MATH LAB: A SELF-GUIDED APPROACH TO TEACHING DEVELOPMENTAL MATH

Presenters: Beth Kilmer and Kari MuellerNortheastern Junior College

Where We’ve Been Fall 2008

119 students enrolled in MAT030/060 combo

55 passed MAT030 (46%)

32 passed MAT030/060 combo

27% pass rate for MAT030/060 combo

Roadblocks to Success

Roadblock #1 – Unable to maintain a Pace that satisfied the needs of all students

Roadblock # 2 - 4 Instructors + 2 Textbooks Inconsistency

Roadblock #3 - Student Apathy

The Search for Something New Visited several sister colleges searching for

best practices Self-paced math lab setting offered by

Trinidad State Junior College addressed each roadblock

Students were allowed to work at own Pace Requirements and materials were Consistent

across all sections regardless of instructor Student “Buy-In” to self-paced concept was high

The Final Destination – Math Lab! How It Looks

MAT030/060 combo; 8 weeks per class Class meets 3 days per week for 1 hour

45 minutes Class size increased from 15 to 30

students Two instructors assigned to team teach

each section One learning assistant (student tutor)

provided by Comprehensive Learning Center (CLC)

Keys to Success

How It Works Required materials include a customized

textbook and a homework packet designed by NJC Math Lab instructors

Students are provided with a Course Schedule to help them pace themselves to complete the course in the allotted 8 week format

Class time is devoted to self and/or small group study, one-on-one instruction and assessment

Students who don’t complete the course in A-term are allowed to continue working

Keys to Success

How It Works - Homework Homework includes short answer study questions

designed to: Encourage students to read front matter Promote note taking Enhance study skills

Homework is checked by instructors to monitor progress and identify students needing extra help

Students maintain a homework notebook that is collected for grading during the final

Keys to SuccessHow It Works – Assessment Quizzes

“One Shot Deal” Designed to highlight areas where students

need more work prior to taking the exam Exams

Students are allowed 3 opportunities to earn a 75% or better on each chapter exam Helps to reduce test anxiety Requires student to prove mastery of material

before moving on Cumulative final exam – limited to two

opportunities

Keys to Success

How It Works – Attendance Students are required to sign an attendance

contract Excused vs. Unexcused/Tardy Repercussions Rewards

Attendance records maintained in D2L

Detours

Stuff That Didn’t Work Original textbook

Difficult to read Not user friendly Overly complicated practice problems

Homework on the “honor system” Excessive testing opportunities Grading based on tests only An attendance policy that was too lenient Incomplete grades

Potential Hazards

Math Lab is not for every teacher Labor intensive set-up Teamwork – consistency is the key!

Final Destination – Success!

Semester/Year

# enrolled in M030

# passed M030 A-

term %

Took all semester to pass M030

Total pass rate for

semester

# passed both

M030 & M060 %

Fall 2010 114 74 65% 8 72% 56 49%Spring 2010 51 30 59% 9 76% 22 43%

Fall 2009 91 51 56% 16 74% 23 25%Spring 2009 45 17 38% 1 40% 6 13%

Fall 2008 119 55 46% 0 46% 32 27%Spring 2008 34 14 41% 0 41% 8 24%

Semester/Year

MAT030 Enrollme

nt

Passed MAT030 A-term

MAT030A-term Success

Rate

Passed MAT030

by Semester End

MAT030 Overall Success

Rate

Passed MAT030

& MAT060

by Semester End

Overall Success Rate

for MAT030/060

Combo

FA 2010 114 74 65% 8 72% 56 49%

SP 2010 51 30 59% 9 76% 22 43%

FA 2009 91 51 56% 16 74% 23 25%

SP 2009 45 17 38% 1 40% 6 13%

FA 2008 119 55 46% 0 46% 32 27%

SP 2008 34 14 41% 0 41% 8 24%

QUESTIONS?