Date of Graduation

5-2015

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Higher Education (EdD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders

Advisor/Mentor

Hammons, James O.

Committee Member

Mamiseishvili, Ketevan

Second Committee Member

Hodges, Karen

Keywords

Education; College; Community; Computer; Developmental; Mathematics; Software

Abstract

The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to compare the performance of students receiving web based software-enhanced instruction with the performance of students receiving lecture only instruction in terms of retention rates, success rates, test grades, and final exam scores for developmental mathematics courses at Ozarks Technical Community College. The researcher randomly selected 250 participants from the population of students experiencing software-enhanced instruction during the 2012-2013 academic year and 250 participants from the population of students experiencing lecture only instruction during the 2010-2011 academic year. Several demographic variables were compared to control for intervening variables. The sample data was tested against population records to address validity concerns. The researcher formed four conclusions: (a) course retention rates were not impacted after redesigning the developmental math courses; (b) success rates increased after the implementation of software-enhanced instruction; however, the improved rate may not have been fully attributed to the redesign; (c) the effects on unit exam scores were mixed with lower scores on the first test and higher scores on the second and third exams; (d) software-enhanced instruction did not significantly improve final exam scores.

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