WELCOME TO THE ADULT LEARNING ACADEMY: MATH EDITION ! Debbie Char Assistant Professor of Mathematics Developmental Math Coordinator St. Louis Community College

THINK HEALTHCARE WORKERS DON’T NEED MATH ? Think again!

The patient’s headache began at It’s now How long has he had the headache?

The newborn weighs 3.7 kilograms. Should we worry?

The surgery costs $7500. Insurance pays 80% after a $500 copay. How much will the patient owe?

5mg of medication must be given for every kilogram a patient weighs. Is 250 mg a reasonable dose for a 120-lb woman?

The patient’s temperature is 37 degrees. Should we call the doctor?

A patient exercises for ¾ of an hour every day for a week. Has she exercised for 4 hours as she promised her doctor?

The mean age for onset of a disease is 15. Can a 5-year-old get the disease?

As many as 3,000 to 6,800 deaths are caused annually by medication math errors.

But not everyone is ready for the math required in Healthcare training courses

So we created the ADULT LEARNING ACADEMY (ALA)

ALA: Integrated Reading and Writing (IRW) MATH 020 COMPASS TEST PLACES STUDENTS INTO ONE OR BOTH SUBJECTS

HOW WE DO MATH in the ALA...

We run year-round...

A new cohort begins every 2 weeks. Our 16 cohorts so far total 168 students.

SELF-PACED Students have taken from 1 to 22 weeks to complete ALA Pre-Algebra (Math 020), Average completion time: 5 – 6 weeks.

CONTEXTUALIZED All word problems are related to healthcare.

MODULARIZED, COMPETENCY-BASED Eight modules: a student must score at least 75% on the test for one module before continuing to the next.

INTENSIVE Students are expected to spend at least 20 hours per week in the ALA (including Reading, Writing, and Math)

OPEN-SOURCE VIDEOS Khan Academy math videos and practice exercises are available free of charge, anywhere a student has internet access.

HANDS-ON, SMALL- GROUP WORKSHOPS Workshops provide an overview of each unit, offering hands-on activities and emphasizing important points in the unit.

PERSONAL ATTENTION At least one Instructor or Educational Assistant is available five days a week to answer questions.

MOHEALTHWINS ADULT LEARNING ACADEMY PRE-ALGEBRA FLOWCHART

Between February 11 and August 23, 2013, 135 students started Math ALA. Here are their results: The First Thirteen Cohorts 61% completed all 8 units Mean time to completion: 5.6 weeks Mean improvement in Compass score: 21.5 points

We have expanded the ALA to include an Elementary Algebra course in the same format!

We are so excited!

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