Case Studies
Florence-Darlington Technical College
Textbooks in Use with MyMathLab
Developmental Mathematics, 7e, 2008, Bittinger, Beecher; Intermediate Algebra: Graphs and Models, 3e, 2008, Bittinger, Ellenbogen, Johnson; Algebra and Trigonometry: Graphs and Models, 4e, 2009, Bittinger, Beecher, Ellenbogen, Penna
MyMathLab Course Structure
Course Design
Students follow a schedule of requirements and work on a computer to actively learn mathematics. Students attend three hours per week in the Hub (math lab), attend two hours of lecture per week, and use MyMathLab to watch videos, see samples, work problems, and take tests.
Assessments
Each course includes five or six tests on which students must demonstrate mastery. The prerequisite feature of MyMathLab prevents students from moving ahead to new sections prior to completing mastery. Tests are taken after progressing through required exercises. Students who demonstrate mastery may move to the next chapter.
Students who do not pass must complete the exercises selected by the MyMathLab study plan. The study plan selects exercises in the topics the students lacked mastery of on that test. All assessment takes place within the MyMathLab program.
MyMathLab Implementation
MyMathLab contributes 15 percent to each student’s final course grade. It is used for homework, quizzes, proctored tests, study plans, prerequisites, and announcements.
All grades are imported into MyMathLab, with the exception of the final exam grade, which uses a Scantron sheet.
MyMathLab Course Results
MyMathLab is a required component in every Hub math course. Courses defined as Traditional in the tables that follow are those courses in which MyMathLab is optional and not required as part of the final grade. From this point, Florence-Darlington Technical College has established the following four goals against which all progress is measured.
Primary Goal: Increase students’ course competencies by at least 5 percent in remedial/prerequisite courses.
Secondary Goal 1: Increase course completion rates in remedial/prerequisite math courses by at least 5 percent.
Secondary Goal 2: Increase course completion rates of students in curriculum math courses, who took prerequisite math courses, by at least 5 percent.
Secondary Goal 3: Increase final exam average in each remedial/prerequisite math course by at least 5 percent.
| Course | Environment | Number of Students | Pretest Mean | Posttest Mean | Mean Increase | Percent Difference (Hub over Traditional) | Has Goal Been Met? |
| Arithmetic | Hub | 203 | 40.5 | 85.8 | 45.3 | 3.9% | No |
| Traditional | 186 | 37.3 | 80.9 | 43.6 | |||
| Pre-Algebra | Hub | 226 | 38.6 | 54.8 | 16.2 | 28.6% | Yes |
| Traditional | 341 | 38.4 | 51.0 | 12.6 | |||
| Beg Algebra | Hub | 107 | 36.7 | 74.1 | 37.4 | 25.9% | Yes |
| Traditional | 417 | 37.2 | 66.9 | 29.7 | |||
| Inter Algebra | Hub | 91 | 33.6 | 66.7 | 33.1 | 19.5% | Yes |
| Traditional | 249 | 35.7 | 64.4 | 27.7 |
Table 1. Primary Goal: Combined Test Score Data from Fall 2006, Spring 2007, Summer 2007, and Fall 2007
| Course | Environment | Number of Students Who Completed | Number of Students Who Attempted | Completion Rate | Percent Difference (Hub over Traditional) | Has Goal Been Met? |
| Arithmetic | Hub | 175 | 296 | 59.1% | 9.3% | Yes |
| Traditional | 509 | 1,022 | 49.8% | |||
| Pre-Algebra | Hub | 209 | 280 | 74.6% | 24.3% | Yes |
| Traditional | 717 | 1,427 | 50.3% | |||
| Beg Algebra | Hub | 100 | 229 | 43.7% | 4.1% | No |
| Traditional | 626 | 1,580 | 39.6% | |||
| Inter Algebra | Hub | 67 | 177 | 37.9% | -5.2% | No |
| Traditional | 233 | 541 | 43.1% |
Table 2. Secondary Goal 1: Combined Retention Data from Summer 2005 to Spring 2007
| Course Sequence | Environment | Number of Students Who Completed | Number of Students Who Attempted | Completion Rate | Percent Difference (Hub over Traditional) | Has Goal Been Met? |
| Inter Algebra from Beg Algebra | Hub | 71 | 124 | 57.3% | Yes | |
| Traditional | 295 | 722 | 40.9% | |||
| College Algebra from Inter Algebra | Hub | 47 | 69 | 68.1% | Yes | |
| Traditional | 180 | 298 | 60.1% | |||
| Comtemp Math from Beg Algebra | Hub | 34 | 42 | 81.0% | No | |
| Traditional | 226 | 270 | 83.7% | |||
| Alg, Geom, Trig 1 from Pre-Algebra | Hub | 10 | 12 | 83.3% | Yes | |
| Traditional | 21 | 30 | 70.0% |
Table 3. Secondary Goal 2: Combined Completion Rates in Subsequent Course Data from Summer 2005 to Summer 2006, Summer 2007, and Fall 2007
| Course | Environment | Number of Students | Mean Exam Score | Standard Deviation | Percent Difference (Hub over Traditional) | Has Goal Been Met? |
| Arithmetic | Hub | 182 | 83.0 | 8.2 | 11.1% | Yes |
| Traditional | 801 | 74.7 | 13.3 | |||
| Pre-Algebra | Hub | 260 | 70.3 | 10.9 | 2.6% | No |
| Traditional | 1,167 | 68.5 | 13.4 | |||
| Beg Algebra | Hub | 189 | 71.7 | 11.0 | 12.7% | Yes |
| Traditional | 1,133 | 63.6 | 15.0 | |||
| Inter Algebra | Hub | 131 | 70.2 | 12.0 | 6.2% | Yes |
| Traditional | 648 | 66.1 | 13.3 |
Table 4. Secondary Goal 3: Combined Final Exam Data from Summer 2005 to Summer 2007
Conclusions
Data from primary goal competency studies indicate that students learn more with MyMathLab when it is required than when it is optional.
Data from secondary goal 1 completion studies suggest that the completion rate in developmental mathematics courses is directly related to the environment. The completion rate for those students in Arithmetic and Pre-Algebra, in which MyMathLab was required, was significantly higher than in courses in which MyMathLab was optional.
Data from secondary goal 2 suggest that the completion rates in subsequent courses is generally higher for those students whose remedial or prerequisite course required MyMathLab.
Data for secondary goal 3 suggest that students in courses in which MyMathLab is required perform better on the final exam than do students in courses in which MyMathLab is optional.
Florence-Darlington Technical College
| School Years: | 2 |
| Courses: | Arithmetic Pre-Algebra Beginning Algebra Intermediate Algebra |
| Environment: | Hybrid |
| Type of Data: | Success Rates, Final Exam Grades |
| Date | Summer 2005–Fall 2007 |
