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Reading Area Community College

Course Implementation

Course Design

Introduction to Statistics meets for three hours each week. Students are assigned required homework in MyStatLab, as well as assignments checked using SPSS. Homework may be completed at home, or in one of Reading Area Community College’s (RACC’s) math or open computer labs, or at the library.

As of spring 2009, students are also offered access to supplemental, in-person instruction and full access to StatCrunch.

Assessments

Students are assigned required homework for each chapter. Homework is completed in MyStatLab and may be worked on until it is correct up to the due date.

Students take a total of six tests, which are administered via MyStatLab.

Use of MyStatLab

Use of MyStatLab has expanded since it was first adopted in spring 2007. Initially used solely for practice and its supplemental resources, the program is now used for the breadth of course activities: study plans, all homework, custom exercises, and tests. Course administrative tasks are also handled within the program: students find the course syllabus in MyStatLab, and handouts and technology assignments are posted under external links.

In addition, MyStatLab’s coordinator course feature is used for standardizing assignments, rubrics, and project topics throughout the department.

Use of MyStatLab contributes to 75 to 80 percent of a student’s final grade.

Results and Data

After fully implementing MyStatLab in spring 2007, RACC saw significant improvement across a range of student success rubrics: the average grade point increased from 2.76 to 3.06; the percentage of students who enrolled in the class earning an A, B, or C increased from 69.8 to 85.8; the percentage of students who completed the class earning an A, B, or C increased from 81 to 91.8; and the course retention rate increased from 86.4 to 93.6. Table 1 illustrates the improvement by semester.

Diane Hollister, chair, science and mathematics division, describes the impact MyStatLab has had on her students as “very positive.”

“MyStatLab has helped improve the course’s pass and completion rates,” she says. “Despite the variables found in any community college setting, we are confident of the correlation between the program and the improvements. MyStatLab’s item analysis feature helps us pinpoint deficiencies and fine-tune what we need to fix them.”

Hollister reports that prior to the MyStatLab adoption, her students did not consistently complete homework. MyStatLab’s immmediate feedback and Gradebook help them make the connection between doing homework— thereby practicing more—and achieving a higher grade.

Table 1. Comparison of Success Rates and Retention Rates in Introduction to Statistics from Winter 2006 through Summer 2009

The Student Experience

The best practices enabled by MyStatLab improve the learning experience for Hollister’s students.

• Students who receive immediate feedback are more motivated, work independently for longer periods of time, and are more likely to work until they’ve mastered the material.
• When students need help, they can reach out to Hollister by using the Ask My Instructor feature. Hollister uses MyStatLab to e-mail her students and post messages to them on the discussion board.
• MyStatLab’s multimedia resources and anywhere/ anytime-you-need-it availability provide students with all the benefits of a personal tutor and none of the cost.
• MyStatLab offers visual, audio, and kinesthetic learners the help they need in the learning style that suits them best. “Students learn differently,” says Hollister. “It’s nice to have the variety of resources at our fingertips.”