Date of Conferral

2018

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

James R. Valadez

Abstract

MyMathLab, an online interactive and educational system by Pearson Publisher, was implemented in 2 lower-level, traditional in-seat algebra courses to provide supplemental, instructional support to students in the fall of 2015 at the college under study. After the first year of use, no significant change in student success was reported, although more students passed intermediate algebra without first taking elementary algebra. The problem addressed in this study was that student results suggested there might be benefits to using MyMathLab that should be investigated. Knowles' theory of andragogy was used in this qualitative case study to gather perceptions of 7 2016-2017 faculty selected through stratified purposeful sampling. The research questions explored the benefits and challenges of using MyMathLab to support students in understanding math concepts and the effect on classroom time for instruction. The 3 major themes that resulted from analysis of the data collected through semistructured interviews were additional practice, immediate feedback, and ownership. Student data were used to triangulate and substantiate the findings. The resulting project was a professional development program for faculty using available resources in MyMathLab. Formative and summative evaluations were recommended to collect feedback from participants. The project contributes to positive social change by increasing faculty confidence in using the product to improve student success and increase student graduation rates. The findings of this study may also contribute to positive social change by supporting existing results from previous studies on the use of digital technology in traditional, in-seat math courses.

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