WHAT ARE WE DOING?
Michael Eurgubian
Santa Rosa Junior College,
Petaluma Campus
California Mathematics Council,
Community Colleges
December 10, 2011
meurgubian@santarosa.edu
WHAT I DID AT EACH SCHOOL
Contacted someone to make an appointment
Studied College Catalog, Website, Schedule of
Classes
Snooped around the Campus
Chatted with Scheduled Department Chair or Dean
Peeked in on Assessment Center
Visited Every Tutorial Center (Math Labs, Campus
Learning)
Sampled Cafeteria Fare
Drove Home or Crashed in Lonely Hotel Room
WHAT IT ENTAILED
Four Week – Long Trips
Three 2 – 3 Day Trips
Many Day Trips
SCHOOLS VISITED
Los Angeles West College
Modesto College
Santa Monica College
Columbia College
Santa Barbara City College
College of Alameda
Ventura College
Contra Costa College
Taft College
College of the Canyons
Berkeley City College
Mount San Antonio College
Merritt College
Chaffee College
Laney College
San Bernadino Valley College
City College of San Francisco
Riverside College
College of San Mateo
Barstow College
Canada College
College of the Desert
Lake Tahoe Community College Crafton Hills College
Sierra College
Mendocino College
Sacramento City College
College of the Redwoods
American River College
Shasta College
SCHOOLS VISITED
Los Angeles Valley College
Los Angeles Pierce College
Moorpark College
Los Angeles Mission College
Fullerton College
Santa Ana College
Golden West College
Coastline College
Long Beach City College
Los Angeles Harbor College
Pasadena City College
Glendale College
Yuba College
Woodlands College
Las Positas
De Anza College
Solano College
San Diego City College
San Diego Mesa College
Cuyamaca College
Mt. San Jacinto College
Palomar College
Mira Costa College
Saddleback College
Southwestern College
SCHOOLS VISITED
Merced College
Reedley College
College of the Sequoias
Antelope Valley College
Cerro Coso College
Bakersfield College
Porterville College
Fresno City College
West Hills College
Butte College
Feather River College
College of Marin
Hartnell College
Cabrillo College
Monterey Peninsula College
SCHOOLS YET TO BE VISITED
Mission College
West Valley College
San Jose City College
Chabot College
Los Medanos College
Napa Valley College
Diablo Valley College
Santa Rosa Junior College
DISCLAIMERS
Not a Scientific Study or Census
Much is based on hearsay
Some schools yet to visit
Remainder of schools might paint a different picture
Talked to wrong person
Impediments
Layout
According to most, the perfect layout is one in which the
Offices, Classrooms, and Math Lab are all in close proximity.
70% have this set – up
Exceptions and breeches I have seen
DIVISIONS
More than 2 are mixed with Sciences
3
About 5 teach CS classes
About 1 are mixed with other departments
6
About 1 are lead by Deans rather that department chairs
3
In three schools, Math is its own division
CLASS SIZE
About 70% of the colleges keep a class size of about 35
About 20% are 40 – 45
The rest have variable class sized per course
Only two are outliers
CALCULUS SEQUENCE
5–5–5
30 %
4–4–4
25 %
Numerous cases of combination Differential Equations / Linear
Algebra
Calculus Texts
TRANFER MAJOR / AA / AS
C1 – 2 – 3 DE – LA
35 %
C1 – C2 – C3 - Selection
45 %
Other
20 %
Plus Computer Science
20 %
WHO TEACHES WHAT
At virtually every college, all teacher teach across the curriculum
De – Facto – More than 90% of the calculus sequence is taught
by full - timers
In more that half cases, it extends to transfer level courses
For every one full time person at a campus there are one the
average 2 – 3 Adjunct
ONLINE CLASSROOM AND HOMEWORK
Virtually every college’s math department offers online or
hybrid classes
Among those schools who have sited instructors assigning
online homework, 50 – 60% of the faculty does
Among those that do, MyMathLab 90% is the online program of
choice
Overall, online / Hybrid offerings make up no more than 15% of
the offerings
Exceptions
GRAPHING CALCULATORS AND
COMPUTER SOFTWARE
Graphing calculators in the classroom have fallen off significantly
in last 10 years
Integration in classroom activity has also significantly declined
Only about 20% of the schools make some kind of graphing
calculator option
The TI 83 – 84 is most often used at all levels; the TI – 89 was
rarely cited as a requirement
Mathematica is used more than MAPLE
TEXTBOOK ADOPTION
About 40% of the campuses have departmental adoptions on
all texts (exceptions often for singletons)
About 40% of the campuses require adoptions on sequence
courses only
Only a couple cited complete laissez - faire
SLOS
Most mathematics departments found it easy to write course
SLO’s and department SLO’s
Variety of opinions on how to assess them
Some departments have teachers imbed department problems
in finals (approved)
About a dozen schools give departmental final exams
Most everyone is dead serious, not cynical
Almost all cited accreditation warnings
A few had aggressive longitudinal and diagnostic plans studies
based on assessments
COMMUNICATION
Three noted collegial relationships (inter – district) between schools
San Diego County Colleges
South Central Valley
North Central Valley
REPEATABILITY
Only two schools told me it has no impact, as they had
already made the change
WHAT I DIDN’T DISCUSS BUT SHOULD HAVE
ASSESSMENT
Most common assessment tool Accuplacer…….more than 60 %
Followed by MDTP, about 20%
Followed by Compass, just a couple
Three colleges cited their own placement test
Two colleges cited self – assessment, online
Three colleges cited “affective” questions mixed into assessment
process
All cited an appeal process
Some cited a fall back / intervention program
More than 80% of the colleges said practice placement tests were
available
20% of the colleges are planning to have, or already have an active
“MATHJAMS” type program
The (vast?) majority of our students place into developmental
courses
Virtually all said the department actively reviews cut – off scores
TUTORIAL SERVICES
Not counting MESA, DRD, almost every college has both a campus
wide tutorial center and a Math lab (exceptions are mostly small
campuses)
More than 75% of the colleges reported that instructors frequent
tutorial centers
About 30% reported that full time instructors schedule office
hours there
About 25% of the colleges allow instructors to get (lab) load
Most centers operate Monday through Friday, 8 colleges reported
Saturday hours
Virtually all have sign – in requirements
Chances that the campus tutorial director has math background –
pretty slim
A good Statistics tutor is hard to find
AA REQUIREMENT CHANGES
IN CURRICULUM
Less than a fourth of the colleges have pondered or have already
created an alternative course to meet the new AA requirements
A great proportion of them have failed the enrollment test!
A handful use Geometry as the option
Some use other discipline – based courses already in place to
serve that cohort
SPLIT ALGEBRA
Less than 30% of the campuses reported split elementary
and / or intermediate algebra courses
Geometry
MATH FOR ELEMENTARY TEACHERS
About 1 to 1 of campuses reported a course for
3
2
PRECALCULUS
LIBERAL ARTS MATH
Robust at some schools, 1 – 2 at others
CONFLICTS WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS
Only one conflict was sited, over Statistics
CONDENSED CALENDAR
Overall, equally split 16, 17, 18
Imposed by district for a handful
(Original) Math / Science / FL Opposition
FOR ME……….
THE MOST SURPRISING MOVEMENT…..
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
FAST – TRACKING !!!
All but a couple of schools I visited
Combination Basic Skills -- Pre – Algebra
Combination Elementary -- Intermediate Algebra
Combination Intermediate -- Pre - Calculus
“STATWAYS” Programs / Grants
In addition:
Curiosity or interest to infuse Geometry somewhere
OTHER TRIVIAL MATTERS
AND PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS
MOST BEAUTIFUL CAMPUS
Cuyamaca College
MOST UNDER CONSTRUCTION COLLEGE
Los Angeles Harbor College
PARKING PRICES
Free…..Lake Tahoe, Redwoods, West Hills
To 50 cents
Most are $1 to $2
Only two were $3
Only one is $4
SINGLE BUILDING CAMPUSES
Berkeley City College
MOST TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED
AND GREEN
Berkeley City College
IMPOSSIBLE TO GET TO CAMPUS
MOST ETHNICALLY UNIQUE
Glendale Community College
About
2
3
Armenian students
BIGGEST PERCENTAGE OF ONLINE CLASSES
Coastline Community College
all but Basic Math and Pre - Algebra
COLLEGE WITH THE MOST SATILLITES
TEACHING MATH
City College of San Francisco
PLACE I WOULD LIKE TO TEACH
THE REST OF MY CAREER
Santa Rosa Junior College
BEST NAME FOR A TUTORIAL CENTER
The Hard Math Café
Yuba College
MOST APPEALING MATH COURSE LISTED
ON A COLLEGE CATALOG
Mathematics of Poker
Lake Tahoe Community College
OTHER COMMENTS
The choices on the radio drastically change when you leave
metropolitan regions
“Right down the street” means about two hours in Los Angeles
If a college is surrounded by four parking lots, remember where
you parked your car
There’s a construction project of some kind ongoing at about half
the colleges
The vast majority of students, teachers, and support staff are
very serious and committed
WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO
Finish up templates for each school in coming months, following up
with contacts questions
Have each department verify templates
Ask for input from other schools I did not visit
Create a grid for each “area of study” for all campuses, with
demographics
(Ask questions to ponder, or better, create) a blog of FaceBook
page where people can ask questions / post advice
Rest
Get back in the classroom