Instructor Testimonials
Here's what instructors across the country have to say about MyMathLab and MyStatLab and how the technology has changed their teaching experiences.
It was great to hear from Math 101 students how MyMathLab helped them to get ready for their quizzes and exams. It is a tremendous help for instructors as well. I teach 120 students this term ; I cannot imagine marking 240 home works per week the way we did before. Thank you for the great product!
Oksana Odintsova, Drexel University
One of the benefits of using MyMathLab that I had not anticipated was the way in which I now feel "connected" to my students outside the classroom. The opportunity that students have to seek my assistance via "Ask My Instructor" enables me to help them during evening or weekend hours. This often leads to more productive follow-up discussions at the next class meeting. In essence, this connection has replaced the traditional "office hours" which served only a handful of students.
Randy King, Craven Community College
In this age of technology, consumed by the need for instant gratification, MyMathLab is the perfect supplement to satisfy that inherent desire.
Salvatore (Sal) Maimone , Northwestern Community College
Over the years, MyMathLab has become an integral tool in our math service courses. Even before enrolling, students take the Mathematics Placement Test (MPT) using MyMathTest. With the help of members of the Pearson Team, we developed a placement procedure which basically is “MPT meets math boot camp.” The preliminary data suggests that students, who review math and display mastery of it on our test, do well in their math class. Once in class, students find themselves enrolled in a well coordinated system. The course team leader, a faculty and/or instructor, is in charge of curriculum design, mentoring TAs and Instructors assigned to teach the course, and managing the MyMathLab portion of the course. The team leader coordinates the assignment of homework, quizzes, tests and exams for all sections of the course. As the Vice Chair of the Mathematical Sciences Department, it is my job to make sure that everyone has the tools they need to be successful. We find that MyLabsPlus is an important tool not only to educate individual students but also to enable the TA and instructors to focus on teaching and learning.
Deborah Korth, University of Arkansas
I am most fond of the math on demand nature of the website. My students are busy people and they can access their math at any hour of the day.
Frank Ives, University of La Verne
We have been using this in Intermediate Algebra... and in College Algebra. Both of these courses are completely distance courses. I really like it.... For the students that utilize the program correctly and keep up, it is working out very well. My students are liking the program and learning (at least so far -- looking at HW and test scores). Support has been responsive, and I like the fact that things can be corrected much faster than in [other programs] so they are fixed before many students encounter them instead of after everyone has struggled through errors. Thanks for listening and caring...!!!
Shawna Haider, Salt Lake Community College
Since I first began requiring online homework using MathXL in my college algebra class in the summer of 2005, I have seen a tremendous improvement in student success. Passing rates have gone up around 10%, test averages have increased 9%, and the number of students earning an A in the course has gone up an astounding 25%! This is a strong indication that the students are learning the material more thoroughly than they did by simply doing homework out of the book. As an added bonus, the students feel more involved in the course and responsible for their own learning. Thus, my withdrawal rates have decreased by 10-15%. I am so thrilled to have finally found a way to require my students to do homework in a way that keeps them engaged, forces them to truly learn and understand the material, and also saves me the headache of grading paper-and-pencil homework assignments!
Brooke Quinlan, Hillsborough Community College
I absolutely love this product. I believe whole-heartedly that it has made a definite improvement in my students' grades and understanding level. I have fewer students dropping out of the courses I am teaching using this method than in the past. I recommend it to everybody I know!
Susan Haley, Florence Darlington Technical College
The things I like most are:
- It's available with so many books by so many authors for so many courses.
- It works right "out of the box" and can also be extensively customized.
- It's easy to use for students—even those with very little or no computer skills.
- It's Internet-based, available from any computer anywhere any time.
I'm very happy with the program and would highly recommend it.
Fred Feldon, Coastline Community College
I have been using MML for a number of years now and I am very pleased with it. I am able to tailor MML so that it is fully online and on demand so that it suits the varying needs and time constraints of our busy students. I have students using MML as a refresher course; some use it to review for different standardized exams including the compass placement test; some use it to fill in some mathematical gaps. Whatever the student's needs are, MML is flexible enough to address those needs.
Deanna Li, North Seattle Community College
Students seem to enjoy MyMathLab online homework more than traditional paper-and-pencil homework and good performance on homework generally translates into improved success. I strongly believe that better results on MyMathLab homework assignments have led to better overall performance in the course and better understanding of the material taught.
Timothy Redl, University of Houston, Downtown
The way MyMathLab has enabled us to integrate outcomes assessments into our courses and then standardize them across the department—it’s revolutionized our whole program.
Maureen Loiacano, Montgomery College
The biggest advantage is that they [students] actually HAVE to do the work. I have had students who were resistant at first, who came back to me the next semester asking me to speak with their current teacher and help them put MML in their new course.
Claire Peacock, Chattanooga State Technical Community College
The Trigsted eBook “is the main focus of instruction.” Students are encouraged to read and interact, take a reading assessment, practice, and then attempt the homework. For additional homework support, students use Trigsted MyMathLab’s View an Example and Help Me Solve This features.
Rita Sowell, Volunteer State Community College
I began using MyMathLab with one pilot course in the summer of 2007. It took only a few days to realize the instructional power of the software. I was hooked! As department chair, I knew this tool was needed for all of our students. By the spring of 2008 all sections of mathematics at our community college were using MML in some fashion. My students love the instant feedback and wealth of resources. Instructors love that students now spend more time practicing math than they ever did before. The data provided within the software served as an essential tool during recent curriculum revisions. My faculty agree that all future textbook adoptions will begin with a list of options supported by MyMathLab!
Carrie McCammon, Ivy Tech Community College - Wabash Valley Region
One of the strengths of MyMathLab is its versatility for both instructors and students.
I have used MyMathLab for over 9 years at two institutions. I have used MyMathLab for fully online courses, as a companion to my face-to-face courses, and for hybrid/lab courses. Instructors can customize delivery to include media as prerequisites for homework and mastery of all homework in a unit as prerequisite for a quiz. The gradebook allows all student work to be kept in one place, both online work and paper-and-pencil work. When I worked as the supervisor for a hybrid/lab program, the coordinator/member course structure in MyMathLab allowed me to set up one master course for each day of the week and handle all 45 sections from those five masters, allowing for course consistency and saving vast amounts of time on course management throughout the semester. Students find their way around in MyMathLab very quickly and students enjoy the flexibility of choosing from PowerPoints, podcasts, video lectures or animations to aid their study of the material. One of the main things I have observed with developmental students using MyMathLab is their willingness to keep trying. Students getting instant feedback on their work and having a variety of content delivery modes will persist and stay in the course instead of giving up and dropping out. Another strength of MyMathLab is the fact that it is developed completely within-house at Pearson and instructors can rely on a complete match between MyMathLab and their chosen textbook. And the MyMathLab team is responsive to instructor feedback.
As my institution has grown from 1200 students to 7300 students in five semesters, I don’t know what we would have done without MyMathLab to help us reach the students and train and mentor the new faculty each term!
Susan Knights, College of Western Idaho
Although passing rate is not the only measure of student success, my colleagues and I have seen several times over 90% passing (includes withdrawals, and grades of D/F) in courses such as Intermediate Algebra.
Heidi A. Howard, Florida State College at Jacksonville
I have more class time thanks to MyMathLab/MyLabsPlus products. I would spend 15-20 minutes answering homework questions before starting the new material. Now I rarely spend more than 5 minutes on questions before beginning the class topics. Students are using the help features. They are able to get help when they need it instead of waiting for the next class. Their assignments are more complete when they come to class. This is important when new concepts extend topics from previous classes. This found time permits more one-on-one interaction with the students, group work and group projects. My classes are no longer solely lecture format. They are more active environments for learning.
Lynn Cleaveland, University of Arkansas
My students, as a whole, are actually working and doing their homework in a way that helps them to learn.
George Woodbury, College of the Sequoias
I LOVE using MyMathLab for my stats course. My students are doing really well and also like the software. One of my colleagues has decided to try it for her precalculus course after she heard my success with it.
Irina Timchenko, Piedmont Virginia Community College
MML requires the students to become actively engaged in the learning process. I have used MML in my online and on-ground Statistics classes for several years and my colleagues and I have used MML is our Redesign of developmental math and have seen an outstanding increase in both performance and retention. Student comments about MML are very positive. The learning aids and tools available in MML are outstanding and can be tweaked to suit all needs.
Tim Britt, Jackson State Community College
My responsibility is college algebra. We are now part of the R2R program and are using a modified emporium model. We are extremely pleased with the content and the technical support of the software. We could not use this approach without it! Eighty-two percent of the students in our pilot actually admitted that the technology helped them learn the mathematics.
Phoebe Rouse, Louisiana State University
The exercises are greatly improved in variety and algorithms, taking full advantage of the MathXL Player that had been available in other math courses. I can write my own questions to add to the already nice collection.
I feel like I died and went to 'hog heaven'--it is soooooooooo GREAT!
Also, I have some students that had been in other technology-based courses, and the transition for them was easy.
Gwen Terwilliger, University of Toledo
Prior to adopting MyMathLab, students weren't always completing homework; most hated attending class; and most were performing poorly on tests. Now, those students who arrive hating math leave feeling like it isn't so bad after all. They love that there are help features they can use from home. Knowing help is a click away helps increase their confidence and enables them to persevere through difficult problems.
Dana Hagen, Art Institute of Houston
Times have changed since my first pilot of MyMathLab in the winter of 2005! Prior to that at another school, I had used the MathXL software and wanted to try that with course management software customized to our text. We first embedded MML in our developmental math sequence and re-aligned curriculum. We noticed a year -to- year improvement of 10% in student pass rates in the last developmental course. We simultaneously began to use MML in college-level courses and noted improvements in course completion rates there as well. We opened our first math lab in fall 2007. We now have a second computerized math learning center room and assist hundreds of students a week. We are currently re-designing our developmental math courses & delivery methods and now have MML in all math courses offered at the college. The best part is recognizing that we can meet different learning styles and ability levels....and hear more students say "I got it!" Our instructors also appreciate the faculty tools as well as the ability to track student performance more precisely.
Diane Hollister, Reading Area Community College
At the Polya Center, the software is used primarily for completing homework assignments. Students may select to complete their assignments in a traditional manner, from the textbook, or by using the homework/tutorial utility online. This delivery system has several advantages, chief among them immediate feedback on every question. A single teacher cannot possibly review every problem a student works in the traditional textbook-delivery environment, and feedback is inherently delayed. With the electronic grading process, students get hints, step-by-step help, and positive feedback every time they complete work correctly. This builds momentum and corrects problems before they have a chance to solidify. For most students, completing homework in the online environment is more effective than completing it in a traditional environment.
Theresa Allen, University of Idaho
I have been an avid MyMathLab user since 2004. I started out by requiring students in my lecture classes to use MyMathLab to complete homework assignments. I gradually increased the usage by requiring them to complete some proctored exams via MyMathLab then incorporated the use of MyMathLab in all of my online courses which includes anything from Introduction to Intermediate Algebra, Statistics, Business Math and College Algebra. I saw a marked increase in the number of students successfully completing the INET courses from previous semesters. Students constantly emailed me with one common theme. They loved the Learning Aids that are available.
We recently required all students in our campus to use MyMathLab to complete homework and quizzes. In doing so, we discovered that 85% of the students who had an average score of 70% or higher on the homework assignments, successfully completed the course with a "C" or better.
I haven't discovered a software system that can compare to MyMathLab!
Sharon Jackson, Brookhaven College
I can spend less time grading and more time helping students. I am excited to see students working the problems over and over until they get them correct. The instant feedback is wonderful. The students are motivated to work the problems correctly because they know that they can attain a perfect score on their assignments. In the process, they are learning the material.
Kirk Trigsted, University of Idaho
Do you want to know why serious students who try MyMathLab really buy into it? Anonymity.
When a serious student can’t do a problem or doesn’t understand a concept what do they do, in a traditional classroom they may raise their hand and ask, they may wait until after class and go up to their teacher, they may ask a fellow student, they may email their professor, they may go the tutoring center or they may just give up. All these acts require identifying themselves and admitting they don’t understand – not cool. Ahhh but with MyMathLab, their choices are watch the video, ask for the first step, ask for a complete solution, ask for a reference in the textbook. Ask who? Ask the computer ….. anonymously! No one knows they didn’t understand. And if they still don’t understand they can do it again and again. Think about it – if students had a private tutor, available 24/7, who has infinite patience, can explain with a video, a text reference or an example and do it all without the student having to admit to anyone their shortcomings, why wouldn’t they take advantage of it.
Walter Wang, Baruch College
Using this technology has allowed our students to engage in the learning material. Students are able to work
and rework problems as well as get assistance on problems until they fully understand the concepts. With this product,
we have noticed an increase in our students performance in these Math courses. Very Exciting!
Margo Alexander, Georgia State University
As one of the administrators of J. Sargeant Reynolds modular developmental program (called PRISMM), I love MyMathLab. It is easy to set up the courses exactly the way we want them, including writing our own dynamic problems. The students find learning to use the software very easy, use the helps included, and love the instant feedback when studying and taking quizzes. The students like it so much they want it for their credit courses and we are beginning to incorporate MyMathLab into our credit courses now. We are excited about the support of the Pearson team from our local rep to the technical support team, all of whom are easy to contact and work with. Our students also find calling the help number easy and satisfying and many like to use the on-line tutors. MyMathLab is a perfect vehicle for an on-line distance education course. My distance students find it easy to use and very helpful in learning the material.
Kathryn Swadgelo, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College
As a professor of Mathematics at Jackson State Community College, I have used the MyMathLab software in developmental and college level Mathematics. I have used LabsPlus in developmental Mathematics. These products have allowed our department to focus on students’ individual needs; these include their Math skills as well as their goals for the future. We have been able to allow students to focus on the Math skills that they need and review or skip the ones that they remember. Students are only required to take the Math that they need for their major. This helps to keep the student focused on their goals. These products are very user friendly and the company is always willing to try to improve the product to meet the needs of the users.
Linda Pride, Jackson State Community College
I love using MyMathLab because students who use it do better in math classes and even learn to enjoy doing math. From the teaching aids on homework problems to the unlimited times to redo a homework problem, they can see success in mathematics. I use it in both blended classes and online classes and have seen improved retention and better final grades. I survey my classes every semester and they remark on the benefits of using MML. Plus, they can have their questions answered while studying outside the classroom from tutors that are math teachers. Awesome!
Linda Padilla, Joliet Junior College
I am a long-time (10 years) user of MyMathLab. I have used it in face-to-face, hybrid, and online courses. I love the flexibility that MyMathLab provides for the design of courses for each of these teaching situations. Whether an instructor wants to go "full-out" with MyMathLab like I do in my online courses or just have students use it for the numerous and robust learning aids that help students do better in math, the MyMathLab structure allows for a little or a lot of customization. I have reviewed a lot of math software over the 10 years that I have been teaching online, and there is nothing that I have seen that even comes close to allowing me to build the types of effective assessments that MyMathLab does. I love it. My students love it. I cannot imagine teaching without it.
Sandee House, Georgia Perimeter College
I have been using MyMathLab/MathXL for many years and have been very impressed with the responsiveness of the Pearson team to our user requests. They have continued to seek out our desires and make improvements in response to our feedback. They have always been very helpful with any issues in using the program from training faculty and students in using the product to helping us find a way to meet our unique needs. We use the MyMathLab for fully online courses, we use MathXL in our lecture courses and also in our Math Center, independent study courses. We have been very impressed with the support it provides our students and are continuing to integrate it more fully into the independent study courses. Our students love the videos and the Helps available during their homework. We get many students who have used other online homework products who sing the praises of both products.
Beverly Vredevelt, Spokane Falls Community College
At Highline Community College, we used a different product for our computer mediated learning for over a decade, which many students found frustrating and tried to avoid. Over the last three years, we’ve slowly been transitioning most of our pre-college courses to MyMathLab, and the students couldn’t be happier. The instant feedback they get on their answers, the repeated attempts, the tutorials to help learn the material, all add up to a positive experience for the students. The biggest change I’ve noticed is the increase of students coming to my office, because they realize they really don’t understand the material with the quick feedback and they need help. The students are actually doing their homework now, which couldn’t be more important in a math class.
Aaron Warnock, Highline Community College
After many years of using MyMathLab, our Developmental Education Department began using the MyLabsPlus program this past fall. It includes MyMathLab, MyReadingLab and MyWritingLab for our Developmental Education Students. It’s been great to have the students pre-enrolled by our University so that all they have to do is put in their purchased access code and have their online access right away. I also really like the email feature better with MyLabsPlus and easy way to post (or delete) notes from class each day to the site, since I am a daily user of a SmartSympodium to save lecture notes for students to refer back to. I've began using the provided Mini-Lecture notes from Pearson for each section which I can post for students to print and bring to class. I can easily cut and paste those into my SmartNotebook file to make notes on during my lectures. I have attempted to use other online homework programs in the past and find MyMathLab superior to them all as do my colleagues. It is so user friendly, even to an “old gal” like me. Our Director of our Academic Success Center has really liked having it available for her tutors to help our students too.
Deborah Bratton, University of Central Arkansas
Students are really responding to the MML program—they say it’s like having the professor sitting right next to them. I use Trigsted for my College Algebra course. This text was written as an online course and has the feature of active links that students can click for more information when needed. For example, definitions from previous sections are linked and available with a click. I use MML for homework and quizzes—students become responsible for their success in the course using these materials.
Linda Barton, Ball State University
Students who use mymathlab for on-line homework have a greater success rate than students who do not use it.
Susan Nagorney, Cuyahoga Community College Metro Campus
Students exhibit more of an I-can-do-this attitude and much more willingness to persevere through the most difficult topics. The self-esteem of these students is soaring.
Carrie Goehring, Jackson State Community College
I have observed a definite correlation between the students who do their homework in MML and those who pass the course. With MML there are no excuses for students not to do well if they are willing to do the work. As the instructor, I know exactly how much time a student has spent doing the homework and practice test. I have observed that students who "do the math" in MML are much more successful in the common final exam than those who were assigned the homework in the traditional textbook.
Betty Frost, Jackson State Community College
Central Texas College uses MyMathLab in all math courses through calculus. The program’s intuitive interface and easy-to-learn features mean that students have a consistent learning experience each semester, and that at each new level, they need concentrate solely on learning new course content— not new software.
Jeanette Shotwell, Central Texas College
I have had several students call and email to thank me for providing access to homework and tutorials online. The biggest difference has been the help for students with learning differences. The ability to do repetitions until the skill has been mastered helped one woman get her first A in mathematics.
Greta Harris-Hardland, Tarrant County Community College, Northeast Campus
We have chosen to use MML with our developmental mathematics redesign to change math from the gatekeeper to the gateway to college success.
Michael McComas, Mountwest Community and Technical College
Communication was really good with the students using Trigsted's MyMathLab. Not many students had issues, but those who did were able to send me an e-mail through the program and I was able to answer their questions within a few minutes, which was much faster and easier than with the other software. Using Trigsted's MyMathLab solely as a homework manager resulted in higher ABC rates than our other software did—in both the spring semester [when it was piloted] and the fall 2009 semester.
Brian Zimmerman, University of Mississippi
When used as intended, students get more practice and have immediate helps available to them, so they tend to perform better on exams. In other words, we hope that they learn the material better.
Nicole Lang, North Hennepin Community College
The software acts as my co-teacher by extending and reinforcing my class instruction. It affords me time to teach and work with my students without being snowed under by paperwork. As Math 10 Coordinator, I also have TAs teaching this course. Since all sections are required to use the program, I ensure the consistency of the course from one semester to the next and one section to the other.
Chris Schultz, Iowa State University
MyMathLab has improved from student pass rates of 42% to approximately 53% or higher.
Darlene Winnington, Delaware Technical & Community College, Stanton Campus
This offers students powerful tools that enable them to learn difficult concepts, while still being user friendly for both the students and instructors. The technological support from [the publisher] is what really stands out for me.... They have a lot of great people working to constantly improve their already excellent product. The new, enhanced version of MathXL (part of MML) will even further establish MML as the industry leader in on-line mathematics education.
Robert Everest, Citrus College
Both the success rates within the distance pre-algebra course and persistence through the next course – elementary algebra (a traditional, non-MyMathLab course) have increased from 30.5% (pre – redesign, winter ’07) to 76.2% (summer ’08) and from 38.7% in elementary algebra (winter ’07) to 63.6% (summer ’08), respectively, for those students completing a distance-based pre-algebra course and enrolling in and completing elementary algebra by summer 2008.
Erik Kraus, Sinclair Community College
This has changed teaching mathematics for me forever. I only want to teach courses where I can use it because of what it offers me and my students. It saves me time in and out of class. More importantly, my students DO more math which makes them more prepared when they come to class. That ultimately makes our class time more productive.
Kathleen Almy, Rock Valley College
MyMathLab saves me a lot of time. I can easily see which students have done all or nearly all of the assigned homework, making grading easier. For those who had difficulty, I can easily see whether or not they even tried problems and how much time they spent on each. Finally, using the IA button, I can easily see which problems I need to review in class by looking at how many students got a problem wrong and how much total time they spent on each.
The students like MyMathLab, too. More and more students have started using MyMathLab as the semester has progressed, so I think a good word is getting around. One student told me she would be unable to do the homework at all without MyMathLab; with MyMathLab's help, not only is she doing nearly all of the assigned problems, but also she has a solid B on her tests!
TMI, perhaps. But I can summarize: YAY for MyMathLab!
Ed Rinderle, Pasadena Community College
I have been working in MathXL. It ROCKS! Wow is all I have to say.
Mike Reynolds, Florida State College - Jacksonville
This is an invaluable tool for me and my students in transitional classes. It allows me to restructure my classes by completely reversing the traditional format of lecture followed by homework assignments.
I offer a self-paced course. Using the video lectures, students view and take notes on lectures before coming to class. We meet in a computer lab where students work on their study plan. I and my T.A. circulate to answer questions, encourage and motivate.
From fall 2001 to fall 2005 in our traditional elementary algebra courses the success rate in fall semesters was approximately 50% while the success rate in spring semesters was approximately 33%. Under the new format for the last six semesters the passing rate for all registered students was 76%; the passing rate for those finishing the course was 97.5%. Perhaps of equal importance are the unsolicited student affirmations of their new-found confidence in their ability to do math and comprehensively read a math text.
Mary Rice, University of Illinois at Chicago
I intend to use this product with every course that I will teach in the future. I feel that it is the best program that I have come across in the past 35 years of teaching.
John Mutolo, Moorpark College
My students have a much better learning experience when they complete their homework in MathXL. They receive the support they need from the same problems and guided solutions. The homework average for my class increased from 80% to 98% when students used MathXL. The average test grades increased from 82% to 95% when I began requiring that all students complete MathXL homework assignments.
Sharon Testone, Onondaga CC
This has revolutionized the way I teach online mathematics. Even if a student needs help at 1:00 a.m. the night before an exam, it is readily available. This online product is also an outstanding aid for our students in that it is text specific. That is, my students can go online and get help if they are stuck on a particular homework problem. A very similar problem will be presented to the student, enabling them to then transfer their learning to the problem at hand.
Cherie Reardon, Victor Valley College
I've been using MathXL, MyMathLab and CourseCompass for many years and I absolutely love it. It's better for the students and I don't waste time grading rote homework. I've been using it at different institutions of which I am adjunct faculty. Since I have to drive so much to get from one job to the next, my time becomes very limited. Your course management systems have saved time and the frustration of addressing every homework problem. Also, since students have the freedom to spend as much time as needed with the help of the tutorials, animations and videos, I have noticed an increase in student success.
Linda Chan, Pasadena City College
MyMathLab is used at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa in the Science and Engineering faculties. In 2009, over 7000 students used MyMathLab. The feedback received from lecturers and students was extremely positive. Students enjoyed the fact that they had their personal study plans which could help them to improve on their weaknesses. They enjoyed using the additional features such as the e-book which MyMathLab offers. The lecturers found the benefit of the automatic grading and the ability to quickly and easily assign homework and test.
As a result of the implementation of MyMathLab, lecturers were able to monitor individual and class performance, and thereby efficiently target any areas which presented issues. Where MyMathLab was used as a compulsory component of the course, it yielded an impressive improvement in student’s results, from 35% average in the 1st semester to 65% average in the 2nd semester.
Faculty, University of Witwatersrand (South Africa)
Students who do the homework do better on the quizzes and exams -- an average of 10 points better. I have collected data in previous semesters to demonstrate this. I also think it is a great communication tool, especially in the traditional classes.
Donna Sperry, College of Southern Maryland
My students are working on a group worksheet right now. I'm listening to their conversations as they do it, and one of the groups is talking about how incredibly helpful MML has been. One of the students used it last year and took my class because he heard that I use it heavily. The other students in his group are agreeing how helpful it is. It's just very refreshing to hear people talking positively about math.
On a similar note, I was walking through our building yesterday and saw a bunch of students that weren't mine who were working on MML on their laptops. It's so nice to see the students so engaged, using technology, and actually getting the material.
Brad Stetson, Schoolcraft College
I just want all of you to know that the lowest grade that I have is a 76 GPA for the entire course. We have about a 100 students in the course. They are learning at fantastic rates and grades. You all have a fantastic product. I love it. This is the course that I have always dreamed of writing and having succeed. Thank you and all the Pearson team for the super job that you do in every way.
Nancy Hixson, Columbia Southern University
We used to spend a large amount of class time answering homework questions. Now, students' questions are answered for them by using all the help buttons. Students like the fact that they can do their homework at any time and any place. They are clearly a technology generation. Their access to the electronic gradebook keeps them fully informed of their progress. They really like this feature.
Ellen O'Connell, Triton College
Students in courses that require MyMathLab have been performing higher on the common final and have a higher success rate at the end of the semester. Also, these classes are larger in size so they are more cost efficient. Students are much more interested in completing math with MyMathLab than they ever were before. They are completing a lot more problems than in the past.
Pamela Whelchel, Riverside Community College
The out-of-class feedback is the key, coupled with the Ask My Instructor button. Both offer help/hope to students during teachable moments, when students are actually curious and in need of understanding. The lesson videos help many students because they can be paused, replayed, etcetera, until comprehension is reached.
Lisa Perrone, Hawaii Pacific University
The reliability of this software is very good. I also like the quick help I receive when I have problems with this software. It is easy to use and understand. It provides students with immediate feedback on their work. It helps me greatly in the grading and keeping track of student's work. This can not be overstated since I have many students in my courses. It helps me to keep organized on my lesson plans. It helps the students to keep organized on their work that I assign. This software is great for on-line and lecture classes.
Dr. Mark D. Jacobson, Montana State University Billings
I was working on setting up an assignment yesterday, took over an hour. Right before I had a chance to "Save and Assign" it, I lost all internet access from my PC. Went to Coursecompass a short awhile ago, already upset that I'd have to remake that entire assignment.
Guess what? A pop-up message showed up that allowed me to recover and save the work I did yesterday. Yeah!!!!!! My day is good.
Thank you for making a smart product.
Mary Ann Teel, University of North Texas
Through it all, students are getting better grades and getting through more content because more work is getting done. And since the instructors are able to track how many times students have visited the online math site and can see what work students have done and what they've had trouble with, instructors are better able to help students who may be having problems.
Anonymous Instructor
Under the new system, more than 95 percent of all students enrolled in these two courses are turning in 100 percent of their daily homework assignments. The average score on those assignments is more than 95 percent correct.
Anonymous Instructor
I had never required MML in any class before last fall so it was all new to me, too. Since then, I have made some major changes in my hybrids for this spring and I am happy with the results so far.
Jean Millen, Georgia Perimeter College
Observations on MyMathLab's effects:
- Students got immediate feedback while doing their homework assignments. If unsuccessful, they received help online through four different modes of learning. They were thus given every opportunity to be 100% successful on every task required on their graded assignment.
- Students rarely asked questions in class over their homework. We used the extra class time to slow down during our lectures and to involve our students in activities that enhanced their learning and problem solving skills.
- There was more time for in-class practice.
- With more free time on hand, and more interactive sessions, our teachers were able to better gage their students’ learning, thus identifying and assisting those who needed help the most.
- Students worked independently on homework. No homework was copied from someone else, as all homework problems in MML are algorithmically generated. In the past, it was not unusual to see students copying homework from each other during the 10 minutes preceding class time....
- The help online, which was provided to the students while doing homework, was efficient and effective enough to be a good motivator and a good incentive for independent work.
- The students who seem to have benefited the most from MyMathLab were our students with learning disabilities. Their testimonials via e-mail and via personal contact were overwhelmingly positive. Some described MyMathLab as “Simply Awesome!” Some stated that this was their second time through the course, and claimed that if they had had MyMathLab when they took the course the first time, they would have passed the course then.
- Students had more flexibility than in the past in submitting their graded assignments. They were given 3 to 5 days of leeway to do so. However, if they missed the final deadline, they knew that under no circumstances could they get another extension. Very quickly students learned to do and submit their work on time.
- The automated electronic grading and delivery system provided by MyMathLab was outstanding.
- All human errors in the grading of the assignments were eradicated. Not a single complaint was voiced about the grading of the assignments and all grading was consistent from section to section.
- We had no need for graders in Intermediate Algebra & College Algebra for Fall 2004 and Winter 2005—a cost savings.
Faculty surveyed at University of Missouri, University of Missouri
Advantages to MyMathLab:
- Students get help as they are doing homework, decreasing the number of questions at the next class period. (I have personally seen this happen.)
- Homework that only requires one step can be put into MyMathLab and will automatically be graded. Problems that require multiple steps can still be collected as written homework. You can do any combination of written and online homework.
- If students miss a class, they can pull up the video lecture for that particular section.
- If MyMathLab is implemented fully, re-test scores are available on any web-based computer.
- You can do your entire grade book in MyMathLab. Students scores are automatically calculated.
- Students are able to check their scores just by going on MyMathLab (user name and password protected).
Jay Hall, Ivy Tech State College
Just wanted to report on a great success this semester. I was using MyMathLab for the first time this summer, and you graciously answered all my questions and made yourself available for any problems. Since I haven't had any problems, I haven't needed to call for HELP. Thanks for a great program! The students love it and I am so pleased with it…. Now that I've been able to get direct feedback from the students, I'm ready to go with distance learning. My students tell me that it has been as close to zero frustration as computers get and an invisible learning curve.
Jane Gumbiner, Pasco-Hernando Community College
MyMathLab is the most exciting thing to happen to our preparatory math program in years. I was skeptical at first, wondering how a tool that requires self-motivation and discipline would ever work for our students, particularly since they have nothing to gain by finishing the coursework early; but now that I've been able to compare my computer-mediated sections with traditional lecture-based classes, I am sold. Students are too. My exam averages and course pass rates are up. Students are actively engaged in practicing math, ask more and better questions, and enjoy the learning process. They appreciate the instant feedback and aren't satisfied until they get 100% on the homework assignments. When it comes time to register for the next class, most students who have done both lecture-based and MyMathLab hybrid classes seek out the MyMathLab sections. They feel a real sense of accomplishment because they recognize and can take credit for the role they've played in their success.
Jill Shirley, Cal Poly Pomona
MyMathLab is one of the most reliable of all online Math programs. After teaching with MML I wouldn't want to go back to the traditional way of teaching Math. MML stimulates better student/teacher interaction in a lab setting. It tracks and grades homework for you. And it's a great tutorial for students when they get stuck.
Sheila Pisa, Riverside Community College
My highlight this week was a student who had previously failed Math 200 (in my class) and has been placed in Math 100. She came in very stressed on Monday. I got her started on Chapter 7 in MyMathLab and by midweek, she said: Wow--I never thought I would say this, but this is kind of fun… I am starting to like math.
Rudy Roberts, San Joaquin Valley College
My students are really learning and working hard because they are getting the help and reinforcement that they have always needed in a math class. They get explanation in the math lecture, and then it is up to them to get the homework done in MyMathLab by the deadline date. They love knowing they can re-do the homework problems until they get 100% (until the deadline date, of course). So the deadlines motivate them to come for help and to ask questions. They can take the assigned tests over and over until they make a perfect score or until time runs out. It is wonderful! I am truly enjoying this semester more than any other semester because so many students are getting motivated and they are enjoying math! This is a teacher's dream!
Linda T. Wright, Sam Houston State
MyMathLab/Course Compass is a remarkable online instruction and resource delivery system. The new resources and features have increased the success of my students. It's a must for online math instruction.
Betty Jo Major, Fayetteville Technical Community College
I use MML to assign homework and quizzes. I love the guidance, flexibility & feedback it gives my students & me. It does such a good job of empowering the students & putting them in charge of their own success. So thanks for helping to develop such a great tool!
Alane Tentoni, Northwest Mississippi Community College
The increase in student success is 27%. Students who would have been lost with a nontransferable 'D' or an 'F' are now passing the course.
Faculty, Community College in the Chicago Area
With MyMathLab, the Algebra review for M101 was 81%, which is 9% above the normal average. Test 1 for M102 (Precalculus) had an average of 90%. That is 18% above the normal 72% average.
Faculty, University of Massachusetts
Prior to the use of MyMathLab, the average pass rate for 2001-2004 was 58%. With the extensive use of MyMathLab, the pass rate increased to 70.59% in 2005-2006.
Faculty, Skagit Valley College, Whidbey Island Campus
For the faculty, the ease with which you can generate tests and export the results to a spreadsheet is fantastic.
Trudy Streilein, North Virginia Community College
This has been the cleanest program I have seen so far. It just works so well. That's why you (the support organization) haven't heard a lot from me this semester -- and that's a good thing. My doctor hasn't seen much of me either -- and that's a good thing too.
Bill Van Alstine, Aiken Technical College
This is great! Students will appreciate the interactive nature of this course. Being able to get information with a single click when they have questions is very useful. Having video clips to supplement the text is a great idea -- it's a bit like having an instructor available whenever one is needed. Navigation is very intuitive. This software is much easier to get around in than others I have seen. I'm impressed at how well this software handles the difficulty of using technology for mathematics.
Jeanette Martin, Washington State University
