News from the Nest

In Their Own Words: Students on the Power of Mastery Learning

Written by Hawkes Learning | Oct 22, 2025 5:00:00 AM

Mastery learning is transforming the way students engage with challenging material, and Hawkes Learning is at the forefront of this shift. By emphasizing understanding over memorization, Hawkes empowers students to take control of their learning journey, building confidence through personalized, self-paced practice.

In this article, we highlight firsthand experiences from students who have thrived using Hawkes Learning’s mastery-based approach—discovering not only improved grades but also a renewed sense of motivation and achievement in their academic lives. Let’s hear directly from the students who’ve experienced the power of mastery learning.

Ella from Guilford College

“Hawkes’ mastery approach has made a difference in my educational experience because it makes it feel more personal. I know I can learn at my own pace and always go back to practice to understand the content before being tested on it. This makes me feel more at ease when learning something because I know I don’t have the pressure of a time constraint and I don’t have to get it right the first time.”

 

Trenton from Prairie View A&M University

“I love the Hawkes mastery approach because it forces you to learn to do the work (in a good way). It makes you go to the practice first and study as much as you can and work on a bunch of practice problems. Then, you are able to move on to similar questions in the Certify mode (using the mastery approach). It helps you genuinely learn instead of just doing homework.”

 

Ash from University of Charleston

“The mastery approach allows me to go through my Certify lessons and complete a majority of the lessons that I am confident in, while still getting a few problems wrong that I might be struggling with a little bit. This creates a more stress-free environment, where I can get one or two questions wrong and then go back and focus on them later, which ultimately reduces the number of errors I make from just being stressed about getting everything right.”

 

Stephanie from Walla Walla University

“Before I started using Hawkes, I would just hope for the best, but with Hawkes, it would make me understand before we moved forward…

When I made a mistake, it didn’t just mark me wrong; it showed me how I was wrong and what I could do to fix it. The Certify part is my favorite because it makes me make sure that I understand the lesson before moving on and be more patient and consistent with my studying. Overall, the mastery approach has made me feel more confident in my studies.”

 

Jay from San Diego City College

“I absolutely loved Hawkes’ mastery approach. I loved how the structure is clear and concise, and the varied problem-solving really serves as a great stepping stone toward mastering just about any subject. I loved how I was always able to have a clear goal in mind, and that really made it feel easier and a lot more accessible while I was learning.”