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