Case Studies
Baker College System
Textbooks in Use with MyMathLab
Basic College Mathematics, custom edition, John Tobey, Jeffrey Slater, Jamie Blair
Key Take-Away
By requiring MyMathLab homework, creating consistent assessments across its 10-campus system, and requiring concept competency at every stage of the learning process, Baker College has increased its Essential Math Concepts pass rate by 16 percent.
Course Implementation
Course Design
After initial piloting of MyMathLab in several sections, Baker College System implemented the program—combined with a new delivery method—in all sections for five campuses across its 10-campus system in fall 2008 and in all sections for all ten campuses in fall 2009.
Classes generally meet either once or twice a week for a total of four hours per week for 10 weeks. Some campuses employ an all-computer-lab format, others have a 50 percent computer lab/50 percent classroom format, and others have an all-classroom format supplemented with MyMathLab outside the classroom. In all cases, students are required to complete MyMathLab assignments. Trained tutors are available to help. All assignments (both off line and online) and including the exit exam are standard systemwide.
Assessments
All students complete six MyMathLab quizzes, two MyMathLab tests, and one paper-and-pencil exit exam. Students must score at least 85 percent on practice quizzes and practice tests in order to take the corresponding quizzes and tests. Students must pass the cumulative exit exam in order to pass the course.
Use of MyMathLab
Students use MyMathLab for homework, preassessments, quizzes, and tests. All MyMathLab features are turned on for homework assignments, as well as after students submit both practice and actual quizzes and tests.
All courses are copied from a coordinator course.
Use of MyMathLab contributes 15 percent to a student’s final course grade.
Results and Data
Table 1 compares Essential Math Concepts pass rates before MyMathLab implementation, during sporadic use, and after full and consistent use across Baker College System’s 10-campuses. Faculty are pleased with the consistent gains: a seven-percentage-point, or 16 percent, increase over preimplementation rates.
| Term | Total number of students |
Level of MyMath Implementation |
Pass Rate |
| Fall 2006 | 3,965 | MyMathLab pilot in a handful of sections only. | 44% |
| Fall 2007* | 5,062 | MyMathLab in some sections. Tracking error 33%resulted in all sections’ being reported together. | 33% |
| Fall 2008 | 3,796 | MyMathLab sections: some use new delivery model. | 47% |
| Fall 2008 | 1,098 | Traditional sections: no MyMathLab use. | 37% |
| Fall 2009 | 6,376 | All sections use MyMathLab in new delivery model. | 51% |
Table 1. Essential Math Concepts Pass Rates before and after MyMathLab and New Delivery Model Implementation (n=20,297) *Students had the option to continue the course in the next quarter.
In addition, System Math Coordinator Mark Chapman reports an increase in subsequent success since adopting MyMathLab. Of those students who passed Essential Math Concepts in fall 2009 and took Prealgebra in winter 2010, 70 percent passed Prealgebra. Similarly, over the past two academic years, of those students who passed Prealgebra in a given quarter and took Introductory Algebra in the following quarter, 76 percent passed Introductory Algebra.
The Student Experience
Essential Math Concepts students at Baker College System benefit from the proven pedagogy behind MyMathLab.
- Students are also encouraged to explore all of MyMathLab’s multimedia features to learn which resources best suit their learning styles.
- Students communicate with each other through the discussion board and with the instructor through MyMathLab’s Ask My Instructor feature.
- MyMathLab’s Gradebook enables instructors to identify and quickly intervene at the first sign that a student is struggling. As a result, fewer students fall through the cracks.
- MyMathLab’s item analysis feature enables instructors to identify common mistakes made within the class or by individual students and then tailor their teaching so as to globally or individually address any confusion.
- Enrollment in Essential Math Concepts continues to increase. MyMathLab is critical in enabling the college to logistically handle the influx.
Conclusions
MyMathLab is one of a variety of factors that have contributed to the significant gains experienced in Essential Math Concepts since 2006. Chapman notes that MyMathLab has facilitated these gains in several ways.
- By enabling the course to be consistent across the system
- By enabling instructors to focus individual attention on those who need it, while not holding back those capable of moving ahead
- By providing instructors with multiple ways to reach students
- By providing students with instant feedback
- By providing students with unlimited practice
“As we continue to improve the quality of Essential Math Concepts,” says Chapman, “we will continue drawing from the resources of MyMathLab to support increased student learning and more-effective teaching.”
Baker College System
| Product Used: | MyMathLab |
| Course Name: | Essential Math Concepts |
| Credit Hours: | 4 |
"Most students appreciate the tools that MyMathLab provides. The instant feedback and help features often lessen the anxiety level that many students in a remedial math class experience."
