University of Mississippi

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Course: College Algebra
Course Type: Hybrid

Part 1: Pearson compared to Hawkes

Quick Stats:

Increased ABC rate for students using Hawkes
Fall 2014

  • 84.54% of students using Hawkes earned final grade of C or better in course
  • 77.04% of students using MyMathLab earned final grade of C or better in course

Spring 2015

  • 71.14% of students using Hawkes earned final grade of C or better in course
  • 58.67% of students using MyMathLab earned final grade of C or better in course

Improved performance on learning objectives overall for students using Hawkes
Total Duration of Study

  • Students using Hawkes outperformed the students using MyMathLab on 71% of learning objectives.
  • Hawkes students’ performance exceeded MyMathLab students’ performance by greater than 5% on 53% of learning objectives
  • Hawkes students’ performance exceeded MyMathLab students’ performance by greater than 10% on 32% of learning objectives

In the Fall of 2014, the University of Mississippi began a year-long pilot study comparing the efficacy of two courseware systems, Hawkes Learning and MyMathLab, in its College Algebra courses. Over 1,000 students were involved in the study and 50 learning objectives were measured. All sections included in this analysis were a hybrid format, with face-to-face lecture being supplemented by online homework and testing administered by Hawkes and MyMathLab outside of scheduled class meetings.

Fall 2014
In the initial pilot, 97 students used Hawkes, while 636 students continued using MyMathLab.

  • Homework: Homework was completed online in the respective software and was weighted at 16.7% of the overall grade for all sections.
  • Lab Work: : In addition to scheduled class meetings, students spent a minimum of 50 minutes per week in the campus Mathematics Lab
  • Testing: Four unit tests were given online using the respective software in a proctored setting in the lab.
  • Final Exam: The final exam taken by all students was a multiple-choice paper exam generated within MyMathLab and was weighted at 33.3% of the overall grade.

Spring 2015
Following the measurable success of the Hawkes courseware in the Fall, Ole Miss expanded the pilot for the Spring to include 253 students using Hawkes. The other 150 continued using MyMathLab.

  • Homework: Homework was completed online in the respective software and was weighted
    at 8% of the overall grade for all sections.
  • Lab Work: Students were required to attend the Mathematics lab each week to complete
    quizzes, which were administered in the respective software. Notes were allowed for quizzes, and students were allowed three attempts.
  • Testing: Four unit tests were given online using the respective software in a proctored setting in the lab.
  • Final Exam: In order to better measure students’ grasp of the material, final exam was changed to a free-response format. The Hawkes students took their final exams within Hawkes, while the Pearson students took their final exams within MyMathLab. The final was weighted 22% of the overall grade, or 36% if higher than the lowest unit test grade.

Mean Score Comparison

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Final Grade Distribution Comparison

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Part 2: ALEKS compared to Hawkes

Quick Stats:

Spring 2017

  • Overall grades averaged 7 percentage points higher for students using Hawkes Learning compared to those using ALEKS (percentage points based on median data).

Fall 2017

  • Overall grades averaged 5 percentage points higher for students using Hawkes Learning compared to those using ALEKS.

In the spring of 2017, the University of Mississippi was awarded the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities’ (APLU) Accelerating Adoption of Adaptive Courseware Grant, and the Mathematics Department was tasked with participating in the grant across several courses. Since Hawkes Learning was not on the approved courseware list at the time, faculty elected to pilot ALEKS in several sections of College Algebra in each of the last two semesters to satisfy the terms of the grant.

In each semester, student performance across the board in Hawkes Learning (homework, tests, final exam, and overall grade) was significantly better than student performance in ALEKS.

Hawkes is now on the approved courseware list for the APLU grant. Due to its features such as adaptability, scaffolded learning, deep levels of interaction and specific feedback for students, learner autonomy, and customization options, Hawkes continues to be used by math faculty at the University of Mississippi.

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