CHANGING THE EQUATION The Context: Scaling a Proven Innovation Program Structure and Resources Readiness Criteria Redesign Alliance Conference

BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION We believe that every life has equal value and that each individual should have the opportunity to live up to his or her potential. In the U.S., the key to opportunity is education. The foundation’s U.S. Program is focused on ensuring that 1) a high school education should result in college readiness and 2) postsecondary education should result in a degree or certificate with genuine economic value.

CHANGING THE EQUATION Key Characteristics Builds on NCAT’s record of success in course redesign Goal: to scale a proven innovation, the Emporium Model Focus: remedial and developmental math at community and other two-year colleges 25+ institutions will be selected to receive a $40,000 grant Support collaboration among NCAT staff, Redesign Scholars and institutional teams

WHAT DOES NCAT MEAN BY COURSE REDESIGN? Course redesign is the process of redesigning whole courses (rather than individual classes or sections) to achieve better learning outcomes at a lower cost by taking advantage of the capabilities of information technology.

WHAT ABOUT TECHNOLOGY? National Association of Developmental Educators (NADE) says using “developmental” and “technology” in the same sentence is an oxymoron.

FEDERAL STUDY SAYS NO BENEFIT GOING HIGH-TECH According to the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, a research arm of the Education Department, going high-tech doesn't lead to higher math scores. The study found achievement scores were no higher in classrooms using math software products than in classrooms without the new products.

REASON? Using technology does not automatically lead to increased student success. It’s how you use the technology that leads to increased student success.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF COURSE REDESIGN The Program in Course Redesign 1999 – 2003 (30 institutions) The Roadmap to Redesign (R2R) 2003 – 2006 (20 institutions) Colleagues Committed to Redesign (C2R) (60 institutions) Programs with Systems and States 2006 – 2010 (~80 institutions)

REDESIGN SUCCESS IN COLLEGE-LEVEL MATH Increased the percentage of students who successfully complete a college-level math course by 43% on average (7% to 170%) Reduced the cost of instruction by 37% on average (19% to 77%) Impacted ~13,000 students per year

IMPROVING SUCCESS IN COLLEGE-LEVEL MATH

REDUCING THE COST OF COLLEGE-LEVEL MATH

REDESIGN SUCCESS IN DEVELOPMENTAL MATH Increased the percentage of students who successfully complete a developmental math course by 51% on average (10% to 135%) Reduced the cost of instruction by 30% on average (12% to 52%) Impacted ~10,000 students per year

IMPROVING SUCCESS IN DEVELOPMENTAL MATH

REDUCING THE COST OF DEVELOPMENTAL MATH

REDESIGN SCHOLARS Betty Frost – Jackson State CC Jamie Glass – U of Alabama Phoebe Rouse – LSU John Squires – Chattanooga State CC Kirk Trigsted – U of Idaho Karen Wyrick – Cleveland State CC

CHANGING THE EQUATION Scaling a Proven Innovation Moving beyond the experimental phase There is room for continuous improvement but not for starting over. To participate, you must meet our design criteria. Key elements that you must include – 1) Emporium Model – 2) Modularization – 3) All remedial and developmental courses

EMPORIUM MODEL Eliminates all lectures Replaces them with a learning- resource center (lab) model – interactive software – on-demand, personalized assistance Permits the use of multiple kinds of personnel Allows multiple courses to be offered at the same time and place Can be adapted for different kinds of institutions

FIXED VS. FLEXIBLE VERSIONS Mandatory lab attendance (e.g., a minimum of 3 hours weekly) ensures that students spend sufficient time on task and receive on- demand assistance. These hours may be scheduled – at the student’s convenience – by the institution for student cohorts Optional: Mandatory weekly group meetings enable instructors to follow up on areas of weaknesses, emphasize particular applications and build community among students and with instructors.

EMPORIUM MODEL Keys to Success Students spend the bulk of their course time doing math problems. Students spend more time on things they don’t understand and less time on things they have already mastered. Students get assistance when they encounter problems in doing math.

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY MODULARIZATION? Breaking the course sequence into smaller “chunks” Permitting students to test out and move on when they show mastery of a “chunk” Permitting students to move through the modules at their own pace and keep moving

WHY MODULARIZE? “The redesign process should take into consideration the large and diverse student population which we serve. Of particular note is the large number of students taking these courses and the wide range of ACT math sub-scores of students in this population. The best redesign plan would consider the academic needs of these students and reflect instructional methods which would enhance the learning experience for the students at each extreme and in the middle.”

WHY MODULARIZE? “Currently, all students spend the same amount of class time working on the same course elements.” “The traditional format does not allow for variances in skills areas or learning differences.” “We currently lose some capable students who are held back by the less capable ones, and we lose some of our less capable students because they cannot keep up with the rest of the class.”

WHY MODULARIZE? “Modularizing courses will focus on the needs of individual learners.” “Students will participate in a learning experience that gives more time to deficient skills and less time to those skills at which they are already competent.” “Some students will progress more rapidly and early exit developmental math.”

MODULARIZATION Remedial & Developmental Version 1 3 courses 32 mini-modules Students are placed at appropriate module. Students add second course if one is completed. Version 2 3 courses 12 modules All students start at module #1. Students register for “shell” courses. Both: mastery learning + the ability to move on to the next course in one term

CHANGING THE EQUATION Scaling a Proven Innovation Moving beyond the experimental phase There is room for continuous improvement but not for starting over. To participate, you must meet our design criteria. Key elements that you must include – 1) Emporium Model – 2) Modularization – 3) All remedial and developmental courses

CHANGING THE EQUATION Program Structure and Resources

ELIGIBILITY Public, independent non-profit and for-profit institutions Regionally accredited Associate-degree granting Two-year branch campuses of four-year institutions (Four-year institutions are not eligible to apply.)

TIMELINE March 2010Orientation at conference April 15, 2010Readiness responses due April 30, institutions selected May 21, 2010Planning workshop Aug 1, 2010Final proposals die Aug 15, 2010Grants awarded Fall 2010Campus planning/development Spring 2011Redesign pilots Summer 2011Pilot assessments Fall 2011Full implementation Spring 2012Redesign assessments

THREE-STAGE APPLICATION PROCESS Stage 1: Learn About NCAT Redesign (December 1, 2009 – March 31, 2010) Stage 2: 50 Teams Ready to Redesign (April 1 – 15, 2010) Stage 3: Develop a Final Redesign Plan (May 1 – August 1)

STAGE 1 Learn About NCAT Redesign Background reading Conference Preliminary readiness

STAGE 2 Identify 50 Teams Ready to Redesign Establish course redesign teams – Faculty experts – Administrators – Technology professionals – Assessment experts Submit readiness responses

STAGE 3 Develop a Final Redesign Plan 50 semi-finalists selected and supported May 21 planning workshop August 1 final proposal submissions

CHANGING THE EQUATION Program Resources NCAT’s Planning Resources Redesign Scholars A Network of Experienced Institutions: the Redesign Alliance

NCAT RESOURCES IN MATH COURSE REDESIGN Six Principles of Successful Course Redesign Four Models for Assessing Student Learning Cost Reduction Strategies Five Critical Implementation Issues Things You Ought To Consider Proposal Example Increasing Student Success: Redesigning Mathematics Articles and other resources, including FAQs

PLANNING WORKSHOP May 21, 2010 Dallas, TX Review of readiness responses and workshop homework Plenaries and break-out groups – How to organize a math emporium – How to modularize – How to engage students Preparing the final proposal Software exhibits

FINAL PROPOSALS DUE 8/1/10 How will you implement the Emporium Model and embody the Six Principles? How will the lab component of your redesign operate? What learning materials do you plan to use? How will you measure student learning? How will you reduce costs; what will you do with the savings? How will you address the five critical implementation issues? + A timeline and a project budget

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT WE HAVE LEARNED ABOUT QUALITY AND COST? The factors that lead to increased student learning and increased student retention are the same as those that lead to reduced instructional costs!

SIX PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESSFUL COURSE REDESIGN #1: Redesign the whole course sequence #2: Encourage active learning #3: Provide students with individualized assistance #4: Build in ongoing assessment and prompt (automated) feedback #5: Ensure sufficient time on task and monitor student progress #6: Modularize the student experience

#1: REDESIGN THE WHOLE COURSE SEQUENCE – Quality: Eliminate “course drift”; greater course coherence and quality control – Cost: Eliminate duplicate effort; create opportunities for alternate staffing

#2: ENCOURAGE ACTIVE LEARNING – Quality: "Students learn math by doing math, not by listening to someone talk about doing math.“ – Cost: Reduce faculty preparation and presentation time; reduce grading time (e.g., interactive software)

#3: PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH INDIVIDUALIZED ASSISTANCE – Quality: Students get help when they are “stuck” and stay on task rather than giving up (e.g., software tutorials, F2F in labs) – Cost: Apply the right level of human intervention (e.g., tutors, course assistants)

#4: BUILD IN ONGOING ASSESSMENT AND PROMPT (AUTOMATED) FEEDBACK – Quality: Enables practice, diagnostic feedback, focused time on task – Cost: Good pedagogy with large numbers of students; automated grading; faculty spend time on what students don’t understand

#5: ENSURE SUFFICIENT TIME ON TASK AND MONITOR STUDENT PROGRESS – Quality: Self-pacing vs. milestones for completion; points for engagement – Cost: Course management systems can reduce costs while increasing oversight; automated intervention

#6: MODULARIZE THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE – Quality: Students spend the amount of time needed to master each module, proceeding at a faster pace if possible or at a slower pace if necessary. – Cost: Modularization leads to a reduced need for course sections.

IMPLEMENTATION PHASE August 1, 2010 – April 1, 2012 Grant awards: $40,000 Concrete planning: Fall 2010 Scholar consultants Pilot: Spring 2011 Revisions: Summer 2011 Full Implementation: Fall 2011 Workshops (2)

CHANGING THE EQUATION Readiness Criteria

READINESS CRITERIA What are we looking for in your responses? Understanding of the program Evidence of preliminary planning Team response—not by one person

READINESS CRITERION #1 Course Sequence What impact would redesigning the course sequence have on the curriculum, on students and on the institution—i.e., why do you want to redesign this course sequence?

FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN THINKING ABOUT HIGH IMPACT High drop-failure-withdrawal rates Student performance in subsequent courses Student complaints Other departmental complaints Lack of consistency in multiple sections Difficulty finding qualified adjuncts

READINESS CRITERION #2 Redesign Model How would you implement the Emporium Model on your campus? What constraints may impact your implementation?

READINESS CRITERION #3 Assessment Plan Which assessment model do you think would be most appropriate for your redesign? Why? Have you identified each course’s expected/intended learning outcomes?

ASSESSMENT GOAL To establish the degree to which improved learning has been achieved as a result of the course redesign.

ESTABLISH THE METHOD OF OBTAINING DATA Baseline “Before” (traditional) and “After” (redesign) Parallel Sections – Compare traditional sections and redesigned sections (Spring 2011)

CHOOSE THE MEASUREMENT METHOD: FOUR MODELS Comparisons of Final Exams Comparisons of Common Content Items Selected from Exams Comparisons of Pre- and Post- Tests Comparisons of Student Work using Common Rubrics

GRADES ARE NOT A SUFFICIENT MEASURE OF STUDENT LEARNING Lack of consistency Different coverage Different tests and exams Curving Inflation

READINESS CRITERION #4 Cost Savings Plan Which cost savings strategy do you think would be most appropriate for your redesign? Why? How would you reallocate the resources saved?

COST REDUCTION STRATEGIES Step 1. Identify the enrollment profile of the course Step 2. Choose the labor savings tactic(s) that will allow you to implement the chosen strategy with no diminution in quality. Step 3. Choose the appropriate cost reduction strategy.

WHAT’S YOUR ENROLLMENT SITUATION? Is your enrollment growing or projected to grow? Is your enrollment stable or declining?

LABOR SAVINGS TACTICS Substitute (in part or in whole) Coordinated development and delivery and shared instructional tasks Interactive tutorial software Automated grading Course management software Peer interaction or interaction with other personnel Individual development and delivery Face-to-face class meetings Hand grading Human monitoring and course administration One-to-one faculty/student interaction

CHOOSE A COST REDUCTION STRATEGY Each instructor carries more students. This can be done by – increasing section size – increasing the number of sections that each instructor carries for the same workload credit. Change the mix of personnel from more expensive to less expensive. Do both simultaneously.

COST REDUCTION EXAMPLE Traditional Each instructor teaches 1 section Section size = 25 Time spent = 200 hours Redesign Time spent = 100 hours Options : – Each instructor = 2 sections of 25 – Each instructor = 1 section of 50

Growth argument must be supported by data. Retention is a “hope” - not a strategy. You can change your mind, but you must make a decision.

READINESS CRITERION #5 Learning Materials Are the faculty able and willing to incorporate existing curricular materials in order to focus work on redesign issues rather than materials creation?

READINESS CRITERION #6 Departmental Support Are decisions about curriculum in the department made collectively--in other words, beyond the individual faculty member level? Are the faculty ready to collaborate?

READINESS RESPONSES Due: April 15, 2010 One page per criterion Format: Word please! (no pdfs) Cover sheet signed by Chief Academic Officer to

THE REDESIGN ALLIANCE Fourth Annual Conference How to get the most out of your conference experience...

THE REDESIGN ALLIANCE Members: a community of higher education institutions and others who are committed to and experienced with large-scale course redesign. Mission: to advance the concept of course redesign throughout higher education to increase student success and access while containing or reducing instructional costs.

SUNDAY Orientation Corporate Exhibits Opening Reception Corporate Hospitality Suites Birds of a Feather (Lunches)

CORPORATE MEMBERS Blackboard Carnegie Learning Cengage Learning Hawkes Learning Systems McGraw-Hill Pearson Education SMARTHINKING

MONDAY MORNING Opening Keynote: Kay McClenney Disciplinary Showcases – Developmental Mathematics – College-Level Mathematics – Developmental English – Social Science – Science and Engineering – Other Disciplines

MONDAY AFTERNOON Roundtable Discussion Sessions – Developmental math – College-Level Math – Humanities and Writing Intensive – Natural Sciences – Social Sciences – Administrators Sector Roundtables CTE Debriefing Poster Sessions Poolside Reception

TUESDAY MORNING Opening Keynote: Dennis Pearl Hot Topics in Course Redesign – Departmental Redesign – Developing a Valid Assessment Plan – Engaging Students – How to Get Started – Linked Courses – Modularization

A FINAL WORD OF Many math examples throughout conference (e.g., publishers, poster sessions, other participants) Keep focused on data Keep focused on what you need to do for Changing the Equation

KEEP A FOCUS ON SUCCESS! Increased the percentage of students who successfully complete a developmental math course by 51% on average (10% to 135%) Reduced the cost of instruction by 30% on average (12% to 52%) Impacted ~10,000 students per year