MyMathLab (MyLab Math) Case Studies

The Dunham School

Course Structure

MyMathLab® is used in the classroom during math lab days and at home when students are completing assignments. Students use MyMathLab everyday either in class or at home.

I used MyMathLab for the majority of homework assignments in my Algebra II courses. We use a hybrid approach for assessments. Students take traditional paper/pencil quizzes and testes in addition to quizzes and tests in MyMathLab. I create these paper/pencil tests from the TestGen application. Students also complete spiral review exercises in MyMathLab. Students take practice tests in MyMathLab prior to the paper/pencil assessments and personalized assignments are created on objectives not mastered. I create all of my own assignments from the database of exercises in MyMathLab. For presentations, I use the pre-made PowerPoints and edit them as needed. Once they're done, I import them to my Promethean board to display to the class.

MyMathLab homework assignments are 15% of the grade. Students are required to show work in a composition notebook and these are checked 2 to 3 times per grading period. MXLS quizzes are 15% of the grade and students may take quizzes an unliminted number of times. MXLS tests comprise 10% of the grade.

Teacher Experience

MyMathLab has transformed the learning environment in my classroom. It eliminates the need for me to take class time checking homework and going over answers. I am able to individualize instruction for my students. I can work one on one with students who need extra help and other students are able to work ahead. Most of my students use the online help features to complete assignments even when they are absent from school. The item analysis feature enables me to see which questions students are spending the most time working and the amount of time students spend on assignments.

Student Experience

Students have reacted in a positive manner. Most of the students love the immediate feedback and the support features. I have had students tell me that in the past they did not do well in math, but this program motivates students to work problems until they get 100%. Many students admit that in the past they would just write anything down when doing math homework and since it was not checked for credit, they would receive credit with little effort. Now the students are “doing” more math and as a result they are seeing an improvement in their grade. The level of student engagement in the classroom when working in math lab is astonishing. Students collaborate with each other and remain on task. I have heard students make comments such as “I like doing math” and one student told me that she was up until 1 in the morning working ahead on math.

Course Results / Outcomes

I did have students complete surveys the first year that I used the program. The results were very positive with most students stating although they were working harder and doing more math in the past, the program helped them to better understand math concepts. I have also seen an increase in my A/B/C rate and a decrease in D/F. I will be gathering information this year on student PLAN and ACT scores to see if there is an impact on standardized test scores.

Additional Comments

MyMathLab has been a great resource in my classroom. It has helped to motivate students, enhance student engagement, and increase the efficiency of class time. As a result, I am able to have students complete activities that require critical thinking and problem solving. These activities allow students to explore the math content at a deeper level using technology and collaboration. In the past there was not time for such activities because class time was wasted checking and reviewing homework.

Northeast High School

Course Structure

Ruby Hull, math teacher, used MyMathLab in her Algebra I class to help her students improve their math skills and practice solving problems on the computer. She assigned four homework assignments for each unit, and students attended the math lab on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Work on MyMathLab contributed 10 percent to each student’s overall course grade.

Teacher Experience

MyMathLab streamlined Hull’s time and enabled her to work closely with those students who were having trouble. Meanwhile, those who were more comfortable with their skills and with the computer itself could use Ask the Instructor and the program’s other interactive teaching and learning resources. “Teaching is all about finding creative ways to motivate students to learn. And, although every student is different, they all responded to the program’s immediate feedback and 24/7 support.” Hull particularly appreciated the way that MyMathLab promoted self-paced, mastery learning. “The program fed my students problems specifically attuned to their individual skill levels,” she says. “It then ensured that they did not move ahead until they were comfortable with the concept at hand.”

Student Experience

Hull believes that using MyMathLab was good for her students. “Everything today—both in the classroom and beyond it—is more computerized,” says Hull. “Students need to know how to use computers, how to comfortably poke around them and problem solve on their own, and how to learn in this new way. My students got better the more they used MyMathLab.”

Student Gains

For those students who took the time to read the instructions and do the problems, MyMathLab helped them, and they did well. “Some now appreciate computers as a better tool than books,” says Hull. “When they had trouble, the program helped them work through it.”

Hull’s 2010–2011 EOC results indicate that MyMathLab had a positive impact on her students’ learning. Her students’ EOC exam pass rates improved 7.2 percentage points—from 63.6 percent in 2010 to 70.8 percent in 2011.

Woodlawn High School

Course Structure

Fike’s goal was to stick as close as possible to the LSU College Readiness Program model, while following the Louisiana Comprehensive Curriculum (LCC) content and calendar. Unit 1 was primarily done on paper, but the rest of the units were completed using MyMathLab. Fike chose homework assignments from the program that corresponded with the LCC for those units and used the program’s lesson resources to both introduce new material and as a warm-up to each class period. Students were required to complete the Whole Class Discussion problems in class and to work the corresponding homework assignments using MyMathLab.

Teacher experience

“Teaching with MyMathLab made teaching fun again,” says Fike. “It enabled me to return to the kind of daily, one-on-one interaction with my students that I really enjoy. Most important, I’ve seen a tremendous improvement in my students.”

MyMathLab met the full range of Fike’s students’ needs. “Students could access the program at home whether they needed remediation or if they simply wanted more practice,” she says. “And some did just that. I know they wouldn’t have sought more work from a textbook.”

Student Experience

MyMathLab facilitates many of today’s proven best practices. Via interactive features including immediate feedback, multimedia assessments, and personalized learning, Fike’s students gained learning experience that means something both in the classroom and beyond it.

• Increased time on task. “Learning math is about repetition,” says Fike. “Watching someone work a problem doesn’t help. MyMathLab provides students with individually tailored problems to work on their own, which increases their chances of doing them right come test time.”
• Content relevance. “MyMathLab presents content that reflects the importance of math in their day-to-day lives,” says Fike. “It reinforces that learning is beneficial to their futures.”
• Strengthened teacher/student connection. “My students knew that both the program and I were there for them,” says Fike. “They were on board with what we were there to do each class period—no more moans and groans!”
• Enhanced student self-confidence. “Students were excited to see that green check mark,” says Fike. “Some previously had so little success that this indication of their ability empowered them. They developed a more positive attitude about math, gained confidence in themselves, and were less likely to give up.”

Student Gains

Fike was concerned about the EOC tests. “I wondered if my students were prepared enough,” she says. “But when I saw the results, I was really pleased: 74 percent of them passed on their first try—a huge improvement over last year’s pass rate of 45 percent.”

“In addition, the discipline of the students in my MyMathLab class was a lot better than that of my students who didn’t use the program,” says Fike. “I attribute it to the program’s ability to keep students focused.”