Faculty Advisors

Connect with faculty advisors who have successfully integrated the Mastering system into their course. Using the proven effectiveness of peer-to-peer advising, Faculty Advisors are available to relate success stories, share best practices, and provide tips for successfully integrating Mastering into your curriculum.

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  Judy Penn
  Shoreline Community College
  Shoreline, WA

  Courses Taught:Microbiology (allied health students)
  Course Format:Traditional; Hybrid
  "MasteringMicrobiology is a great tool for low-stakes assessments of student reading comprehension and lab preparation. I've also added practice quizzes and lab study questions to help students with exam preparation. Mastering provides me with valuable information about student achievement of course outcomes. It's easy to recognize students needing help, or concepts requiring more explanation in lecture. My students appreciate that Mastering gives them the opportunity to self-assess. They especially like the hints, the immediate feedback (especially why an answer is incorrect), and the animations. Scores on my comprehensive final exam rose by 5% after using Mastering."
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  Lourdes Norman-McKay
  Florida State College at Jacksonville
  Jacksonville, FL

  Courses Taught:Microbiology; Anatomy & Physiology
  Course Format:Hybrid
  "The latest trends in education include providing increased access to higher education with decreased capital resources. As such, hybrid/online course offerings have dramatically increased. When I took on teaching microbiology and A&P as hybrid courses I was concerned that the quality of the provided education would be jeopardized. However, after adopting the Mastering programs, I have seen my hybrid students out-perform traditional students on proctored exams by almost a full letter grade. Also, it has decreased my workload, increased student success and retention, and provided me with invaluable feedback on student performance. Simply put, it works."
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  Craig Lending
  The College at Brockport, State University of New York
  Brockport, NY

  Courses Taught:Microbiology; Biology I & II (majors); Non-majors Biology
  Course Format:Traditional; Hybrid
  "I use the Mastering portal as 10% of the total course grade, and have weekly assignments due that cover content similar to the lecture material. I encourage students to read in advance of lectures, and hope to eventually require the completion of the Mastering assignments prior to lecture. Virtually all of the students, at all the different levels I teach, find the assignments helpful, especially the animations and the varied formats used for assessing knowledge."
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  Cheryl Boice
  Florida Gateway College
  Lake City, FL

  Courses Taught:Biology I & II (mixed majors); Microbiology
  Course Format:Traditional; Hybrid; Online
  "Engaging the students in online activities in my courses has improved their classroom interaction and increased the exam scores and retention rates."
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  Andrew Scala
  Dutchess Community College
  Poughkeepsie, NY

  Courses Taught:Biology I & II (mixed majors); Majors Genetics; Majors Microbiology; Microbiology for Nursing
  Course Format:Traditional
  "The Mastering online resource has been incorporated into the classes I teach with success. Students comment that the homework, quizzes, and the self study areas allow them to build confidence and streamline their study time."
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  Suzanne Long
  Monroe Community College
  Rochester, NY

  Courses Taught:Majors Biology I; Non-majors Biology; Microbiology (allied health)
  Course Format:Traditional
  "One of the most effective ways that I can provide practice opportunities for my students is to assign meaningful homework. Developing and evaluating homework and providing effective feedback had become a very onerous task. Mastering has greatly simplified this process and has become an integral component of my General Biology and Microbiology classes, enabling more efficient use of class time. Anecdotally, my students' exam scores have improved 10% - 15%."
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  Terry Austin
  Temple College
  Temple, TX

  Courses Taught:Microbiology; Anatomy & Physiology I & II
  Course Format: Traditional; Hybrid
  "Mastering has actually managed to get myself and my students excited about homework! I've found that pre-lecture assignments help focus my lecture time on topics where students most need help. Additionally, Mastering offers students a grade incentive for preparing themselves ahead of lecture, which has clearly improved their in-class performance. Most startling to me was the day my students went from grumbling about homework to emailing me to remind me to make their homework available ahead of time!"