Evidence drives every step of the Codon product development process, from designs grounded in peer-reviewed literature to evaluation of our real-world impacts.
Codon’s IRB-approved studies
The Study Path helps less-prepared students catch up with their peers.
In a recent study of introductory biology students, less-prepared students had just over a 50% chance of earning a passing exam score when they used the Study Path infrequently (Figure 1, left side). When students used the Study Path regularly, gaps in passing rates were greatly reduced between students with different levels of preparation (Figure 1, right side).
Figure 1: Students were binned into four quartiles of prior preparation based on their Week 1 pre-test scores. The chart shows the results of a logistic regression model testing whether high versus low Study Path use predicted passing exam scores, controlling for initial preparation level.
The analysis includes data across three semesters in a first-year Molecular Biology and Genetics course (IRB-approved). See full study here: Hazlett, Z. S., Jimenez, P. C., & Knight, J. K. (2025). Self-Testing and Follow-Through of Learning Strategies Supports Student Success. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 24(1), ar16.
The Study Path improves course grades for all students.
Data from the same study reveal that high Study Path use leads to improved learning outcomes for all students, regardless of prior preparation (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Using the same dataset as above, we disaggregated student data by letter grade rather than a pass/no pass binary.
Program Evaluation
Work with our team of discipline-based education researchers to evaluate the impact of Codon in your course.
Let us help with your program evaluation. Our system helps you monitor student performance, metacognition, and study habits. Our team helps you wrangle the data. Anonymous trends shared with permission of the instructors.
Does the Study Path boost exam scores IN YOUR CONTEXT?
We consistently see exam scores boosted by at least half a letter grade among students who use the Study Path regularly.
Where do students struggle in your curriculum?
Compare student performance with their confidence to identify priorities for updates and review.
Evidence-based product design
SElf-Regulated Learning
The Codon Learning student platform was designed from scratch using evidence from the learning sciences to promote metacognition, self-testing, and spaced learning.
Self-testing and spaced learning have been shown to:
significantly boost student performance (Roedinger & Pyc 2012; Dunlosky et al. 2013).
Decades of research have shown that learners with self-regulated learning skills are more likely to succeed in STEM courses. These skills:
support early academic success and long-term persistence in STEM (Sebesta and Speth, 2017; Rodriguez, et al., 2018),
strengthen students’ ability to transfer their learning to new settings and events (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000; Barak, et al., 2016), and
improve student performance, especially for students who are struggling (Zhao, et al., 2014).
