Open-Entry Math Program
Pikes Peak Community College
Summer and Fall 2010
Marilyn Frydrych
PPCC College Prep Math Faculty
Pikes Peak Community College

Four campuses in metropolitan Colorado Springs

About 20,000 students

About 3,600 college prep math students

The Web-based program MyMathLab used in
regular college prep math classes
2
M
i
s
s
i
o
n
The mission of the Open-Entry Math
program is to provide a learning
environment where students taking
college prep courses at Pikes Peak
Community College, and having
weak math skills, can advance at
their own pace; and where students
needing to refresh their math
skills can move forward to
complete two or three courses in one
semester. It provides an alternative
choice to the regular math
classroom.
3
Open-Entry Math Objectives

Service a fraction of the college prep
math students

Provide an alternative learning
environment for students unproductive in
their regular classrooms.

Provide an opportunity for students who
have taken the material previously to fast
track through the courses.
4
Open-Entry Math

Started two years ago

Students start as soon as they register.
Three
possible start dates for each
course
• Serves less than 10% of math students
• Meets math faculty demands of retaining
PPCC math standards
5

Serves only college prep classes
◦ Basic Math
◦ Pre-Algebra
◦ Elementary Algebra
◦ Intermediate Algebra

Uses the Web-based program ALEKS

Meets MTWTh

Requires students to sign contract promising
to adhere to syllabus

Requires students to reach 95% in ALEKS
Open-Entry Math (Continued)
6
ALEKS Observations

A self-paced course is better for some
students than a regular class.

ALEKS’ strength is that it offers
◦ Only work that students are ready to handle
◦ Review
◦ Repetition
7

ALEKS builds math egos

Motivated students fly through courses.
Observations (Continued)
8
Open-Entry Coordinator

Answers students’ questions

Teaches new instructors

Markets the Open-Entry
program

Implements improvements

Handles paperwork

Assesses how well Open-Entry meets
objectives of its mission statement
9
Three Types of Students Enrolling
in Open-Entry

Transfers from regular math classes

Students starting first day of semester

Students starting as late start students
10
 Transfers
from regular math classes
◦ Directed to Open-Entry by
regular class instructors
◦ Recommended by
counselors and
advisors.
◦ Targeted by
posters
Three Types (Continued)
11

Students starting first day of semester
◦ Returning ALEKS students
◦ Last minute students
 Often have no idea what Open-Entry is.
 Often procrastinators who belong in Open-Entry
 Sometimes transfer out into a regular math class.
 Often, on the first day, returning students
persuade new students to stay in the class.
Three Types (Continued)
12

Students Starting as late start students
(not transferring from a regular class)
◦ Troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan
◦ High school students
◦ Home-schooled students
Three Types (Continued)
13
Student Costs

Regular registration costs and ALEKS code
fees for non-transfers

Transferring students: cost of ALEKS code

No book fee (e-book available in ALEKS)
14
How Classes Are Built
into College System


Five classes on two campuses and two
more on a third campus
Many sections for each class
 4 math courses in each
classroom
 Multiple start-date
options for each course
15
 Must transfer from
o
Full semester class into full semester class
o
Late start class into late start class
o
Third trimester class into third trimester class
How Classes
Are Built (Continued)
16
Classroom Format

Maximum classroom enrollment limited to
available computers: 20 – 35

ALEKS used with PC’s or laptops (ovens)

No lectures. Tutor runs the class.
17

Fast track students (10%) mixed with
others

Students work ALEKS problems in
required notebooks
◦
◦
◦
◦
Formatting
Vocabulary lists
Formula lists
No chicken scratching
Classroom Format (Continued)
18

Some students prepare for tests in class.

1 hour 15 minutes classes

Tried 2 hours and 1 hour
◦ Had huge enrollment increases
so can no longer do 2 hours
◦ 1 hour too short
• Instructors use “Time and Topic” to focus
on who needs help.
Classroom Format (Continued)
19
Tests

PPCC has very high math standards with
difficult tests

Open-Entry students take the same tests
as students in regular classrooms.

Only one chance per test
20

Three prong attack
1. Paper practice tests familiarize students
with
◦ Format of PPCC tests
◦ Vocabulary on tests
◦ Level of difficulty of tests
2. Explanations and problems from E-book
Tests (Continued)
21
3. One ALEKS quiz before each test
◦ Can be taken unlimited times
◦ Placed under “homework” button so
students can control start time

Most tests taken in a testing center (class
period too short)

Final taken after reaching 95% in ALEKS
Tests (Continued)
22
• Instructors determine if students ready
for tests
◦ Go over practice tests with
student
◦ Check that quizzes are done

Instructors work one-on-one
with test corrections
Tests (Continued)
23
PPCC’s Use of ALEKS

We integrate ALEKS with
Miller/O'Neill /Hyde texts.
◦ ALEKS upgrades Miller, etc. first.
◦ Must match chapter content of PPCC’s texts
with course content available in Miller, etc.
24

We use the Gradebook.

We use Quicktables.

We use Homework for our quizzes.

We set expiration date of chapters
◦ Two weeks after the end of the
◦ semester.
◦ One day after the other.
PPCC’s Use of ALEKS (Continued)
25
Self-Paced
•
ALEKS individualizes each student’s
progress through assessments.
•
Within the first week, students schedule
how many topics they must cover each
week to finish
•
Students take 15 to 200 hours to reach
100% in ALEKS.
•
Some students with long-term memory
challenges take a year or more per class.
26
•
Up to three courses
have been completed
in one semester.
Number of Students: 3
33% do little or no
homework and so
don’t finish.
Time to completion
(Time to current objective |
Current learning rate)
Assessment performance
Total
time in
Last
Name
this Last login
assessment
(Login|Student Id) course
Reason
(hrs)
•
Logged-in Students: 0
Student 2
7.4
goal
Chapter 1
09/27/2010 09/08/2010 and
Chapter 9
08/25/2010
Student 2
Initial
Assessment
topics
Current
hours learned
Intermediate per
per
Objective week hour of
use
expected
hours
necessary
to reach
the goal
expected
weeks
necessary
to reach
the goal
Ready
1.4
5.9
7.0
5.0
Ready
1.4
10.5
5.4
3.8
Ready
0.5
-
-
-
Ready
2.9
3.7
-
-
Ready
-
3.9
-
-
Ready
4.5
5.3
5.5
1.2
Ready
2.9
4.3
12.1
4.2
55 +16 %
37 +22 %
22.7 10/21/2010 09/25/2010 Chapter 4
100 %
Chapter 3
09/16/2010 and
Chapter 8
90 +10 %
09/12/2010 Chapter 2
78 +13 %
Chapter 1
09/07/2010 and
Chapter 9
08/24/2010
Student 3
6.3
09/09/2010 08/24/2010
Initial
Assessment
67 +12 %
45 +18 %
Initial
Assessment
“Self-Paced” (Continued)
27
Grades

Given at the end of the
semester

No incompletes

For a student taking more
than one course in a semester
◦ First grade withheld until
second course is finished
except for the final
◦ If second course not finished,
no grade.
28
Percentage Passing with Greater
than 10 Hours on ALEKS
60
55
54
50
42
Percent
40
37
43
40
36
30
Summer 2010
19
20
17
10
0
Basic Math
Pre-Alge
Basic &
Pre-Alg
Courses
Beg. Alg.
Inter. Alg.
Fall 2010
Percentage Passing with 95% or
Greater on ALEKS
1.2
1
1
0.92
0.81
Percent
0.8
0.6
1
0.76
0.79
0.81
0.58
0.5
Summer 2010
Fall 2010
0.4
0.2
0
Basic Math
Pre-Alge
Basic &
Pre-Alg
Courses
Beg. Alg.
Inter. Alg.
ALEKS Observations

A self-paced course is better for some
students than a regular class.

ALEKS’ strength is that it offers
◦ Only work that students are ready to handle
◦ Review
◦ Repetition
31

ALEKS builds math egos

Motivated students fly through courses.
Observations (Continued)
32
What’s In Progress? We are:
◦ Trying to implement modules within each class
◦ Trying to find ways to motivate outside class
work
◦ Trying to minimize administrative overhead
◦ Trying to link all five classes so banner knows
when the classes are full
◦ Trying to incorporate guest speakers addressing
study skills and test anxiety twice a month.
33
Open-Entry Math Objectives

Service a small fraction of the college
prep math students

Provide an alternative learning
environment for students unproductive in
their regular classrooms.

Provide an opportunity for students who
have taken the material previously to fast
track through the courses.
34
M
i
s
s
i
o
n
The mission of the Open-Entry Math
program is to provide a learning
environment where students taking
college prep courses at Pikes Peak
Community College, and having
weak math skills, can advance at
their own pace; and where students
needing to refresh their math
skills can move forward to
complete two or three courses in one
semester. It provides an alternative
choice to the regular math
classroom.
35
Acknowledgement

I would like to acknowledge those companies
who have provided free downloads of clipart.
◦ Discoveryeducation.com
◦ clipartElek.com
◦ Phillip Martin
◦ free-clipart-picture.net
◦ Clipartheaven
◦ openclipart.org
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