Presenters: Beth Kilmer and Kari Mueller Northeastern Junior College

Where We’ve Been  Fall 2008  119 students enrolled in MAT030/060 combo  55 passed MAT030 (46%)  32 passed MAT030/060 combo  27% pass rate for MAT030/060 combo

Roadblocks to Success  Roadblock #1 – Unable to maintain a Pace that satisfied the needs of all students  Roadblock # Instructors + 2 Textbooks Inconsistency  Roadblock #3 - Student Apathy

The Search for Something New  Visited several sister colleges searching for best practices  Self-paced math lab setting offered by Trinidad State Junior College addressed each roadblock  Students were allowed to work at own Pace  Requirements and materials were Consistent across all sections regardless of instructor  Student “Buy-In” to self-paced concept was high

The Final Destination – Math Lab!  How It Looks  MAT030/060 combo; 8 weeks per class  Class meets 3 days per week for 1 hour 45 minutes  Class size increased from 15 to 30 students  Two instructors assigned to team teach each section  One learning assistant (student tutor) provided by Comprehensive Learning Center (CLC)

Keys to Success  How It Works  Required materials include a customized textbook and a homework packet designed by NJC Math Lab instructors  Students are provided with a Course Schedule to help them pace themselves to complete the course in the allotted 8 week format  Class time is devoted to self and/or small group study, one-on-one instruction and assessment  Students who don’t complete the course in A- term are allowed to continue working

Keys to Success How It Works - Homework  Homework includes short answer study questions designed to:  Encourage students to read front matter  Promote note taking  Enhance study skills  Homework is checked by instructors to monitor progress and identify students needing extra help  Students maintain a homework notebook that is collected for grading during the final

Keys to Success How It Works – Assessment  Quizzes  “One Shot Deal”  Designed to highlight areas where students need more work prior to taking the exam  Exams  Students are allowed 3 opportunities to earn a 75% or better on each chapter exam  Helps to reduce test anxiety  Requires student to prove mastery of material before moving on  Cumulative final exam – limited to two opportunities

Keys to Success How It Works – Attendance  Students are required to sign an attendance contract  Excused vs. Unexcused/Tardy  Repercussions  Rewards  Attendance records maintained in D2L

Detours Stuff That Didn’t Work  Original textbook  Difficult to read  Not user friendly  Overly complicated practice problems  Homework on the “honor system”  Excessive testing opportunities  Grading based on tests only  An attendance policy that was too lenient  Incomplete grades

Potential Hazards  Math Lab is not for every teacher  Labor intensive set-up  Teamwork – consistency is the key!

Final Destination – Success! Semester/Y ear # enrolled in M030 # passed M030 A- term% Took all semester to pass M030 Total pass rate for semester # passed both M030 & M060% Fall %872%5649% Spring %976%2243% Fall %1674%2325% Spring %140%613% Fall %0 3227% Spring %0 824% Semester/ Year MAT030 Enrollment Passed MAT030 A-term MAT030 A-term Success Rate Passed MAT030 by Semester End MAT030 Overall Success Rate Passed MAT030 & MAT060 by Semester End Overall Success Rate for MAT030 /060 Combo FA %872%5649% SP %976%2243% FA %1674%2325% SP %140%613% FA %0 3227% SP %0 824%