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VENTURA COLLEGE
Ventura, CA
Product Name MasteringChemistry
Course Name General Chemistry I
t
Credit Hours Three
Key Results Students’ MasteringChemistry homework scores have a strong, positive correlation with final
course grades. Retention has increased, and more students are earning a final course grade of
A or B.
Texts
Results and Data
Chemistry: A Molecular Approach, 2e, Nivaldo Tro (2010)
An analysis of student outcomes without assigned
MasteringChemistry (spring 2009) and with assigned
MasteringChemistry (fall 2010, fall 2011) indicated the following:
Chemistry, The Central Science, 11e, Theodore E. Brown, H.
Eugene LeMay, Bruce E. Bursten, Catherine Murphy, and
Patrick Woodward (2011)
•
96 percent of students who averaged 70 percent or higher
on their MasteringChemistry homework successfully
completed the class with a grade of A, B, or C. See figure 1.
•
Those students who successfully completed the course
earned an average score of 73 percent on their
MasteringChemistry homework.
•
Those students who did not successfully complete the
course earned an average score of 37 percent on their
MasteringChemistry homework. See figures 2 and 3.
•
The drop/fail/withdrawal (D/F/W) rate fell from 56
percent without the use of MasteringChemistry homework
to an average of 44.5 percent the first two semesters
that MasteringChemistry was in use. See figure 1.
•
There was an increase in final course grades of A and B
for both semesters using MasteringChemistry. See figure 1.
•
There is a strong, positive correlation between homework scores in MasteringChemistry and the final course
grade for both semesters using MasteringChemistry. See
figures 2 and 3.
•
There was a moderate, positive correlation between
the paper-and-pencil quiz averages and the final course
grade.
Implementation
This lecture course is an introduction to matter and energy,
atomic structure, nomenclature, chemical equations, stoichiometry, gases, thermochemistry, quantum chemistry, bonding,
molecular geometry, oxidation-reduction, liquids and solids,
and solutions. Its corresponding lab may be taken in conjunction with the course or after course completion. The majority
of students who take General Chemistry I also take General
Chemistry II.
I started using MasteringChemistry in fall 2010 because I believe
the goal of homework is to help students learn and study. In
order to master course concepts and problems, students need
practice and repetition—and MasteringChemistry provides
that. In fall 2011, I modified the course by adding paper-andpencil quizzes to help students practice writing down their work.
Assessments
Fall 2010
51 percent
Exams
27 percent
MasteringChemistry homework
22 percent Final exam
Fall 2011
49.5 percent Exams
21 percent
MasteringChemistry homework
16 percent
Final exam
13.5 percent Quizzes
12 • MasteringChemistry.com
MasteringChemistry: Ventura College
“Previously, I only suspected that those students who used the homework to learn and to reinforce
course concepts did better in the course. Now I have confirmation of it through data analysis.”
Final Course Grade Percent
60%
Distribution
50%
40%
30%
120
100
r(61) = 0.85, p < 0.005
80
60
40
20
0
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
MasteringChemistry Homework Average
20%
10%
Figure 2. MasteringChemistry Homework Average Versus Final Course
Grade, Fall 2010
0%
A
B
C
D/F/W
Fall 2010 w/MC
Fall 2011 w/MC
Figure 1. General Chemistry I Grade Distribution before and after Use
of MasteringChemistry, Spring 2009, Fall 2010, and Fall 2011
The Student Experience
I encourage peer tutoring. My students are forming study
groups now and spending more time talking through the
MasteringChemistry problems with each other.
Final Course Grade Percent
Grade
Spring 2009 w/o MC
120
100
r(52) = .88, p < 0.005
80
60
40
20
0
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
MasteringChemistry Homework Average
Figure 3. MasteringChemistry Homework Average Versus Final Course
Grade, Fall 2011
Students who do better in the course are those students
who use the program’s hints to help them better understand
problems and who appreciate the opportunity to rework
the problems.
Conclusion
I was very surprised by the extremely high correlation between
students who successfully complete the class and score a
70 percent or higher on the MasteringChemistry homework.
I felt that the students who were using the homework to learn
and reinforce the concepts were doing better in the course,
but having this confirmed through the data is very beneficial.
I believe that MasteringChemistry will be an extremely helpful
resource for a whole generation of students at Ventura College.
Submitted by Malia Rose
Ventura College
MasteringChemistry.com • 13