LSU Course Redesign
Phoebe Rouse
Louisiana State University
DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS
Baton Rouge, LA
Redesign Program Goals and Keys
• R2R: Roadmap to Redesign (Fall 2004-Spring 2007)
• Goals of Redesign:
To use technology
To reduce personnel costs
To continue/improve current success rates
• Pedagogical Keys of Redesign:
Active Student Learning Experience
Personalized, Individualized Instruction
Immediate Feedback
Repetition to Mastery
Courses and Enrollment
College Algebra (3 credit hours)
• 1800 Fall
• 400 Spring
• 200 Summer
Trigonometry (3 credit hours)
• 1000 Fall
• 1000 Spring
• 200 Summer
Precalculus (College Algebra and Trig, 5 credit hours)
• 400 Fall
• 50 Spring
A. Flexible Lab Model
(Fall and Spring only)
Class at fixed time
• CA – 1 hour per week – 40 students
• Trig – 1 hour per week – 160 students
• Precalculus – 2 hours per week – 40 students
• Review and connecting of concepts, working
examples with most difficult skills
Lab at flexible times (open 60 hours each week)
• CA – 3 hours minimum each week
• Trig – 3 hours minimum each week
• Precalculus – 5 hours minimum each week
• Do homework, do quizzes, read ebook, watch videos
B. Early Completion Model
(Fall and Spring only)
•
1 section each of College Algebra and Trig
•
Sections capped at 200 students each
•
No class meetings
•
Optional lab hours – flexible times
•
Rigid due dates
•
Option to work ahead
C. Fixed Lab Model
(Summer only)
•
2 sections of College Algebra and 2 sections of
Trig
•
Enrollment per section capped at 100
•
8 class days and 16 lab days cycling in order of
class, lab, lab, and then repeating
•
3 fixed hours in lab required per cycle
•
Lab open 8 hours each cycle
Assessments
• All homework, quizzes, tests, and final exam
using MyMathLab
• Test in university testing center
• Grade Distribution(modified for EC and Su)
10% Participation (5% class and 5% lab)
10% Homework (drop lowest 2/3)
10% Quizzes (drop the lowest 2)
45% Tests (4/5)
25% Final (can replace lowest test score)
Pleasant Hall Math Lab
Fall 2005
PH Basement Math Lab
Fall 2006
PH Basement Side Room
Fall 2007
College Algebra
Fall Results
# of
students
enrolled
ABC
Rate
Fall 2001 Traditional Sections
3115
66%
Fall 2002 Traditional Sections
3188
64%
Fall 2003 Traditional Sections
3211
68%
Fall 2004 Traditional & LL Sections with MML
3347
71%
Fall 2005 Trad, LL with MML, & R2R with MML
2506
54%
Fall 2006 R2R Sections with MML
1724
75%
Fall 2007 R2R Sections with MML
1739
67%
Fall 2008 R2R Sections with MML
1772
68%
Fall 2009 R2R Sections with MML
1556
72%
Trig
Fall Results
# of
students
enrolled
ABC
Rate
Fall 2001 Traditional Sections
1277
59%
Fall 2002 Traditional Sections
1150
56%
Fall 2003 Traditional Sections
1015
62%
892
61%
Fall 2005 XLg Lecture w/ MML
1350
55%
Fall 2006 XLg Lecture w/ MML
1234
63%
Fall 2007 R2R Sections with MML
1168
64%
Fall 2008 R2R Sections with MML
1231
69%
Fall 2009 R2R Sections with MML
1131
69%
Fall 2004 XLg Lecture w/ MapleTA
College Algebra
Spring Results
Exam
Median
# of
Students
enrolled
ABC
Rate
Spring 2001 Traditional Sections
68%
1223
50%
Spring 2002 Traditional Sections
69%
1191
54%
Spring 2003 Traditional Sections
68%
1066
53%
Spring 2004 Traditional Sections
68%
1025
64%
Spring 2005 Traditional Sections
71%
610
66%
Spring 2005 R2R Pilot with MML
61%
196
47%
Spring 2006 R2R Sections with MML
67%
567
59%
Spring 2007 R2R Sections with MML
71%
384
55%
Spring 2008 R2R Sections with MML
61%
418
53%
Trig
Spring Results
Exam
Median
# of
Students
enrolled
ABC
Rate
Spring 2001 Traditional Sections
69%
1304
65%
Spring 2002 Traditional Sections
*
1451
63%
Spring 2003 Traditional Sections
64%
1490
63%
Spring 2004 Traditional Sections
*
1477
69%
Spring 2005 XLg Lecture w/ MapleTA
*
1252
69%
Spring 2006 XLg Lecture w/ MML
*
1030
57%
Spring 2007 R2R Sections with MML
60%
967
62%
Spring 2008 R2R Sections with MML
67%
791
60%
*No exam median recorded.
“Must Haves” for Redesign
1.
The support of both the department administration
and the upper administration
2.
A strong-willed, thick-skinned program director
3.
A core group of instructors and professors
dedicated to working hard to make the redesign
succeed
4.
Space and computers for a learning lab
5.
A willingness on the part of everyone involved to
be flexible and CHANGE
6.
A purpose and an overall plan for redesign
Do’s and Don’ts
• Do stagger student assignment deadlines to avoid an
overloaded lab
• Do set up homework and quizzes to be due before the new
material is taught.
• Do establish credit hour equivalencies prior to assigning
teacher’s schedules.
• Do increase administrator/coordinator release time to run
program.
• Do designate a person to manage data, a person to prepare the
lab schedule for tutors and train them, and a person to become
expert at using the time clock.
• Do prepare for the unexpected.
• Don’t give up!
Elements of a Sustained Redesign
• Detailed course syllabus and individual daily schedules
• Online assessments and carefully chosen assignment settings
• Settings for individual students
• Process for importing into and exporting from the gradebook
• Precise password management
• Allowance for open homework
• Rotating lab and efficient time clock management
• Well-trained teachers and tutors and constant tutor supervising
• Attention to DETAILS
Contact Info
Phoebe Rouse
LSU
prouse@lsu.edu
NCAT Redesign Scholar
MyMathLab Faculty Advocate
Precalculus
Fall Results
# of
students
enrolled
ABC
Rate
Fall 2001 Traditional Sections
342
71%
Fall 2002 Traditional Sections
443
74%
Fall 2003 Traditional Sections
556
76%
Fall 2004 Traditional Sections
598
79%
Fall 2005 Large Lecture
321
60%
Fall 2006 R2R Sections with MML
277
64%
Fall 2007 R2R Sections with MML
288
71%
Fall 2008 R2R Sections with MML
287
62%
Fall 2009 R2R Sections with MML
286
81%
Precalculus
Spring Results
Exam
Median
# of
Students
enrolled
ABC
Rate
Spring 2001 Traditional Sections
*
72
60%
Spring 2002 Traditional Sections
*
56
54%
Spring 2003 Traditional Sections
*
51
57%
Spring 2004 Traditional Sections
*
41
47%
Spring 2005 Traditional Sections
*
48
71%
Spring 2006 R2R Pilot with MML
64%
40
48%
Spring 2007 R2R Section with MML
79%
22
68%
Spring 2008 R2R Section with MML
73%
37
43%
*No exam median recorded.
Tutor and Teacher Training
1. Ugrad Tutor Training Program
a. Hiring and screening
b. Pre-semester workshop
2. First-Year-TA Tutor Training Program
a. Pre-semester workshop
b. Fall semester Comm Math course
c. Spring semester Comm Math course
3. First-Time-Teaching-Redesign Teacher
Workshop (R2R Manual)
4. Pre-semester Meeting for All Teaching
Redesign Personnel
Program Management
• Overall program administrator
• Course coordinators for each course
• Tutor supervisor
• Time clock manager
Teaching
• Instructors
• Upper level math graduate students
Lab Tutoring
• Instructors
• Upper level math graduate students
• First-year math graduate students
• Ugrad math majors
Tech support
• Ugrad students from LSU ITS