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Supporting Transitional Math Students through Math Labs

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Title: Supporting Transitional Math Students through Math Labs


1
Supporting Transitional Math Students through
Math Labs
  • Nanci Barker
  • Carroll Community College

A Presentation at the 16th Annual AFACCT
ConferenceJanuary 2006
2
Trends in Transitional Students
  • McCabe found that half of the students entering
    community college enroll in one or more
    developmental courses but only half successfully
    complete (2003)
  • Kozeracki found 55 of community colleges
    reported the number of students in developmental
    courses increased over the past five years (2002)
  • McCabe, R. H. (2003), Yes we can! A community
    college guide for developing Americas
    underprepared. Phoenix, AZ League for
    Innovation in Community College.
  • Kozeracki, C. A. (2002), ERIC review Issues in
    developmental education. Community College
    Review, 29(4), 83-100

3
Trends
  • The national rate of successful completion for
    developmental algebra courses is 50 (Journal of
    Developmental Education, Winter 2004)
  • Yet, developmental algebra students surveyed by
    Weinstein reported spending more time than their
    peers on homework (2004)
  • (2004). A new algebra approach for struggling
    students. Journal of Developmental Education,
    28(2),40
  • Weinstein, G. L. (2004). Their side of the story
    remedial college algebra students. Mathematics
    and Computer Education, 38(2), 230-241.

4
Per the Community College Survey of Student
Engagement (2005)
  • More than half (53) students are academically
    underprepared, i.e., taking transitional courses
  • 53 reported often or very often working
    harder than expected to meet their professors
    expectations (43 of academically prepared
    students reported)
  • Available at http//www.ccsse.org

5
CCSSE Student Results (continued)
  • Helped them quite a bit or very much
  • 60 to solve numerical problems (44 academically
    prepared)
  • 70 to think critically and analytically (61
    academically prepared)
  • Encouraged them quite a bit or very much
  • 75 to spend time studying (64 academically
    prepared)
  • 28 to cope with nonacademic responsibilities
    (20 academically prepared)

6
CCSSE Conclusions
  • Academically underprepared students
  • Exert more effort
  • Experience greater academic challenge
  • Utilize more support services
  • Report more academic gain

7
CCSSE reports
  • Colleges that develop strategies to retain these
    students
  • Offer students the opportunity to be successful
    in college
  • Level the playing field for these students

8
CCSSE Reports
  • Students who successfully complete developmental
    courses are productively employed
  • Professionals 16
  • Mid-level white-collar or technical positions 54
  • High-skill blue collar workers 20
  • Low skill jobs- only 9

9
Why math labs?
  • Research shows higher student interaction
    results in greater success
  • Assist students to pass their transitional math
    courses
  • Guided practice
  • Professionals to answer questions, to interact
    with students, to offer help
  • Tutoring software
  • Exam study materials

10
Requirements
  • Each student registers for a weekly lab
  • Students complete practice and receive help
  • Grade included as component of course
  • Average of 10 labs
  • Count as unit test in course approximately 11.75
    to 12.5 of course grade

11
Evolving Structure
  • Pretest, practice then graded
  • Practice on tutorial software then graded
  • Practice then graded
  • Moving toward all practice

12
Challenges
  • Large number of course sections
  • Progress varies among sections
  • Avoid initial instruction in the lab
  • Large Number of Labs
  • Staffing
  • Consistency
  • Grading

13
Challenges
  • Missed Labs
  • Special make-up lab times
  • Mastery and Make-up
  • Dropping one or two grades
  • Efficient use of resources
  • Attrition
  • Scheduling to meet different needs
  • Cost

14
Successes
  • Students perceptions generally positive
  • Agree or strongly agree Labs are beneficial
  • Range from 72-83 Students grade labs as A or
    B
  • Agree or Strongly agree Lab Instructors
    provide timely and supportive help

15
Successes
  • Open ended evaluations consistently include
    positive comments about the help received
  • Former transitional students comment that they
    wish labs were available for their college level
    math courses

16
Evaluation Challenges
  • Changes in course content or placement scores
  • Limited ability to compare results over different
    terms
  • No base period without labs
  • Lab grades compared to course grades
  • Initially lab grades higher
  • Recently lab grades have actually lowered some
    students grades

17
Conclusion
  • Although outcome data is hard to determine,
    students think math labs are beneficial
  • We plan to look for more ways to evaluate
    outcomes and improve the labs
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