Fall 07: A Pilot Implementation of Redesigned College Algebra at Truman College

1. Fall 07: A Pilot Implementation of Redesigned College Algebra at Truman College Presented by Angelito Garcia Assistant Professor of Mathematics

2. The Truman College Experience with the College Algebra ~ Traditional Format • Low Retention - 27% withdraw • Low Success Rate - 53% of those who remain get a grade of C or higher • Gate-keeper course (High potential to increase enrollment) ELEMENTS OF THE ORIGINAL REDESIGN MODEL: Project Goals • Institutional reasons: increase student performance and retention rates, address student attitudinal issues, lower costs • Student-Centered Reasons: poor success rates, math 140 considered a bottleneck course, traditional lecture format made for inappropriate learning environment, more flexibility for students • Instructor-Centered Benefits: Reduced time spent on meaningless routines and increased instructor focus on content rather than management

3. Analysis of Pilot (Fall 07) Results • Baseline Retention - 27% withdraw • Pilot Retention: 30.4% [Comment] • Baseline Success Rate : 53% (A,B,C) • Pilot Success Rate: 56.7% (A,B,C) • Baseline Test Results: 6.9 / 10 [Comment] • Pilot Assessment – 6.4 / 10 [Comment] • Greatest Student Transformation: Overcoming the initial struggles with new technology and using it to the hilt as they maximized active learning away from the classroom. (Comment) • Most many students who were able to install the MyMathLab plug-ins in their home computers expressed deep satisfaction in the online aspects of course redesign. • Might have helped blazed the way for student’s acceptance of the use of online course management software for other subject areas courses especially math courses. • Removed student’s tendency to give up so easily. (Cite operant conditioning from psychology) • Transferable tech skills (cite an example of a former student using TI-83 to do complicate chemistry problems)

4. What implementation issues were most important? • Technology issues centering on MML as the course management software in the implementation • Dealing with a non-existent computer lab dedicated to redesign • Departmental collaboration and core support • Communication amongst the redesign course coordinator, redesign Instructors, math chair, administrators, and manager of classroom scheduling

5. What’s still missing and unimplemented from the original model. • More interactive and harmonious partnerships between math faculty within math department, between math department and administration, between math dept and systems people. • A truly dedicated “24/7” math lab equipped with the MML plug-ins and redesign technologies • A handful of good math tutors whose major focus is to assist college algebra (math 140) students • Special fund for training adjuncts who will join as math 140 instructors and available for instant rehiring.

6. What can be added to enhance the redesign experience. • A fine website to supplement the MML (Truman faculty online lectures can be uploaded to work in tandem with MML videos/animations) • A video camera to tape the above lectures • An enhanced math lab that can track the visits and total hours spent by the student at the computer terminal • Require students to visit with math tutor/math lab a certain number of hours per week (curriculum tweaking issues?) as a means to make up for absences and tardiness • Customized edition of the textbook • Involvement of adjuncts committed to the redesign concept • Appointment of a coordinator with release time privileges