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University of Idaho Course Title: Pre-Calculus Status: This project originated as part of NCAT’s Pew-funded Program in Course Redesign (PCR) program, 1999 – 2003, and was successfully completed. Descriptive Materials: In addition to the project description below, links for this project include a full academic plan, a full cost savings plan, a completed Course Planning Tool (CPT) an interim progress report, and a final project report. The final project report describes the impact of the redesign on student learning and student retention; final cost savings achieved; techniques that most contributed to improved learning and reduced costs; and, as assessment of future sustainability. Project Plan: Students’ varying levels of preparation and different learning styles are not well accommodated by the large lecture environment. About one-third of the students fail to receive a C or better in these courses, and many repeat the courses. Even students who receive good grades often fail to retain the material well enough to succeed in calculus courses or to apply mathematics in other courses. The university plans to create a learning center named Polya to provide diverse ways to accommodate student learning and build confidence in their ability to succeed in mathematics. Streaming video lectures and tutorial exercises coordinated with a textbook will be delivered via computer. Just-in-time assistance by graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants will be available at all hours of the day and many evening hours. Quizzes and tests will be delivered mostly by computer; students will have the opportunity to re-take these up to three times after an interval of required study. The learning environment will encourage group study. Each student will belong to a focus group led by a faculty member serving as mentor and teacher-on-demand. The primary academic goals of the redesign are to encourage students to become independent learners and to provide a successful environment for learning mathematics. The objective is for students to leave the course with confidence in their ability to succeed and the knowledge that Polya is a resource available to review and enhance their math learning at any time during their studies at the university. This invitation to return will be reinforced by partnerships established with instructors of downstream courses. The aim of these partnerships is to allow Polya to develop computer-based lectures and tutorials on subjects of common difficulty and to provide trained assistance to support the activities. Assessment will use before/after comparisons of student performance in the traditional and redesigned settings. Direct measures of achievement will be based on common final examinations that have been administered for many years in the traditional courses. Linkages with subsequent courses will provide opportunities to track retention of students at the university and of math concepts via success rates, grades of A, B or C. The redesign will involve both a change in faculty and TA responsibilities as well as a reconfiguration of the existing Math/Stat Assistance Center. Faculty, graduate and undergraduate TAs will work in the Polya with small student groups and with individual students as needed, rather than in the current lecture format. The active-learning model will reduce the cost of offering all three courses from approximately $338,000 to $235,000, a reduction of 31 percent. Additional savings are anticipated by reducing student failure and recidivism.
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Program in Course Redesign Quick Links: Program In Course Redesign Main Page... Lessons Learned: Savings: |
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