White Paper. Aplia Associated with Higher Course Grades in Biology

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1 White Paper Aplia Associated with Higher Course Grades in Biology

2 Introduction About Aplia for Biology Aplia for Biology is an online learning solution that provides interactive chapter assignments designed to move students from lower- to higherorder thinking skills. Problem sets consist of randomized, automatically graded problems and detailed explanations that seek to effectively engage the student to think like a scientist. Aplia for Biology follows a path of various learning activities to obtain these results: Engage: Interactive problems engage students, showing them how science is relevant in their own lives. Online self-directed and self-paced learning is becoming increasingly popular. However, little is known about the relationship between the use of such online learning tools and classroom success. The goal of the current study, conducted by The Research Group at the University of California, Berkeley s Lawrence Hall of Science, was to determine if student use of a specific digital learning product developed by Cengage Learning, Aplia for Biology, was related to academic achievement in the course within which it was used. 1 About the Study Instructors were recruited from a nationwide pool of Cengage Textbook users to participate in the study. A total of twenty instructors agreed to participate, 10 in the treatment group using Aplia for Biology and 10 in the comparison group using the same textbooks, but without the use of Aplia for Biology. Due to reasons unrelated to the study, one instructor from the treatment group was excluded from the study leaving 9 instructors in the treatment group. Most of the institutions were in the Southern and Midwest regions of the United States (see Figure 1). The number of students per instructor ranged from 3 to 157 Figure 1 Locations of Participating Instructors Connect: Real world applications help students master a body of knowledge and connect terms and concepts. Perform: What Would You Do scenarios provide an opportunity to apply science concepts. Control Treatment 2 Learn more online at

3 (average was 41). The number of students within each study group was 329 for Aplia, and 446 for non-aplia. Of those nineteen instructors, nine used Aplia for Biology in their course; five of these taught a biology course for non-majors, and four taught a biology course for majors. Students in classes using Aplia were more likely to complete course with a Passing Grade. Study results show that the percentage of students with an A grade was similar between treatment and comparison groups, while the percentage of students with a B or C (i.e., the remaining passing grades) was higher for the Aplia for Biology group than the non-aplia group. Further, the percentage of students with a failing grade ( D or F ) was lower in the Aplia for Biology group than in the non-aplia group. An independent sample t-test comparing the two means was found to be significant (t(773)=2.037, p<.05; Levene s test was non-significant). This result indicates that mean grades from Aplia for Biology students were higher than non- Aplia students. Grades from Aplia for Biology students were higher than non-aplia students Figure 2 Grades by Treatment Group Status 35% 30% Percent of students 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% F D C Grade B A Control Treatment 3

4 70% of students agreed or strongly agreed that they would recommend using Aplia for this class to other students Students Report Positive Experience with Aplia Students provided their feedback and reported their opinions about their experience using Aplia for Biology on a survey administered in November, The survey included items about their engagement in the course and their thoughts on Aplia for Biology. In general, the students responses indicated high satisfaction with Aplia for Biology, recognizing its role in improving engagement and learning. Table 1 summarizes their responses to these items. Of note, nearly 70% of students agreed or strongly agreed that they would recommend using Aplia for this class to other students. Similarly, between 65% and 80% of the student respondents indicated that they agreed or strongly agreed that: using Aplia had improved their grade, helped them understand the course material, enabled them to learn at their own pace, provided a new way to learn the material and personalize their learning, and helped them complete more assignments Table 1 Student Responses to Aplia for Biology Feedback Survey I would recommend using Aplia in this class to other students Using Aplia has improved my grade so far in this class Using Aplia helped me better understand the course material Using Aplia I was more able to learn at my own pace Using Aplia provided a new way to learn the material Using Aplia provided a way to personalize my learning Using Aplia helped me complete more assignments Percent of students Disagree Neutral Agree 4 Learn more online at

5 On the same survey, students were asked to indicate if the use of technology affected their level of interest in their Biology course. Based on the high opinion of the role Aplia for Biology played in their learning expressed on other survey questions, it is not surprising that nearly 60% of the respondents indicated that the use of technology in their course increased their interest in their biology course, either somewhat or a lot. Table 2 Student Response: How has the use of technology affected your level of interest in this course? 41.3% 17.4% Increased Increased interest interest a lot somewhat 60% of the respondents indicated that the use of technology in their course increased their interest in their biology course, either somewhat or a lot 2.2% Decreased interest somewhat 2.2% Decreased interest a lot 36.9% Has not had an effect It gets the students more involved in the lecture when I m going over [it, and] it has opened my students up more for discussion. Biology Professor Instructors Report Positive Impact of Aplia on Students When professors were asked to describe how Aplia for Biology impacted their students course experience, all of them reported that Aplia for Biology had a positive impact. Specifically, several professors stated that Aplia for Biology has helped students get more into the textbook and the lectures, as one professor states, I think it s gotten them into the book more. Another professor explained, It gets the students more involved in the lecture when I m going over [it, and] it has opened my students up more for discussion. A third professor summarizes the positive impact of Aplia for Biology on her students learning as follows: 5

6 [There is a] big correlation between the students that did it [the Aplia for Biology assignments] and the students that were successful. Biology Professor Aplia for Biology relieves my stress with coming up with assignments for each chapter. So it relaxes me, and allows me to focus more on what I d like to present in class. So, in that way it improves instruction, I think, for everybody. Biology Professor My impression from reading [students comments] is that the students are more engaged because they have those assignments through Aplia. They are keeping up with the reading. I did not have anything like that before. This is definitely something that s keeping the students reading and thinking about the concepts more throughout the entire semester. So that s great! I definitely think that has helped as well. Their performance, their understanding has improved from previous courses. Another professor echoed that the use of Aplia for Biology enhanced students understanding of the material stating, I definitely think it has helped them understand the content more. One professor stated that she has seen a change in grade pattern because of this [Aplia for Biology]. The percentage of good grades went up using this, which she attributes to Aplia for Biology having helped them get the material better. Finally, one professor agreed stating that he saw a big correlation between the students that did it [the Aplia for Biology assignments] and the students that were successful. Instructors See Aplia as Helping Their Teaching When professors were asked to reflect on how the use of Aplia for Biology impacted their teaching, they also reported positive effects including reducing their workload and stress while enhancing their instruction. One professor explained that using Aplia for Biology relieves my stress with coming up with assignments for each chapter. So it relaxes me, and allows me to focus more on what I d like to present in class. So, in that way it improves instruction, I think, for everybody. Another professor reported receiving fewer requests for help from struggling students stating, As far as having to communicate with the students who don t do as well, I don t have to communicate as much because they are doing better on the exams. Another professor shared this experience and described, It has become a lot easier for me. Usually the students will come back with a lot more questions, but now that they are doing the homework in Aplia, I think their level of understanding has increased. I have to deal with fewer s. I think they are getting it a little better because of doing homework in there. This professor also reported having fewer office hours since she started using Aplia for Biology. She also stated that the self-grading feature of Aplia for Biology helped her save time grading homework [and] use that time for better instruction and other things in the classroom. Finally, one professor shared that the use of Aplia for Biology has resulted in a more integrated approach. I m very often referring to previous chapters and previous videos. That s happening more. 6 Learn more online at

7 Conclusion Study researchers concluded that student grades, survey results, and professor interviews suggest a link between the availability of Aplia for Biology for students and students end of semester grades. On average, students in courses that offered Aplia for Biology earned higher grades than students in courses that did not use Aplia for Biology. Roughly half of the professors who had Aplia for Biology in their classrooms recognized and commented on improved student grades and understanding of course content. These professors attributed this difference to the use of Aplia for Biology in their classrooms. Further, close to 70% of participating students who responded to a feedback survey regarding the use of Aplia for Biology in their studies indicated that they agreed or strongly agreed that using Aplia for Biology improved their grade in Biology. [Aplia for Biology helped me] save time grading homework [and] use that time for better instruction and other things in the classroom. Biology Professor This study was not designed in such a way to draw a causal link between the use of Aplia for Biology and students grades 2 ; however, the data gathered does show evidence of promise that students who are given the opportunity to use Aplia for Biology in their courses will earn higher grades and experience deeper engagement than students who are not given that opportunity. NOTES 1 Cengage Learning funded this study. The research design, data collection, analysis and interpretation were conducted by The Research Group at the University of California, Berkeley s Lawrence Hall of Science. 2 The study was not designed in such a way to draw a causal link between the use of Aplia for Biology and improved student grades or content knowledge. A study with random assignment to treatment group is necessary for such conclusions. Similarly, we cannot generalize the results of this study to other content areas for which Cengage Learning provides online supplements. More studies in other content domains are necessary to expand the current results to make inferences beyond Aplia for Biology. 7

8 The Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley, investigates, creates, and evaluates educational materials and methods, professional development programs, and hands-on learning experiences across and within multiple settings, including: formal (schools, districts, higher education), out-ofschool (after school programs, camps), and informal (science centers, museums). The Research Group at the Hall contributes to excellence, equity, and innovation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning through multiple forms: conducting applied research, evaluating the quality and impact of educational materials and programs, developing assessments that measure learning in STEM fields, engaging in policy studies, and serving as a thought partner for practitioners and learning experience designers. lawrencehallofscience.org/researchgroup. The contents of this report were used with permission. Copyright 2014 by the Regents of the University of California Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley; California. All Rights Reserved. Cengage Learning is a leading provider of innovative teaching, learning, and research solutions for academic, professional, and library markets worldwide. The company s products and services are designed to foster academic excellence and professional development, increase engagement, improve learning outcomes, and deliver authoritative information to people whenever and wherever they need it. Through the company s unique position within both the library and academic markets, Cengage Learning is providing integrated learning solutions that bridge Source Code: 14M-LS0067 ISBN: from the library to the classroom. Copyright 2014 by Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.