Using grades as a measure depends on the professionalism and integrity of the instructor. Yet grades are ultimately what decides the success rate of students in courses. MS 101 is a terminal mathematics course for the vast majority of the students at the College. In the Spring of 1998 the MS 101 section taught by the MSS Dana Lee Ling, using LiveMath and the Interactive Algebra and Trigonometry tutor, experienced strong success in the course relative to their peers in other sections. Whether the technology was part of this impact is undeterminable.
Classes often vary in basic skill level among the students in the class.
One class might be inherently stronger or weaker. The MS 100 study in the Fall of 1997 suggested that the differences that did appear in the MS 098 study could be solely due to instructor variables. Students had to perform mathematics in both environments. This added load did not decrease success versus their peers. A survey in the Fall of 1998 suggested that students are excited by the use of computer technologies.