Originally published October 27, 2023. Updated October 2026.
Teaching is complicated. Your course materials shouldn't be.
Some of the best ideas in education are the oldest ones. Know what you're aiming for, practice until it clicks, then show you've got it. That's mastery-based learning: an approach where students keep learning and practicing a skill until they can show they understand it on their own.
Hawkes Learning builds that approach into a three-step path (Learn, Practice, Certify) and keeps everything around it simple. Setup is quick, the student experience is straightforward, and real people are there when you need them. It's less setup, more teaching.
Back to basics, on purpose
Technology and course materials in higher education have a way of compounding quickly—more platforms, more logins, more steps between an instructor and the teaching they came to do.
Mastery-based learning goes the other direction. It returns to the basics that have always made learning effective, engaging, and efficient:
- A clear goal: Students know what they're working toward and what proficiency looks like.
- Practice that's allowed to be imperfect: Mistakes are part of the learning process, so practice is penalty-free.
- Feedback that teaches: Students find out what went wrong and how to fix it, right when they need to know.
- Proof on their own: Students show what they know, without learning aids, at a defined level of proficiency.
- Another chance, with support: Students who aren't there yet go back to targeted practice and try again.
The Learn, Practice, Certify path mirrors how people naturally learn: take in an idea, work with it, then show you own it. Hawkes Learning brings that same simplicity to the course materials around it. Everything lives in one place, from learning to course management, so students can focus on mastery and instructors can focus on teaching, not navigating technology.
What is mastery-based learning?
Mastery-based learning allows students to keep learning and practicing a skill until they can show they understand it on their own. Instead of moving on at a fixed pace, every student works toward a clear goal, with feedback and support along the way, and then proves what they know independently.
Memorizing enough to pass a multiple-choice test is one thing, but the ability to thoroughly understand a concept in a new situation, in a later course or on the job, is the skill students take with them. Mastery-based learning is built for that long-term goal.
How does it differ from traditional homework?
Traditional homework often moves everyone forward on a fixed schedule, even those who have gaps in foundational concepts. With mastery-based learning, students close those knowledge gaps first, with feedback that points to exactly what went wrong, and then show they can apply concepts, not just memorize them.
Students Learn More. Instructors Spend Less Time Grading. Here's the Proof.
In an independent study published in the Ohio Math Journal, University of Southern Maine students using Hawkes averaged 83 on quizzes and 81 on the final exam, compared with 74 and 72 for students using paper-and-pencil homework.
Learn, Practice, Certify Explained
Learn, Practice, Certify is the three-step path at the center of Hawkes Learning courseware. Learn introduces the concept with videos, examples and interactive skill checks. Practice is a low-stakes space with step-by-step tutorials and feedback. Certify is the graded assessment, where learning aids are removed and students show mastery at a defined proficiency level.
- Learn: A structured, multimedia-rich lesson with concept builders, animations, instructional videos and interactive skill checks aligned to course objectives.
- Practice: Algorithmically generated problems, step-by-step tutorials and error-specific feedback. Students can focus on the areas where they need the most work.
- Certify: The graded step. Students demonstrate mastery independently, so results reflect true understanding.
If a student doesn't pass Certify, adaptive Practice focuses on what they need most before they try again. That loop is the heart of a mastery-based approach, and it is built in.
Getting started is simple
Course setup is designed to be quick. Hawkes Learning offers guided onboarding, LMS integration, easy customization and flexible assignments, so instructors stay in control of their course. A dedicated Customer Success Specialist helps with setup and fine-tuning, and onboarding resources are available for instructors and students.
"I expected hours. Setting up my course took seconds."
—Neal Chambliss of Calhoun Community College
The goal is a course that is ready on day one, so you can focus on teaching your content, not the technology.
Hear from instructors who've done it
Two instructors recently shared their experience in webinars. Both recordings are in the Learning Library.
What Nobody Tells You About Mastery-Based Learning
Rachelle Powell, M.S., Professor of Sociology at Dallas College, tells the candid story of moving to mastery-based learning, including what setup looked like and what happened when she needed help.
→ Watch the recording
A Decade In: What a Veteran Math Instructor Wishes Every New User Knew
Hunter Chandler shares what he wishes every new user knew after more than ten years of teaching with Hawkes.
→ Watch the recording
Want a closer look first? See how Hawkes keeps course materials simple, or read more about mastery learning at Hawkes.
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