Education publishing giant Pearson has recently released the MyLab & Mastering educator case studies which explore the effect using MyLab and Mastering has for teaching.
MyLab and Mastering is currently in use by teachers to aid in the academic support of 12 million students each year to create personalized learning experiences that continue to adapt to the needs of each student.
The Business, IT and Career case studies take a closer look at student engagement, active and adaptive learning, in addition to the flipped learning model as well as the fully online model, using educators from both two and four-year higher education institutions. Courses observed include accounting, automotive, culinary arts, economics, EMS training, finance, marketing, and programming.
According to the report, data taken from the University of Texas at Arlington, a four-year state university currently enrolling close to 35,000 students, suggests positive correlations between average MyFinanceLab homework scores and average Learning Catalytics as well as average Dynamic Study Module grades.
Students who attained higher than average scores through Learning Catalytics and Dynamic Study Module were also found to earn high test scores. Specifically, students who finished more homework assignments scored 8 points higher on exams than students who did not complete at least an average amount of homework.
Learning Catalysts is a feature of MyLab and Mastering that offers interactive, classroom-based activities that students can access on their smartphones, tablets or laptops. Dynamic Study Modules allow educators to keep track of individual students’ performance and to personalize content in real time, which allows for the reinforcement of concepts that students may be struggling with.
Results from the University of Georgia, the oldest public university in the country and the flagship university for the state, show that students who earned a higher than average score on MyEconLab homework also attained higher than average exam and final course grades. At the same time, students who made use of MyEconLab to prepare or practice for exams earned exam scores that were, on average, five percentage points higher than those who did not use the tools.
“The data-driven case studies in this report quantify the positive impact that faculty using MyLab and Mastering technologies are having on learning outcomes and retention,” said John Tweeddale, senior vice president, Efficacy & Quality, Pearson. “We extend our deepest gratitude to each contributing instructor for volunteering to submit a case study that illustrates how they have implemented a Pearson digital learning solution to improve teaching and learning.”
Also included in the report were 10 recommended best practices for helping educators and students make better use of MyLab, including the identification of problems the educator wishes to solve, starting small and connecting with students, offer a personalized experience, assess students frequently, and keep track of gains made during the learning process.
The report suggests that doing all this will better prepare students to achieve academic goals and career paths.
