Courses: GEN 103: Special Topics in College Mathematics for Non-STEM Majors and GEN 104: Special Topics for STEM Majors
Course Type: Emporium

Quick Stats:

• In 2015, the average pass rate was 63% (excluding withdrawals) and 57% overall using a different software platform; after implementing Hawkes Learning in 2016 the pass rate reached 79% and continued to stay above 70% over the next four years.
• In fall ‘16, the pass rate increased by 18%, the fail rate decreased by 15% and the withdrawal rate decreased by 4% compared to the previous fall semester.  
• Over 75% of students who passed University of Louisville’s GEN 103/104 in the summer or fall term of 2021 using Hawkes went on to earn a passing grade in their next credit-level math course.

The University of Louisville (UofL) implemented intervention courses for students who were not college-ready in mathematics to give them the support and resources they needed without slowing down their paths to graduation.

With this goal in mind, UofL replaced all traditional sections of Intermediate Algebra with two new emporium-style intervention courses in algebra. These courses are part of the Resources for Academic Achievement (REACH) program, the university’s centralized academic support unit for undergraduate students. Instead of whole-class lecturing, students meet in a computer lab setting and work through their lessons with the assistance of self-paced courseware, peer tutors, and a course instructor (who serves as a facilitator and guide). REACH is the recipient of the International College Learning Center Association’s (ICLCA) 2022 President’s Outstanding Learning Center Award for Specialized Populations and a Hawkes Learning customer since 2016.

After piloting the materials in spring ’16, UofL adopted Hawkes Learning’s Introductory and Intermediate Algebra courseware and customized Guided Notebook starting in summer ’16 after receiving positive student feedback, seeing overall success rates and experiencing unmatched customer support. One of the key deciding factors in moving forward with Hawkes Learning was the ability to use diagnostic testing through the courseware at the start of the term. After switching to Hawkes Learning and making several other structural changes to the program (such as the development of a common final exam), the pass rate of GEN 103/104 students increased dramatically.

“The diagnostic abilities of Hawkes are a game changer.“

As an intervention course, GEN 103/104 students enter the course at all points on the spectrum. Hawkes’ diagnostic testing with automatic grading allows students to demonstrate proficiency in prerequisite material. For the learning center, this feature saved them from grading over 1,000 pen and paper assessments each term, saving valuable time for instruction.

Since adopting the Hawkes Learning mastery-based courseware and implementing other course changes, the REACH program at UofL has seen consistent success year over year: 

• From fall ’13-’16 pass rates were averaging below 63%.
• After implementing HL, average pass rates from fall ’16 to spring ’22 increased to 71.8% (74.6% when excluding the 20-21 pandemic outlier)

As demonstrated by the charts above, this upward trend in pass rates was interrupted by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic causing the 2020-2021 academic year to be an outlier. The impact of the pandemic is still evident, as pass rates have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. It may take several years for students to recover the learning losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.