Learning Management Systems and Student Performance

Abstract

In today's technology driven societies, academic institutions, especially at the tertiary level, are incorporating Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), utilizing learning management systems (LMS) and adopting blended learning approaches to improve student performance and enhance student learning. Currently a good deal of research is conducted to assess the effectiveness of such techniques and technologies on student learning and performance. A great deal of this research deals with LMS's, e-learning platforms, such as Blackboard, but not much is being conducted on LMS's provided by publishing companies, like McGraw Hill Education, whose course management systems are available for a range of courses and being used throughout the world. This paper examines the effectiveness of McGraw Hill Education's Connect on improving student grades in a pre-calculus course at a university in a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) country. Using simple and multiple linear regression analysis to investigate whether there was a relationship between the Connect online assignments' grades and the total course grade of students in the course, and two independent sample t-tests to compare the grades between two pre-calculus courses (one taught using the Connect component, and the other taught in the traditional format) results show that using Connect has positive impact on student grades.

The Effect of McGraw-Hill Education Connect on Students' Academic Performance

“…In today's technology-driven societies, higher education institutions, especially at the tertiary level, are adopting blended learning approaches to enhance student learning and improve student performance [1]. The blended learning model combines traditional classroom teaching and an e-learning system [2][3][4].…”

“…Also, the study found that while the mean effect size for the purely online versus face-to-face contrasts was not significantly different from 0 (g+ = +0.05, p = .46), the mean effect size of the blended versus face-toface contrasts was significantly different from zero (g+ = +0.35, p < .0001) [19]. Many researchers concluded that the reported effects of blended learning on students' achievement were inconsistent and mixed [1][2], [9], [12], [14], [20].…”

“…Regardless of the mixed findings of blended learning effects, increasing demands from educators have led the proliferation of technology supplements provided by famous textbook publishers such as McGraw-Hill, Belford/St., Martin's, and Pearson [21]. These textbook technology supplements became prolific in higher education as complementary tools to assist student learning [1], [22].…”

“…McGraw-Hill Education (MGHE) developed a leading course management system called "Connect," which is being used extensively in higher education institutions around the world to enhance traditional methods of teaching and improving students' performance [1]. MGHE defined Connect as "a digital learning environment that integrates assignments, grading, and course content, making the entire course experience seamless while delivering better outcomes for students and educators (p.4) [23]."…”

“…In order to prove the effectiveness of its Connect platform on student performance, case studies research was conducted in collaboration with MGHE in different institutions in the United States. The studies concluded that Connect had a positive impact on all aspects of student learning, such as performance, pass rate, retention rate, exam score, and final course grade [1], [23].…”