary Algebra courses.
Researchers found that:
- Students improved their module pre-test to post-test scores an average of 34 percentage points in Basic Mathematics and 44 percentage points in Elementary Algebra.
- The percentage of students earning the required minimum score on tests increased an average of 83 percentage points between module pre-test and post-test.
- Faculty created courses intended to promote a growth mindset and independent learning, while providing students with personalized assignments and multiple opportunities for remediation.
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Why does Professor Brandi Winchester utilize MyLab Math?
Professor Brandi Winchester sought to create courses that would address student deficiencies, while fostering independence and teaching students to take responsibility for their learning. Using MyLab Math in an emporium format, the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Math Emporium courses, including Basic Mathematics and Elementary Algebra, provide a personalized curriculum to address each student’s learning gaps, while aligning course objectives to the Student Learning Objectives in Drake State’s Quality Enhancement Plan.
How was MyLab Math implemented?
All coursework for the QEP Math Emporium courses is completed on the computer in MyLab Math. Students can complete their homework in class, or anywhere they have access to the internet, and at their own pace. They are required to complete module quizzes and module tests in the computer lab.
The Basic Mathematics and Elementary Algebra courses are delivered in modules, with Basic Mathematics containing five modules and Elementary Algebra containing four all completed the following way:
Module Pre-test → Companion Study Plan → Module Quiz → Companion Study Plan → Module Post-test
Winchester uses the Companion Study Plan (CSP) in MyLab as the primary means of remediation between assessments in the courses. Within the CSP, students are provided with practice problems similar to those missed on the associated assessment.
- Each pre-test and module quiz is taken only once, with each updating the CSP based on the student’s performance.
- The module post-tests may be taken up to three times, and similarly, each attempt updates the CSP, which must be completed to the required mastery before an additional attempt may be tried.
Students must earn a B or higher in Basic Mathematics and a C or higher in Elementary Algebra in order to move to the next higher course. In addition, students in the Basic Mathematics course are required to earn 80% or higher on the final exam itself in order to earn credit for the course.
Were students successful in the courses?
Scores on each module pre-test in each course were analyzed, as well as students’ subsequent scores on their initial attempts on the post-tests and final attempts on the post-tests.
- After taking the pre-test, using the Companion Study Plan to remediate before and after the module quiz, then taking the post-test for the first time, students in Basic Mathematics were able to raise their pre-test average scores by 34 percentage points and Elementary Algebra students raised their scores by an average of 44 percentage points.
In addition to pre-test and final post-test scores, first-attempt post-test scores were also available for the Elementary Algebra course. All three were used to analyze student success.
- Success rates increased from an average of 9% on pre-tests to 60% on the first attempt of the post-tests, a 51 percentage point leap.
- Average success rates on post-tests, from first to final attempt, rose from 60% to 97%, a 37 percentage point increase.
Did students like using MyLab Math?
In an anonymous, voluntary survey, students shared their views on how MyLab Math impacted their learning in the course, with two students commenting:
“MyLab Math was very helpful because of the ability to work out examples to get a better understanding of how to work a problem.”
“The benefits are you can use the view examples, view the videos, and practice exercises multiply times until you understand the problems.”
