Tammy Muhs General Education Program Mathematics Coordinator University of Central Florida
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Tammy MuhsGeneral Education Program Mathematics Coordinator University of Central FloridaNCAT Redesign Scholar
Course Redesign:
A Way To Improve Student Success and Faculty
Productivity
University of Central Florida• Metropolitan university• 56,235 students (expected to reach 59,000+ in fall 2011)
• 2nd largest university in U.S.
About UCF:
Annual enrollments – 4000+ students◦ Issues with course drift due to the many
different instructors Large lectures - 384 students per class (3
hours lecture, 1 hour recitation) Independent sections-49 students per
class (3 hours lecture) Mixed mode sections -21 students per
class (1 hour lecture with online component)◦ Withdrawal rate more than double traditional,
lower success rate, lower cost, less space
College Algebra:
• Success Rates: Pass rates were down, withdrawal rates were up
• Space: Too many students, not enough classrooms
• Budget: We needed to do more, with less
Motivation to Redesign College Algebra:
UCF Goal – “Fix” College Algebra
NCAT Goal - Increase learning outcomes and success rates while decreasing cost
Received the NCAT Grant in Spring 2008◦ Grant actually cost us money-we received
knowledge◦ Create a student-centered learning environment
National Center for Academic Transformation
(NCAT):
• Change the mix and number of faculty teaching the course
• Combine smaller sections into one larger section
Cost Reduction:
5
6
750
50
50
1350
50
50
4
31
50
1
2
50
Coordinate all sections of the same course by using a Course Coordinator
Benefits◦ Remove redundancy resulting in improved
productivity◦ Prevent course drift resulting in consistency in
course content Drawbacks
◦ Faculty buy in◦ Weak Coordinator may result in many sections
with issues as opposed to a single or couple of sections
Productivity Improvement:
Emporium (Lab) Model*** Replacement (Hybrid) Model*** Fully Online Model Supplemental Model Buffet Model
***Typically produces the best results in terms of student learning and cost for Mathematics courses
NCAT Redesign Models:
Borrowed Space for Pilot:
Students spend one hour in class ◦Review concepts from the previous week◦Highlight upcoming material◦Receive administrative information◦Classroom Response System (iClicker) is
used to keep students engaged
Face to Face Class Hour:
Students spend a required three hours in the Mathematics Assistance and Learning Lab (MALL)• Online hw and quiz assignments are
completed for the most part in the lab• Proctored environment • MALL staff provide on-demand assistance
for students
MALL Hours:
Testing is completed online in a proctored environment using a password system◦Immediate feedback◦Free response questions or multiple
choice◦Challenge week◦ADA time accommodation adjustments◦Integrity violations almost non-existent◦Cost savings
Online Testing:
Faculty Peer tutors Undergraduate and graduate mathematics
students Graduate Teaching Assistants
◦All are required to complete assignments◦Become test proctors during testing
weeks◦Complete training about 14 hours a
semester College Reading & Learning Association International
Tutor Program Certification
MALL Staffing:
Course Redesign Improved Success Rates:
Fall 2005
Fall 2006
Fall 2007
Fall 2008
35%
51% 50%
74%
Percent-age of
Students Earning a
C or Higher
Actual dollar savings
Capacity to serve more students in the same space
Reduction in repeated course attempts
Cost Savings:
Course improvement or redesign Offering additional courses Serving more students Distance learning sections Reduction in teaching load Training Balance the budget
Ways to Spend the Savings:
Renovated Space for the Mathematics Assistance and Learning Lab (MALL)
Provides funding for six faculty members committed to improving learning in General Education Program Mathematics
Provides funding for peer tutors and MALL expenses
Presidents Class Size Initiative (PCSI):
Mathematics Assistance and Learning Lab (MALL):
From Renovation to CompletionPhase I - 95 computers (Spring 2010)Phase II - 100 computers (Summer 2010)Phase III - 120 computers (Spring 2011)
Students register in sections of 19 students
Creates a learning community• In-class community• Virtual community
Between 15 and 18 of these 19 student sections meet together, at the same time, in a large lecture hall one hour each week
PCSI-Small Within Large:
Top GTAs are called Mentors ◦ Meet with teaching team weekly◦ Communicate with students◦ Hold seminars and test reviews◦ Help with classroom management
Progress Monitoring◦ Students Progress is monitored weekly◦ Faculty meet with at risk students◦ Students receive weekly feedback via email
Communication has been shown to have an important role in learning and understanding mathematics (Knuth & Peressini, 2001)
Mentors and Progress Monitoring:
Historical Success Rate:
Fall 2005 Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Fall 2009 Fall 2010
35%
51% 50%
74%78% 79%
Percentage of Students Earning a C or Higher
Summer 2009 Traditional
Summer 2009 Redesigned
Fall 2009 Tradi-tional
Fall 2009 Redesigned
62%75% 72% 78%
Student Success RatePe
rcen
tage
of S
tude
nts E
arni
ng
C o
r Hig
her
Final Exam Scores:
Course Grade Distribution
Summer 2009 Traditional Section n=226 students
Summer 2009 Redesigned Sections n=162 students
Fall 2009 Traditional Sections n=851 students
Fall 2009Redesigned Sections n=1174 students
A 11.9% 20.4% 28.7% 27.7%B 26.1% 36.4% 26.8% 33.7%
A & B 38.0% 56.8% 55.5% 61.4%
Anonymous student surveys in fall 2009 with similar results in fall 2010
90.79% of the students felt the redesigned course offered at least as much instructional interaction as their other courses
60.97% indicated that there was considerably more interaction when compared to their other courses
Instructional Interaction:
Producing favorable results • Active learning has been shown to be an
effective method of improving learning outcomes (Prince, 2004, Twigg, 2003)
Increased course offerings• Intermediate Algebra fall 2010• Precalculus spring 2011• Trigonometry fall 2011
Results and Course Offerings:
AASCU and UCF Grant
Working with 20 collaborating institutions
Blended Learning Course Redesigns
Math, English, and Other courses
Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC):
Supported Math Course is College Algebra
◦Other courses include Intermediate Algebra, Precalculus, and Basic Math
Course delivery fall 2011 or spring 2012
Math Component of NGLC:
Two group math training sessions are scheduled
Coursesites Template course for a model
Actual course with homework and assessments that can be copied and modified
Institution will schedule an initial consultation to review and discuss their particular needs
Resources Available:
Ongoing discussion throughout the duration of the project
Opportunity to submit course deliverables to receive feedback prior to and during the delivery of the redesigned course
Generic training to adapt an existing curriculum to a blended learning format considering established effective practices
Additional Resources:
Please feel free to contact me [email protected]
Questions: