Evaluating a Non-Randomized Trial: A Case Study of a Pilot to Increase Pre-Collegiate Math Course Success Rates
2009; Volume: 16; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1068-610X
Autores Tópico(s)Higher Education Research Studies
ResumoThis article presents a case study of a two-year pilot to increase pre-collegiate math course success rates at a large community college. The EnableMath pilot involved the use of computerized software that allowed students to practice math problems in a lab during class time. Additional components of the program included the administration of the College Student Inventory (CSI) motivational assessment and in-class counseling support. EnableMath students achieved a course success rate of 15 to 20 percentage points higher than other students in the same math courses. End-of-class survey data as well as enrollment data suggest strong student demand for EnableMath courses. However, for students moving from Pre-Algebra to Elementary Algebra and Intermediate Algebra to college-level (to a lesser degree) courses, success rates for EnableMath students lagged behind other students. EnableMath students moving from Elementary Algebra to Intermediate Algebra achieved similar rates of success as their peers. The article discusses the difficulties in evaluating a nonrandomized trial and suggests that the math department focus on improving the transition in pilot sections from Pre-Algebra to Elementary Algebra. Background In 2006 the New York Times wrote about the high percentage of college students needing remediation in mathematics as well as the low success rate of students in remedial math courses in the United States (Scherno, 2006). The definition of mathematics remediation varies by institution but generally implies that a college student has not advanced beyond Intermediate Algebra. The deterrnination of whether a student needs remedial math in college is made by each institution and can be independent of a student's high school achievement (Bettinger and Long, 2005). Students placing into remedial courses such as PreAlgebra, Elementary Algebra, and Intermediate Algebra, have course success rates of about 50% as compared to success rates of about 70% in other courses (Spurling, 2006). This gap has resulted in new textbooks and programs aimed at improving course success rates in remedial mathematics (Bardige, 2007). Anza College, a large community college with about 23,000 full- and part-time students, occupying a suburban campus in the Silicon Valley, has not been immune from the national trends in remedial mathematics education. Student success rates in Pre- Algebra, Elementary Algebra, and Intermediate Algebra are 20-30 percentage points below the college-wide course success average for all students. This disparity resulted in a student protest in the winter of 2004. As the student newspaper editorialized: De Anza College's math department is failing to address abysmal student failure rates - especially among racial minorities - according to Students for Justice, an on-campus activist club. (Edwards, 2004, p. 3). The success rate disparity also resulted in Foothill Anza Community College District Board of Trustees reports on remedial or basic skills efforts (Barr, 2005 and Miner, 2006). University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) admission standards require mathematics coursework above Intermediate Algebra, and Anza College policy requires Intermediate Algebra for an associate's degree. Consequently, the math department redoubled its efforts to improve student success in remedial math courses in 2004-05. This effort resulted in a new curriculum for Pre-, Elementary, and Intermediate Algebra in Fall 2005. The effort also resulted in an examination of computer software that might assist students in completing their homework in math. This focus on practice by some faculty members in the department was founded on the belief that students were not spending ample time at home working on math problems (for various reasons, including work commitments) to master the material. The examination of computer software involved presentations from eight different vendors/ companies to a committee made up of faculty, the department technology support person, and the dean of the division in Spring 2004. …
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