Focusing on Student Success:

Mathematics as a Case Study

Student Access and Success Conference

Baton Rouge, LAFebruary 22, 2007

Disconnect

What Employers Want- - -What Students Think They Need

When asked about what they think colleges should place more emphasis on:

Ability Employers Graduates

The ability to solve complex problems 64%49%The ability to work with numbers and understand Statistics 60% 34% College Learning for the New Global Century National Leadership Council for Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP), Hart Survey, December 2006

Remedial Math

Enrollment D, F, W, Inc. Percentage of D, F, W, Inc.

  374 144 39 %

  384 160 42 %

  522 329 63 %

  583 386 66 %

  748 406 54 %

  1016 663 65 %

  596 326 55 %

  701 500 71 %

TOTAL 4,924 2,914 59 %

Data From University of Louisiana SystemFall 2005

Remedial Mathematics Survey Results: Louisiana

26 Institutions = 7 Responses

1. How many prep courses required? 5 required 1; 1 required 2; 1 required 32. How many offer math-specific advising? 3 = yes; 4 = no3. Computer-aided Instruction 6 = yes; 1 = no4. Paired or linked courses 1 = yes; 6 = no

Remedial Mathematics Survey Results

5. Supplemental Instruction (SI) 4 = yes; 3 = no 6. Learning Communities 7 = no7. Do you evaluate the effectiveness of your program? 6 = yes; 1 = no

College Algebra

Enrollment D, F, W, Inc. Percentage of D,F, W, or Inc.

  703 356 51 %

  1010 408 40 %

  1337 825 62 %

  1304 724 56 %

  1526 543 36 %

  2703 1529 57%

  2405 1268 53 %

  1344 746 56 %

 Total 12,332 6,399 52 %

Data From University of Louisiana SystemFall 2005

College Algebra

• 750, 000 - 1,000,000 students a year enrolled across the United States

• More than 50% fail or withdrawn, between 375,000 - 500,000

• Result: Increases in college costs, increasing time to graduation, erosion in self-confidence

as successful learners

But it’s worse

• 80% of students are enrolled in a course designed in the 1950s as preparation for Calculus

• Yet only 10% of the students will even take Calculus

The College Algebra (CA) problem in perspective: ULS

• In Fall 2005, in the ULS, 12,332 students enrolled in College Algebra (CA). If half that number enrolled in spring 2006, then about 18,000 students a year enrolled in CA in 2005-2006 school year (it’s probably more).

• In other words, 25% of undergraduates in the UL System enrolled in College Algebra (18,000 / 71,000) in any one year

• 12% of ALL undergraduates make D, Inc., fail or withdraw from College Algebra each year

College Algebra

MATH 101 Linear equations and inequalities, linear applications, systems of linear equations, quadratic equations and inequalities, absolute-value equations and inequalities, radical equations, functions and graphs, polynomial and exponential and logarithmic functions. MATH 105 Functions and graphs, including linear functions, quadratic functions, other polynomial functions, exponentials and logarithmic functions. Zeros of polynomial functions, systems of equations and inequalities.

MATH 111 Real number system, functions, linear equations and inequalities, systems of equations and inequalities, quadratics, complex numbers, polynomial equations, arithmetic and geometric series, permutations and combinations.

MATH 161 A study of college algebra from a real-world perspective using technology, data analysis, geometry, and elementary probability. Topics include linear, quadratic, and exponential functions and their graphs; systems of linear equations; ratio and proportion; probability and statistics; and the mathematics of finance.

“The question then is not whether they (undergraduates) need mathematics but what mathematics is needed and in what context.”

Ganter, Susan, and Barker, William, ed., Curriculum Foundations

Project: Voices of Partner Disciplines, MAA, Washington, DC, 2004

“Clarify the rationale for the (College Algebra) requirement and consult with colleagues in disciplines requiring college algebra to determine whether this course—as currently taught— meets the needs of their students”

Pollatsek, Harriet, et al, ed., Undergraduate Programs and Courses

in the Mathematical Sciences: CUPM Curriculum Guide 2004,

MAA, Washington, DC, 2004.

New College Algebra Course

Not technique-based but problem-based

Based on SCANS (Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills) which identified basic and advanced skills to solve problems in 5 domains.

Two Part Course

1. Mathematics for Planning (or Resource Allocation): Money, Time, Space, and Staff

2. Modeling Systems: Graphic and Symbolic Representations of Reality

Arnold Packer Conference to Improve College

Algebra U.S. Military Academy February 2002

OLD ALGEBRA:

Data from the U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services indicates that the cumulative

number N of reported cases of AIDS in the

United States in year x can be approximated

by the equation N = 3,362.1 x² - 17,270.3 x +

24,043 where X = 0 corresponds to 1980. In

what year did the total reach 550,000? 

This is an easy exercise to solve using technology (e.g., use a Solve key or plot).

 

NEW ALGEBRA:

Would have the students:

a.Develop a model (give or direct the students

to the data, have them form a scatter plot of

the data, and then fit a curve to the scatter

plot).

b.Answer the question: In what year did the

total reach 550,000?

c. Interpret the model and the answer to the

question (e.g., Is the answer reasonable?

Why? Is the model reasonable? Why? Does

the model show any intervention effects? For

what span of years is the model reasonable?

Explain)

Don Small, Mathematics Faculty, U.S. Military

Academy, Personal Communication

Some Simple QuestionsCurriculum • Are you satisfied with the goals of mathematics?• Are you convinced the courses in the sequence

address those goals?• How well does course A predict success in course

B?

Students• What do you know about the readiness of your

students?• How successful are students in specific courses, by

grade, gender, and ethnicity?• How successful are students on national exams? • What is the relationship between course success

and overall retention and graduation success, by gender and ethnicity?

Simple Questions, Cont’d

Pedagogy• Do you provide CAI, linked classes, SI, and learning communities?• Are there mechanisms that provide rapid feedback?• Are faculty available outside of class to help

students?

Support• Do you provide math-specific tutorial support?• Do you provide professional development and

opportunities for faculty/instructors to meet together to talk about student success?

Change in Higher Education: Jim Collins

Built To Last1. Great organizations know what they do and

who they serve2. Great organizations align all parts to focus on

the goal

Good To Great“The number one resource for a great social sector

organization is having enough of the right people willing to commit themselves to mission.”

• Change does not occur without pressure

How Does Change Occur in Higher Education?

Here are some rules I think I would include:

• Change is combination of top-down & bottom-up • Change in higher education occurs in campus-unique ways

• Pull strategies are more effective than push strategies

• Data are critical to encourage and nurture change

• The entire institution must be aligned to achieve student success: policies, practices, funding, rewards

The Good News