The evolution of accuracy and speed in online mastery practice

We present results on a study investigating the evolution of accuracy and speed during repeated practice spanning multiple weeks via an online mastery learning application for skills relevant to introductory physics. The participants were enrolled in algebra or calculus-based introductory physics at a large public research University. We investigated several potentially important factors, including the number and timing of practice trials, gender, ACT math score, submission time before deadline, and growth mindset. We find that mean improvements in accuracy and speed vary with initial practice category performance and student population, consistent with well-documented general learning curves. Further we find that the initial performance gaps between students with low and High ACT math scores and between women and men decreases with practice. We also find that students who procrastinate improved their completion times significantly less than non-procrastinators, even controlling for ACT score, and that mindset did not predict any performance measures.