Mt. Pleasant, S.C. — Hawkes Learning, a leading educational technology company dedicated to enhancing student success through service and innovation, is thrilled to announce the expansion of its low-cost OER portfolio further into the realm of STEM education with the launch of an adaptive introductory biology course. With a steadfast commitment to providing cost-effective, quality course materials, Hawkes aims to make its education services accessible to a broader audience.  

Hawkes has developed a diverse range of courses to date spanning a variety of disciplines such as Mathematics, Statistics, Economics, English, Sociology, and Psychology that all leverage Hawkes’ unique and proven mastery-based platform. The launch of Biology stands out as a significant milestone marking the company's first major STEM course outside the field of mathematics, which currently makes up half of its course catalog. This addition underscores Hawkes’ commitment to cost-effectively enhancing STEM education by bridging incoming skill gaps, improving knowledge retention, increasing concept understanding, and preparing learners for future courses of study and the workforce. 

"Having established a solid presence in the market over time, Hawkes Learning stands out with a tried-and-true platform and pedagogical approach," says Kate Worlock, Vice President and Lead Analyst at Outsell Inc. "Their mastery approach combined with adaptive remediation and in-line tutoring sets them apart in the EdTech landscape. Their expansion into STEM, notably Biology, is a logical progression for them. I'm eager to see how they apply the insights gained from their current use of automated tutoring to harness the advantages of AI." 

Distinguished by its emphasis on personalized learning and active engagement, the Hawkes platform employs a proven pedagogical approach, empowering students to master learning objectives through an intuitive 3-step learning path – Learn, Practice, Certify, reinforced by Hawkes’ unique Explain Error tool. In a low stress environment, this integrated tutoring tool addresses errors with immediate feedback and just-in-time guidance, emphasizing its use as a valuable learning aid rather than a quick answer key. The combination of intelligent feedback, adaptive remediation, and a penalty-free practice environment creates a positive feedback loop, rewarding students for their persistence and encouraging them to learn from making mistakes rather than imposing penalties. This distinctive methodology has demonstrated its efficacy in enhancing student performance, resulting in prolonged knowledge retention and increased academic success. 

Designed to engage students in their learning journeys, Biology features over 2,100 engagements and interactive exercises. These include Simulations, Group Activities, Science & You connections, and 47 explorative chapter projects strategically written to help bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world application. Hawkes’ team of subject matter experts meticulously audited and enriched Open Educational Resource (OER) peer-reviewed content, not only introducing tools for self-assessment, but fostering an active learning environment. OERs, like many traditional textbooks, by themselves do little to truly engage students in course material; Hawkes’ platform combines a mastery-based pedagogy with OER instructional content, creating a cost-effective yet efficient option for teaching and learning biology. 

The Hawkes Instructor Experience 

Hawkes’ mastery-based approach to the biology classroom not only benefits students, but empowers instructors by enhancing their ability to guide, assess, and elevate their students’ educational journeys. In contrast to many platforms that claim to be adaptive, Hawkes is designed to supplement each instructor’s teaching methods, offering flexible, personalized classroom solutions. The instructor platform is designed to enhance instructors' efficiency with automated grading and assessment tools, a rich repository of instructional resources, and powerful analytics and reporting tools for increased classroom management capabilities. These resources are not prescriptive but flexible, allowing instructors to tailor their teaching methods and further improving classroom management, fostering a dynamic and highly effective educational environment. Instructors partnering with Hawkes Learning encounter the company’s unwavering commitment to excellence, evident in the unparalleled customer care and support provided.