College Attributes Greater Student Achievement to McGraw-Hill Higher Education's Digital Solution by ALEKS Corporation
Pass rates averaged more than 70 percent higher for students who used the ALEKS system for three different developmental math courses.
PRNewswire
NEW YORK
Nov 19, 2008
Students nationwide who are required to take developmental math in college continue to struggle and fail at rates as high as 50 percent due mainly to inaccurate course placement and a lack of prerequisite knowledge necessary for the pace and rigor of college-level math courses. But a program at Middlesex County College in New Jersey is bucking that trend.
For the past 12 months, Middlesex has piloted ALEKS, a web-based software system developed by ALEKS Corporation and made available to colleges and universities nationwide by McGraw-Hill Higher Education, a leading provider of electronic and print learning materials. The objective of the college's pilot program was to increase student retention and foster continuing development of mathematics skills and understanding. The college previously used commonly available online homework systems, however, these trials met with limited success. Students found them difficult to understand and use. Even after successful implementation, homework management systems had a relatively small effect on learning outcomes specifically in developmental math courses.
In the pilot program, pass rates among the students taking developmental math courses that implemented ALEKS rose dramatically. For example, in the fall 2007, the pass rate jumped from 41 percent to 75 percent in the first semester of using ALEKS. In the spring 2008 semester, pass rates in courses that implemented ALEKS jumped to 79 percent compared to only 49 percent in traditional sections. More than 300 students participated in the pilot.
"ALEKS allows students to get through their math courses successfully and with confidence," said Dr. Maria DeLucia, chairperson of the Middlesex County College math department. "Given the college's success with the pilot program, we have expanded the use of the ALEKS system to other departmental courses, reaching many more students."
Kurt Strand, president, McGraw-Hill Higher Education Science, Mathematics and Engineering Group, said, "ALEKS is ideal for measuring a student's mathematical skills with precision. This successful pilot program at Middlesex County College demonstrates how McGraw-Hill is integrating technology into the classroom to help drive student achievement." ALEKS Corporation president Wil Lampros explained, "ALEKS is a powerful tool that zeros in on the strengths and weaknesses of a student's mathematical knowledge, reports its findings to the student and instructor and gives students a continuously updated personalized learning plan to remediate and build skills for success in future courses. The Middlesex pilot is a perfect example of how ALEKS can be used to solve placement problems, lower fail rates, and retain students."
McGraw-Hill Higher Education offers an array of digital products and learning tools designed to provide new paths to educational success for students and instructors. Developed by leading experts in content development and instructional technology, McGraw-Hill's digital products and services include online courses, ebooks, homework management programs, tutoring, assessment solutions and additional resources for students such as iPod content and online learning resources.
About McGraw-Hill Higher Education
McGraw-Hill Higher Education is a premier provider of teaching and learning solutions for the post-secondary and higher education markets worldwide. It is a unit of McGraw-Hill Education, a leading global provider of instructional, assessment and reference solutions that empower professionals and students of all ages. McGraw-Hill Education has offices in 33 countries and publishes in more than 60 languages. Additional information is available at http://www.mheducation.com/ .
About ALEKS Corporation
ALEKS Corporation is a leader in the creation of Web-based artificially intelligent educational software. ALEKS assessment and learning technologies were originally developed by a team of cognitive scientists and software engineers at the University of California, Irvine, with major funding from the National Science Foundation. ALEKS is founded on groundbreaking research into mathematical cognitive science. Through adaptive questioning, ALEKS accurately assesses a student's knowledge state, and then delivers targeted instruction on the topics a student is most ready to learn.
ALEKS has been used by millions of students in more than 50 academic subjects ranging from Basic Math to Precalculus at thousands of institutions throughout the world. For additional information, visit http://www.aleks.com/.
Contact: Tom Stanton Emily Wennerberg McGraw-Hill Education ALEKS Corporation (212) 904-3214 (714) 245-7191 x153 tom_stanton@mcgraw-hill.com emilyw@aleks.com
First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:
SOURCE: McGraw-Hill Higher Education
CONTACT: Tom Stanton
McGraw-Hill Education
(212) 904-3214
tom_stanton@mcgraw-hill.com
Emily Wennerberg
ALEKS Corporation
(714) 245-7191 x153
emilyw@aleks.com