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Houston Community College

EFFICACY STUDY: Houston Community College
Susan Fife, mathematics professor at Houston Community College, organized and oversaw a department study using a Title V grant. Using Intermediate Algebra and College Algebra students in the fall 2005 and spring 2006 semesters, she examined the differences in achievement and retention between students who were assigned required MyMathLab homework versus students who were assigned homework solely from the textbook. 

Intermediate Algebra is a traditional, lecture-only course comprising three hours of lecture and one hour of required lab time per week. Faculty recommend to students that they use the one-hour lab time for practice via MyMathLab or work sheets. Students were given four tests and one final exam, all of them paper and pencil. Homework for the control group was assigned from the textbook; homework for the treatment group was assigned from MyMathLab.

Tables 1 through 3 show Fife’s results. Achievement was based on the results of the course final exam. Retention is defined as taking the pretest on the first day of class and taking the final exam on the last day of class. Students were not retained if they took the pretest on the first day of class and did not take the final exam. Only students who took both the pretest and the posttest were considered in the calculation of achievement.

Table 1. Comparison of Intermediate Algebra Final Exam Scores of Students Using MyMathLab and Textbook Homework

Table 2. Comparison of College Algebra Final Exam Scores of Students Using MyMathLab and Textbook Homework

Table 3. Comparison of College Algebra Retention Rates of Students Using MyMathLab and Textbook Homework

All but one semester showed significant increases in student achievement among those students who were required to use MyMathLab homework. Of particular note is the increased retention experienced in both semesters of College Algebra: 22.7 percent and 32.3 percent. See Table 3.

Overall, it appears that the assignment of online homework in a traditional lecture class helps increase student achievement, and at the college level, it also helps ensure students are retained.

Based on the data revealed in the study, Fife’s future plans include assigning MyMathLab homework to her traditional, lecture based courses—both to help her students succeed in the course and to save grading and administrative time.