MyLab Math contributes to student success
Pearson | March 4, 2022 in Meaningful Outcomes
by Pearson
MyLab Math contributes to student success
In Spring 2017, Professor Mike Sutton from Guilford Technical Community College in North Carolina partnered with Pearson to investigate the impact of MyLab™ Math for Thinking Mathematically by Blitzer on student success in his Quantitative Literacy course.
Key findings include:
- There’s a very strong correlation between Mastery Points earned in MyLab Math’s personalized Companion Study Plan and final course grades.
- Students who missed nine or fewer Quiz Me’s performed significantly better in every course performance metric.
- 87 percent or more of student survey responders had positive reactions to several questions about the course’s structure and the Companion Study Plan.
Click here to read the full case study or continue reading to learn more.
Why did Professor Mike Sutton adopt MyLab Math?
Sutton is a big believer in learning through assessment, so when MyLab Math released the Companion Study Plan and the Quiz Me’s, he decided to implement the new features.
How is MyLab Math implemented?
Performance on a concept quiz informs the Companion Study Plan in MyLab; then students work in the Companion Study Plan and complete assigned Quiz Me’s. Students must earn 100 percent (later decreased to 87 percent) on the short concept quiz and master the associated study plan before attempting a skills quiz, which is then followed by the next section’s concept quiz.
Throughout the semester, students also take four tests in MyLab that are no more than 20 questions. The tests are untimed, and students get two attempts. In order to ensure students stay up-to-date on their MyLab assignments, Sutton provides them with a pacing guide. MyLab Math accounts for 40% of the total course grade.
Were students successful in the course?
Students from Sutton's two Fall 2016 and two Spring 2017 sections were grouped based on the mean number of missed Quiz Me's.
Every student who missed nine or fewer of the 64 Quiz Me’s earned an A, B, or C in the course.
Students who missed nine or fewer of the 64 available Quiz Me’s scored higher on overall course grade, final and midterm exam, and test averages
Did students like using MyLab Math?
Students in Sutton's Spring 2017 course were asked to complete an end-of-semester survey to share their perspectives on the course and MyLab Math.
90 percent of students agreed that doing work in the Study Plan helped them better prepare for exams.
90 percent of students said taking quizzes over material to assess their understanding was helpful or very helpful to them.
