Peer Tutors for Math Skills and Science Major Retention

Dr. Barbara Reitsma, Assistant DirectorMath and Science Skills Center, Kenyon College

Presented at Enriching the Academic Experience

of College Students Science Learning Center, U. Michigan, May 22-24, 2007

Math and Science Skills Center Funded by a Howard Hughes Medical

Institute grant for retention and recruitment in the sciences

Opened Fall 2004 “Science/Math equivalent” of the Writing

Center

Goals

to build basic math literacy in all students to increase retention of science majors by

improving performance in math-intensive introductory courses

Math Literacy

Kenyon’s Quantitative Reasoning (QR) requirement

Quantitative-reasoning courses may focus on the organization, analysis, and implementation of numerical and graphical data; or they may involve learning mathematical ideas, understanding their application to the world, and employing them to solve problems.

Although the subject matter of QR courses will vary by department and discipline, the quantitative knowledge and skills developed will be applicable in a wide variety of settings.

Science Majors

Some students enter Kenyon with weak math background

Ability in math directly correlates to success in the sciences

Desire to give entering students support and encouragement during first science courses

Structure of Center

Walk-in clinic Open five 2-hour sessions throughout the

week Supervised peer-tutors Easily accessible room in the Science Quad Variety of resources available Informal, friendly atmosphere

Center AttendanceSpring 2007

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

0 20 40 60

Sessions

Stu

de

nt

Vis

its

Why students come to the MSSC Help with homework problems Check answers Questions from past exams Concept clarification Pre-lab questions Lab report calculations and writing Extra problem practice Group assignments Computer use (assigned work and other) To study for quizzes and exams Assistance writing papers Use of reference materials Review missed questions on exams

Frequency of Student Visits

Chem 124/125/126

0

2

46

8

10

1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 37

Number of visits spring semester Open 69 sessions

2007

Stu

den

ts

Math and Science Skills Center Attendance

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Fall2004

Spring2005

Fall2005

Spring2006

Fall2006

Spring2007

Nu

mb

er

of

Vis

its

Center Attendance

100 level Chemistry

100 level Chemistry

lab

200 level Chemistry &

lab

Non-Majors

QR Course

Fall ‘04 78 94

Spring ‘05 93 99 1

Fall ‘05 28 28

Spring ‘06 237 51 30

Fall ‘06 155 39 288 85

Spring ‘07 225 189 57 82

Student Usage of the Center

100 level Chemistry

200 level Chemistry &

lab

Non-Major

QR course

Fall ‘04 55%

Spring ‘05 57% 2%

Fall ‘05 68%

Spring ‘06 100% 19%

Fall ‘06 49% 100% 49%

Spring ‘07 83% 52% 57%

Success of the Center

Cooperation of course instructors Quality of peer-tutors

Course Instructors

Feature MSSC in syllabus and course website

Encourage student attendance Communication with center director Provide answer keys to problem sets, quizzes

and exams

Peer Tutors

Job Description

Guides students in problem-solving questions from lecture and laboratory courses. Attends tutor training and staff meetings. Other duties as assigned by Director.

Sophomore standing. Superior performance in two related 100 or 200 level science courses. Excellent quantitative reasoning and communication skills. Recommendation by course instructor. Familiarity with Kenyon’s computer network, Microsoft Word and Excel.

Peer Tutors

Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors Majors:

Biochemistry/Dance minor Biochemistry Mathematics/Economics Chemistry English (pre-med) Chemistry/Physics minor Molecular Biology/Anthropology (pre-med)

Tutor Training

Three hours each fall Learning styles Theories of intelligence Question-asking skills Interpersonal skills Staff meetings mid-semester

Benefits to Tutors

learning teaching (questioning/explaining) skills review/reinforcement of material learned identifying/filling in gaps in learning experience for resumes and applications stronger core knowledge helps in upper level

courses develop communication skills, people skills, and

relationships increased confidence in knowledge possessed income

Results

Very hard to show effect of center Data collection Number of variables

Statistics by Program Evaluator Biology in Science Fiction Solar Energy Biophysical/Medicinal Chemistry

Statistics by Program Evaluator Student surveys from 4 classes from AY

2005-6 Correlation of grade received with

frequency of visits to the center

Student Survey

Class Valid N/

Total N

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5

1 14/33 2.07 2.64 2.14 2.64 3.28

2 19/25 2.21* 2.58 2.26* 2.58 3.21

3 7/18 2.86 3.00 2.86 3.00 3.43

4 25/32 1.60* 2.16* 1.64* 2.04* 2.76

*mean value significantly different from neutral value of ‘3’ p<.005

Q1 – Helped learn? Q2 – Course interest; Q3 – Improve Grade? Q4 – Feel involved? Q5 – Encouraged major?

Survey Results by Class and Question

Q1 – Helped learn? Q2 – Course interest; Q3 – Improve Grade?

Q4 – Feel involved? Q5 – Encouraged major?

Center Visits and Class Grades

** p<.01

r relates number of visits to Center in the semester to semester course grade;

partial r controls for Math SAT in the relationship between visits and grade

Class N r partial r Visits Class GPA

1 48 -.17 -.05 .4 (1.13) 3.09 (.92)

2 52 .15 .03 2.23 (4.39) 2.53 (.98)

3 46 .20 .19 4.02 (5.76) 2.90 (.66)

4 39 .48** .16** 3.49 (2.66) 3.11 (.67)

Biology in Science Fiction (Non-major QR course)

Test Score Change with MSSC Usage

-20

-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

15

10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Test 1 score

(Tes

t 2

- T

est

1)

MSSC 2 or more times No use of MSSC

Solar Energy(Non-Major QR Course)

Test Score Change with MSSC Usage

-30-20-10

01020304050

150 175 200

Test 1

Tes

t 2

- T

est

1

No MSSC

MSSC > 2

Biophysical/Medicinal Chemistry Chem124

Center visits and course grade

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

A+ A A A A-B+ B B B C+ C+ C C- F

Grade earned

Nu

mer

of

visi

ts t

o M

SS

C

One Student’s Story

Problems

Serving only chemistry students Resistance from other departments Don’t see all the students who could benefit Laboratory courses

Surprises

Large amount of help requested for laboratory courses

Attendance varies widely

Successes

Increase in attendance Variety of uses Repeat visitors Mentioned in campus tours Website Students use center for multiple classes

Dance physiology; anthropology; math; biology

Math and Science Skills Web Site

http://biology.kenyon.edu/HHMI/math-science/

Into the Science Quad Workshops The Quad Workshop at Kenyon College is

inspired by the successful Gateway Science Workshops at Northwestern University.

Northwestern’s program is modeled after Uri Treisman’s retention program at Berkeley.

Gateway Science Workshops Student Goals

Improve overall student performance Increase student retention within

individual course sequences Increase STEM* majors and students

entering science related careers Particularly for underrepresented groups

* Science, technology, engineering and mathematics

Quad Workshops

A pilot program offered during the spring semester of 2007 available to students in the Biophysical/Medicinal Chemistry course (Chemistry 124).

Biweekly workshops in which small groups of students work as a team on challenging, interesting and conceptually-based problems that are relevant to the course curriculum.

Workshops meet six times during the semester for 1-1.5 hours.

Led by a peer facilitator who successfully completed this course last academic year. Questions for discussion are prepared by the course instructor.

Why would I want to participate? (How we presented it to the students) Better grades: Programs of this kind at other institutions have

been shown to improve student performance and experience. This is NOT a remedial program.

Better learning: Research has shown that group problem-solving such as will be found in the Science Quad Workshops enables students to learn the subject matter more thoroughly and at a higher level of learning.

Ownership of subject matter: Anyone who has struggled with difficult subject material or challenging problems gains not only a better grasp of the material, but also confidence in their abilities to continue and excel in that area.

Monetary benefits: Understanding that your time is valuable, a stipend of $75 will be provided to each student who participates in all the workshop sessions.

Experience: Being involved in the initial stage of this project will look great on a resume!

You have to study anyway: Many students find that group studying is more effective than studying alone. And it’s more fun!

Implementation

Two sections, eight students per section, worked in groups of four

Students were paid for their time Problems posed were related to the course,

but not specific course content Students were given different roles to play

(leader, scribe, encourager, discourager) Sessions met Tuesdays at 8 AM and 9:30 AM

First Quad Exercise

This Quad Session is divided into two parts: Part A:

Learn how to identify pairs of optical isomers Use experimental data to derive an equation that

relates the variables that govern the rotation of plane polarized light by an optical isomer

Part B: Use experimental data to derive an equation that

describes the optical rotation of mixtures of optical isomers

Apply your knowledge to determine the composition of mixtures of optical isomers.

Part AI. Identification of Optical Isomers:

Optical isomers possess an asymmetric center (or center of chirality). The most common type of asymmetric center is a tetrahedral carbon bound to four different groups. A molecule with one such carbon will lack an internal plane of symmetry and is termed chiral. A molecule that does contain an internal mirror plane is termed achiral and is never optically active.

Question 1 Examples of a few chiral and achiral molecules are given below

(Figure 1). Build a model of each molecule, complete with hydrogen atoms, and classify each one as chiral or achiral. Draw an accurate picture of each molecule, including hydrogen atoms, that clearly illustrates the internal mirror plane if one exists. It is important to remember that rotation around single carbon-carbon bonds is possible when looking for internal mirror planes.

Figure 1. Some chiral and achiral molecules

CH3

BrH

Cl

CH3

H3CCl

OH

H

OH

H3C

H

CH3CH3 OH

OH

OClOH3C

Figure 2. Pairs of molecules

.CH3

BrH

Cl

CH3

H3CCl OH

H

OH

H3C

H

CH3CH3

OH

OH

CH3

HBr

Cl

H3CCl

CH3

CH3 CH3

H

OHH3C HHO

OH

OH

pair a pair b pair c pair d

Summary of Concepts Developed in Session 1:

What is the defining feature of a chiral molecule?

Optically active solutions must contain…? What are enantiomers? What is a racemic mixture? Optical purity describes…?

Quad Workshop Results

Excellent attendance: one absence over entire semester

Actively engaged, enjoyed sessions Preliminary Results: 9 out of 16 would repeat Effect on grades?

3 A+; 2 A; 1 A-; 5 B; 2 C+; 2 C; 1 D+ Student survey results

Many students wanted more tie-in to course Weaker students did not keep up with group

Future Plans

Still in pilot stage Offer workshops in same course next spring Four sections to be offered (up to 32 students

could participate) Target B/C students Workshops will meet weekly for 12 sessions Problems will be a 50/50 mixture of process

oriented problems (POGIL) and challenging problems

Future of the MSSC

Increase hours Expand subject areas

Recent overture from Biology department Offer Quad Workshops in other courses Better service to laboratory students Dream of a dedicated facility and office for the

director