Helen Burn Precollege Mathematics Initiatives Highline Community College Dr. Helen Burn Instructor, Department of Mathematics Highline Community College

Overview of Efforts Redesigned precollege math courses Reduced the number of precollege courses for all students Increase relevance of content to students lives Develop college readiness and student attributes in class Accelerated models—multi-level, computer mediated courses Math boot camp for student veterans Burn Math at Greenbridge YWCA Test Prep MOOC (in process)

Guiding Principles Changing the mathematics curriculum requires changing faculty beliefs and collective departmental efforts The purpose of developmental math courses is to prepare students for college-level mathematics courses, not to remediate the entire high school algebra curriculum Adjunct faculty have to be involved and supported Teaching students metacognitive skills can improve learning

Grants Timeline Achieving the Dream (2006-present) : Mentoring intervention : Dev math committee forms and redesign work begins College Spark student attributes grant ( ) RPM grant ( ) : Full implementation of redesigned courses begin and evaluation conducted NSF Vets in cyber security grant (summer 2011 & 2012) Multi-level vets math bootcamp developed Modified for Fall 2013 Burn Math at Greenbridge YWCA

HCC Math Pathways

Structure of Precollege Courses Instructor led class (n=32 students) Customized text ($100 for both classes) with MyMathLab Mastery tests Math 81: Signed numbers, linear equations Math 91: Functions, linear functions Lead instructor model Voluntary common assessment, mandatory reporting of retention and pass rates

Precollege Math Results Persistence to college-level Math (F-W-Sp) Old Course New ( students) New ( students) MATH 0813 (2%)53 (18%)46 (16%) MATH (30%)196 (40%)202 (51%) Increased student satisfaction Good success in subsequent college- level courses

Accelerated Math Boot Camp Model Course Structure Multi-level, computer mediated (Emporium Model) Hybrid, 24/7 online access (videos, homework, ebook) Traditional assessment tools (HW, quiz, exams, final ) Enrollment and Placement Enrolled in generic course (Math 80: Vets Math Boot Camp) Self-placed with first-day activity Received credit for what they completed (M81, 91, 98) Daily class Computer lab with instructor and tutor Individualized attention, peer learning, using whiteboards Attention to building academic identity, study skills, advising

Bootcamp Results 88% passed (15/17 GPA > 2.0) chosen course; 2 fell back and 1 accelerated through two courses. 59% (n=10) enrolled in follow-on course the next quarter Course increased confidence Statistically significant shifts pre-to-post (n=11) in: I am worried about how I will do in this course I have low math ability (40% pre versus 17% post) I have test taking anxiety Math is very helpful in any course of study I have a very weak math background (53% pre, 33% post)

Bootcamp Results Importance of instructor and class tutor (n=10) One-on-one contact (n=5) Instructor makes sure we understand (n=4), often compared to previous classes where one described, “there were 20 people and once you fell behind you were done” Positive view of hybrid; 24/7 access (n=7) Flexibility in time and space Can be away for two weeks for service and not fall behind Positive benefit of multi-level classroom (n=5) “Start where you feel comfortable” and accelerate or fall back Cohort model with vets only (n=3) You “don’t feel as dumbed down” as in a class with “kids right out of high school who did the math a year or two ago.”

Next Steps Scaling Boot Camp to the general education audience COMPASS out, MyMathTest in Test Prep MOOC – “bucket class” Role of Adjunct Faculty -Engagement strategies -Changes in practice -Recommendations resources/resources_detail/ re-thinking-precollege-math