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Using Learning Technology and Standards to Increase Student Success in Math at the University of Alabama

Published July 2009

University of Alabama increases student success while reducing cost with Pearson's MyMathLab online homework and tutorial application integrated with the eCollege learning platform

When administrators at the University of Alabama set out nearly a decade ago to improve the success rate of their students passing introductory math courses, they had two options to consider. They could “dumb down” the courses, which for them was no option. Or they could investigate new and innovative ways of teaching, including considering several programs that supported full and hybrid online instruction. With support from lab manager Jamie Glass and instructor Camille Steiner, administrators pursued the latter.

“We tested several products and felt that Pearson’s MyMathLab was a good choice,” said Sam Evers, director of introductory math at the university. “What we discovered was that Pearson was willing and eager to work with us to build an even better product. And over the years, that’s exactly what has happened. Anytime we ask them, ‘Can you make the software do this?,’ if it can be done, they do it.”

Teaching computerized math courses has earned the university more than a passing grade. The rate of students passing courses offered through MyMathLab has increased by an average 25 percentage points over the traditional teaching methods. The student retention rate during the last five years has increased by more than 10 percentage points. And the cost of teaching courses using MyMathLab is 28 percent less than by traditional methods.

“As the University of Alabama story attests, Pearson is no longer just a textbook publisher. We’re an educational technology company,” said Kendrick McLish, vice president of Integration Strategies for the Pearson Learning Technologies Group. “Pearson represents the best combination of learning technologies supported by traditional resources to improve student success.”

Pearson and the University of Alabama were honored at the IMS Global Learning Consortium’s Learning Impact 2009 Conference last May with a Platinum Award for their innovative use of technology in enhancing learning.

“What we are especially proud of is that not only are we passing more students in the introductory courses, but as they move into the upper level courses, they are passing those courses at a higher rate as well,” said Evers. “We’re not just teaching them math, we’re teaching them good study habits. The one thing the computer-aided model does, beyond a shadow of a doubt, is it forces the students to practice. To do the homework and to do the quizzes. The students don’t realize it going in, but that in itself, is what gets them through the class. If they pick up those good study habits on a regular basis, then that translates into any other class that they take.”

Evers said about 10,000 university students enroll in MyMathLab courses annually. Having used the solution since 2001, Alabama implemented the Pearson eCollege learning platform in 2008, which has enhanced usability of the courses. The university currently offers seven online courses through MyMathLab, ranging from Beginning Algebra and Finite Math to Business Calculus.

Although MyMathLab can be used to support complete online or distance learning formats, Evers said their courses are delivered in hybrid format with some classroom contact. Instructors are available in all of the computer labs and the courses do involve some one-on-one interaction. “All of the homework, quizzes, and tests provided through MyMathLab are customized by the instructors,” said Evers. “And tests are proctored and password protected so students can’t get to them without coming through the department.”

Courses offered through MyMathLab offer interactive online textbooks, video lectures, tracked tutorial exercises, and additional tools for learning during homework assignments. Students are able to learn at their own pace, receive instant feedback, and can seek individual help if needed. Evers said faculty like the application because it automatically grades assignments and quizzes, providing them more time for teaching. It also provides faculty a real-time tool for assessing how well their students are learning specific content.

“Most of the feedback we get from students is positive,” added Evers. “We hear the same comment whether it’s positive or negative. The positive student will say, ‘I really love this course because it forces me to practice and do the homework problems.’ The negative student will say, ‘I hate these homework problems.’”

McLish said that Pearson uses IMS Global’s Enterprise Services specifications to create courses within its eCollege system. A contributing and active member of the standards-setting consortium, Pearson believes that creating greater alignment among products and operating platforms provides greater flexibility and usability for the institutions while also lowering costs for both vendors and users, he added.

With increasing pressure on the University of Alabama to increase its enrollment, teaching introductory courses with MyMathLab has enabled the department to increase the number of students taught with roughly the same number of faculty, said Evers.

“Going forward, we have a fairly exciting thing we’re trying this fall. Our students have been experiencing such good success with this product, we’ve decided to take some of our courses and bulk them up a bit. We are no longer going to teach some of the easier material. We’re going to give it to the students on day one and tell them, ‘We expect you to know this. This is review from previous classes, so by next Wednesday, you need to have gone through this material and make sure you are familiar with it.’ That’s going to enable us to concentrate more on some of the latter topics that are more difficult and even add in a few topics that got deleted over the years. We’re hoping the result of doing this will be that we can keep our success rate the same and further increase the success rates of the upper-level classes.”

About IMS GLC

IMS Global Learning is a nonprofit member organization that strives to enable the growth and impact of learning technology in higher education, K-12, and corporate education worldwide. IMS GLC members are leading corporations, higher education institutions, school districts and government organizations who are enabling the future of education by developing interoperability and adoption practice standards for educational and learning technology. IMS GLC sponsors Learning Impact: a global program and conference that recognizes the impact of learning and educational technology on access, affordability, and quality - the world’s most significant educational challenges. For more information, visit www.imsglobal.org.

Citation

To reference this article please cite:

Humes, L. R. (2009). Using Learning Technology and Standards to Increase Student Success in Math at the University of Alabama. IMS Global Learning Consortium Series on Learning Impact. July 2009.
from http://www.imsglobal.org/articles/july2009AlabamaPearson.cfm

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