5.1 b Program/Discipline: Mathematics Annual Program Review Update Mathematics Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 1 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b Annual Program Review Update *Be sure to include information from all three campuses. Program/Discipline: Mathematics Submitted by (names): David Arnold, Michael Butler, Steve Jackson, Tami Matsumoto, Todd Olsen, Bruce Wagner, Erin Wall, Kevin Yokoyama, Elizabeth Arnold Contact Information (phone and email): Bruce Wagner, 476-4207, bruce-wagner@redwoods.edu Dean / V. P.: Rachel Anderson Validation Date: 1. Program/Discipline Changes Has there been any change in the status of your program or area since your last Annual Update? (Have you shifted departments? Have new degrees or certificates been created by your program? Have activities in other programs impacted your area or program? For example, a new nursing program could cause greater demand for life-science courses.) Note: curricular changes should be addressed under 12 (Curriculum). No (go to next question) Yes (describe the changes below): Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 2 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b 2. Program/Discipline Trends Review and analyze the Enrollment data (Table 2.01) provided by Institutional Research and answer the following questions: Table 2.01 Enrollments Number of students enrolled at census date For the purposes of these charts here, course sections have been broken down by class start time. The definitions for each start time are as follows: • Early Morning Before 10:00AM • Prime Time From 10:00AM to 2:30PM • Late Afternoon From 2:30PM to 5:30PM*/6:00PM • Evening 5:30PM*/6:00PM and later • Weekend Saturday or Sunday classes • TBA No scheduled start time * Evening is defined differently for semesters prior to Fall 2009 Each classification was weighted according to the following schedule: • Weekend • Evening • Late Afternoon • Early Morning • Prime Time If a section had start times that fell into more than one category, it would be placed in the higher weighted category. For example, if a section met on a Saturday and started at 10:30AM, it would be considered a Weekend section. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 3 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b Evening TBA Total Late Afternoon 65% 631 27 106.14 1,989 Prime Time Early Morning 52% 33% 50% 375 790 3,446 22 22 151 61.47 82.82 538.08 1,539 1,206 10,566 TBA Total 2008 - 2009 Evening Late Afternoon 50% 305 17 52.16 1,197 TBA 61% 1,380 64 237.19 4,770 Evening Prime Time Late Afternoon 63% 596 26 104.44 1,854 Prime Time 59% 58% 58% 65% 22% 45% 566 1,463 351 258 589 3,227 27 73 18 12 10 140 89.68 251.64 64.44 45.19 57 507.96 1,728 5,184 1,386 900 468 9,666 Early Morning Total TBA Evening Late Afternoon 75% 68% 56% 71% 36% 58% 603 1,425 471 471 658 3,628 23 62 26 19 9 139 97.77 229.16 87.94 86.21 57.5 558.59 1,638 4,338 1,926 1,440 441 9,783 2007 - 2008 Early Morning Fill Rate Enrollment Sections FTES WSCH 2006 - 2007 Total Mathematics Prime Time Early Morning 2005 - 2006 71% 54% 57% 1,534 305 587 62 18 29 263.1 50.25 96.94 4,698 1,242 2,061 30% 849 65 81.55 2,745 52% 3,906 201 597.98 12,735 a. Describe how changes in the discipline or area are impacting the data shown in the table above. The data in Table 2.01 is somewhat misleading, because it includes all Math Lab sections. The capacities for the Math Lab sections are set to a very high number because the Math Lab is an open-enrollment class, and they have no relation to curriculum limits or room sizes. Therefore, the fill rate numbers are skewed downwards and meaningless. Moreover, for curricular reasons, there are dozens of Math Lab sections (65 in 2008-2009), but there are really only three Math Labs (one in Eureka, one in Arcata, and one in Del Norte). Therefore, the section count numbers are skewed upwards. Removing the Math Lab sections and Virtual Campus sections (from the TBA columns) results in the much more meaningful table below. Note the higher fill rates and lower section counts for lecture sections. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 4 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b The most noticeable change was an increase in FTES and enrollment last year compared to the previous two. FTES increased 11.1%, and enrollment increased 13.3%. Part of the increase may be attributed to the addition of 6 or 7 more lecture sections, as well as new Math Lab sections in Arcata. More detailed fill rate data (see below) shows that fill rates are higher for the Eureka area (Eureka campus, Arcata site, and Eureka Downtown site) than for the other campuses. The high fill rate in the Eureka area is indicative of a need for additional faculty so that more sections can be offered. b. Describe how changes outside the discipline or area are impacting the data shown in the table above. The college experienced a general FTES and enrollment increase last year, probably for the most part due to the poor economy and job losses. Also, the college changed enrollment policies, and that has increased enrollment. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 5 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b Review and analyze the Enrollment data (Table 2.02) provided by Institutional Research and answer the following questions: 2.02 Course Success Rates Percentage of students enrolled at census receiving a grade of A, B, C, or Credit Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 6 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b MATH-101 MATH-102 MATH-103 MATH-105 MATH-106 MATH-115 MATH-120 MATH-120L MATH-15 MATH-152 MATH-25 MATH-30 MATH-371 MATH-372 MATH-372L MATH-375 MATH-376 MATH-376L MATH-380 MATH-380L MATH-4 MATH-40 MATH-45 MATH-5 MATH-50A MATH-50B MATH-50C MATH-52 MATH-55 Total 2004 - 2005 2005 - 2006 2006 - 2007 2007 - 2008 2008 - 2009 Success Total Enrolled Success Total Enrolled Success Total Enrolled Success Total Enrolled Success Total Enrolled 72% 36 18% 11 61% 18 90% 21 43% 7 60% 10 100% 13 60% 5 55% 213 48% 214 46% 112 63% 24 60% 724 56% 595 60% 677 60% 755 74% 95 53% 90 56% 63 57% 818 56% 853 56% 695 50% 708 59% 812 52% 205 73% 487 66% 438 72% 396 61% 437 66% 470 63% 710 57% 687 45% 644 44% 753 65% 143 49% 152 65% 139 57% 132 58% 139 52% 247 61% 229 63% 224 66% 262 54% 283 38% 42 60% 45 49% 37 30% 23 58% 120 69% 152 59% 74 55% 105 51% 108 63% 40 56% 115 57% 96 43% 113 48% 44 63% 504 59% 474 59% 394 58% 556 58% 678 37% 156 59% 875 43% 197 82% 11 75% 12 77% 13 50% 6 63% 8 100% 1 100% 1 50% 18 89% 18 79% 14 57% 14 50% 6 84% 70 54% 24 84% 32 79% 38 79% 63 59% 88 67% 69 39% 76 74% 66 57% 82 59% 61 68% 65 79% 28 68% 28 87% 39 67% 21 69% 26 70% 30 57% 14 86% 21 53% 205 90% 10 71% 7 100% 15 73% 11 82% 11 62% 4526 58% 4247 58% 3810 55% 4024 58% 4409 Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 7 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b a. Describe how changes in the discipline or area are impacting the data shown in the table above. The only statistically significant shifts in student success between 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 were in Math 101 (downward), Math 120 (upward), and Math 30 (downward). Math 120: The rise in success may be due to the fact that the Math 120 instructors in 2008-2009 were all experienced with the course, and most had taught it multiple times. Regular course meetings were held throughout the year, and substantial work was completed on student and instructor resources. Also, a look at the 5-year trend shows that the 2008-2009 success rate is actually very typical. Math 30: The drop in success rate between the last two years is just barely significant. Moreover, a look at the 5-year trend shows that the size of the decrease is largely due to comparison with a very good year in 2007-2008. That year was a bit higher than normal, and 2008-2009 was a bit lower than normal. The overall success rate for the last five years is about 59%, so these fluctuations are not significant. Math 101: This is a 1/2 credit, Pass/NoPass review course that usually takes place over 9 hours in two or three days in late summer or winter session. The data for Math 101 in 2008-2009 is incorrect, because only one small Fall 2008 section is included, and the Summer 2009 section is not included. The actual success rate, including the Summer 2009 section, was 75%, a slight improvement over the previous year. b. Describe how changes outside the discipline or area are impacting the data shown in the table above. As explained in part (a), the variations in success are not significant, and we don't believe that they are influenced by external factors. The overall success rate in mathematics is reasonably good, and typical for the subject area. When refigured to exclude the Math Lab sections, the success rate was 60% last year. Furthermore, the success rates in our upper level mathematics courses are very high. Review and analyze the Enrollment data (Table 2.03) provided by Institutional Research and answer the following questions: Table 2.03 Course Retention Rate Percentage of students enrolled at census receiving a grade other than W (Withdraw) Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 8 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b MATH-101 MATH-102 MATH-103 MATH-105 MATH-106 MATH-115 MATH-120 MATH-120L MATH-15 MATH-152 MATH-25 MATH-30 MATH-371 MATH-372 MATH-372L MATH-375 MATH-376 MATH-376L MATH-380 MATH-380L MATH-4 MATH-40 MATH-45 MATH-5 MATH-50A MATH-50B MATH-50C MATH-52 MATH-55 Total 2004 - 2005 2005 - 2006 2006 - 2007 2007 - 2008 2008 - 2009 Retained Total Enrolled Retained Total Enrolled Retained Total Enrolled Retained Total Enrolled Retained Total Enrolled 100% 36 64% 11 89% 18 95% 21 86% 7 90% 10 100% 13 100% 5 83% 213 86% 214 76% 112 88% 24 88% 724 85% 595 84% 677 87% 755 93% 95 84% 90 89% 63 83% 818 81% 853 78% 695 76% 708 84% 812 94% 205 86% 487 84% 438 88% 396 79% 437 87% 470 97% 710 94% 687 95% 644 95% 753 80% 143 73% 152 82% 139 70% 132 71% 139 71% 247 75% 229 77% 224 87% 262 79% 283 88% 42 91% 45 76% 37 74% 23 87% 120 89% 152 82% 74 87% 105 86% 108 98% 40 90% 115 89% 96 79% 113 93% 44 91% 504 86% 474 84% 394 88% 556 91% 678 97% 156 87% 875 97% 197 91% 11 75% 12 77% 13 50% 6 88% 8 100% 1 100% 1 50% 18 89% 18 93% 14 57% 14 83% 6 97% 70 75% 24 100% 32 92% 38 90% 63 81% 88 83% 69 70% 76 91% 66 85% 82 79% 61 89% 65 89% 28 86% 28 90% 39 76% 21 73% 26 87% 30 79% 14 95% 21 98% 205 100% 10 71% 7 100% 15 82% 11 91% 11 87% 4526 85% 4247 84% 3810 85% 4024 88% 4409 a. Describe how changes in the discipline or area are impacting the data shown in the table above. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 9 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b The only statistically significant shifts in student retention between 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 were in Math 101 (downward), Math 120 (upward), and Math 15 (upward). Math 120: The rise in retention may be due to the fact that the Math 120 instructors in 2008-2009 were all experienced with the course, and most had taught it multiple times. Regular course meetings were held throughout the year, and substantial work was completed on student and instructor resources. Also, a look at the 5-year trend shows that the 2008-2009 retention rate is actually very typical. Math 15: The rise in retention may be due to improved delivery, course structure, and communication in the online sections. Also, a look at the 5-year trend shows that the 2008-2009 retention rate is actually very typical. 2007-2008 was the first year that the online sections were offered, and we have found that the retention rate is generally lower in online courses. Math 101: This is a 1/2 credit, Pass/NoPass review course that usually takes place over 9 hours in two or three days in late summer or winter session. The data for Math 101 in 2008-2009 is incorrect, because only one small Fall 2008 section is included, and the Summer 2009 section is not included. The actual retention rate, including the Summer 2009 section, was 89%. b. Describe how changes outside the discipline or area are impacting the data shown in the table above. As explained in part (a), the variations in retention are not significant, and we don't believe that they are influenced by external factors. The overall retention rates in almost all classes are very good. However, we note that it's difficult to tell if external factors are involved. Students drop courses for many reasons that aren't related to their course work. Surveys or exit interviews would help us to better answer this question. Review and analyze the Enrollment data (Table 2.04) provided by Institutional Research and answer the following questions: Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 10 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b Table 2.04 English and Mathematics Basic Skills Data for Course Success (F2005-F2008) MATH-101 MATH-115 MATH-120 MATH-120L MATH-15 MATH-25 MATH-30 MATH-372 MATH-372L MATH-376 MATH-376L MATH-380 MATH-380L MATH-4 MATH-40 MATH-45 MATH-5 MATH-50A MATH-50B MATH-50C MATH-52 MATH-55 Total PASSED 1A ENGL-1A ENGL-150 ENGL-350 READ-360 UNKNOWN Success Enrolled Success Enrolled Success Enrolled Success Enrolled Success Enrolled Success Enrolled 50% 2 0% 2 0% 1 50% 2 67% 9 79% 33 46% 72 44% 32 100% 1 50% 6 59% 795 54% 783 46% 483 30% 69 44% 9 55% 343 48% 21 68% 28 58% 19 67% 3 50% 2 44% 9 71% 595 54% 231 59% 107 18% 11 75% 4 60% 347 64% 200 53% 133 51% 59 25% 4 0% 1 45% 75 66% 330 65% 253 54% 125 15% 13 0% 1 57% 138 80% 25 76% 79 62% 141 54% 78 36% 28 50% 42 80% 5 50% 8 50% 6 75% 4 100% 1 69% 140 71% 414 54% 648 46% 257 39% 51 52% 127 71% 7 36% 14 26% 19 58% 12 50% 4 25% 4 52% 60 70% 111 65% 133 53% 49 17% 6 71% 49 50% 14 55% 22 44% 36 30% 10 36% 14 74% 23 67% 3 60% 5 100% 1 74% 38 71% 7 50% 2 80% 5 83% 58 78% 23 50% 12 50% 2 74% 23 64% 121 57% 74 47% 17 0% 3 56% 50 82% 65 71% 34 60% 10 54% 28 75% 65 71% 7 100% 2 50% 10 50% 32 50% 22 60% 10 0% 2 42% 19 90% 30 33% 3 66% 2630 61% 2282 53% 1903 44% 552 41% 111 56% 1297 Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 11 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b MATH-101 MATH-115 MATH-120 MATH-120L MATH-15 MATH-25 MATH-30 MATH-372 MATH-372L MATH-376 MATH-376L MATH-380 MATH-380L MATH-4 MATH-40 MATH-45 MATH-5 MATH-50A MATH-50B MATH-50C MATH-52 MATH-55 Total TRANSFER-LVL MATH-120 MATH-380 MATH-375 MATH-371 UNKNOWN Success Enrolled Success Enrolled Success Enrolled Success Enrolled Success Enrolled Success Enrolled 100% 1 0% 2 0% 1 33% 3 100% 1 67% 3 54% 135 75% 8 17% 6 51% 41 54% 2149 37% 59 25% 12 100% 2 58% 219 100% 1 57% 75 100% 1 40% 5 65% 985 63% 35 69% 13 0% 2 33% 3 60% 257 57% 419 33% 9 33% 3 49% 41 63% 768 71% 14 43% 7 100% 1 51% 70 0% 2 100% 1 75% 12 66% 53 64% 249 47% 76 0% 1 88% 8 50% 14 100% 1 86% 7 82% 11 62% 101 58% 1341 60% 70 44% 107 60% 5 39% 46 100% 3 17% 6 50% 4 57% 7 63% 367 100% 7 57% 23 0% 1 0% 1 48% 83 0% 3 38% 8 77% 22 100% 1 50% 8 100% 1 70% 37 80% 15 80% 96 100% 1 57% 21 61% 211 50% 6 50% 4 52% 44 78% 98 100% 1 55% 38 77% 62 59% 22 53% 55 29% 7 40% 5 0% 1 47% 17 84% 25 88% 8 64% 2836 54% 2319 58% 666 57% 1609 63% 350 54% 995 Given the data, what patterns can be identified in the success rate in individual courses based on the students' skill level? Identify any important changes since the last review. English preparation data: It is hard to draw conclusions from this data because of large number of students in the "unknown" category. However, given the data presented, it is not surprising that there is a correlation between higher English preparation level and better success in mathematics lecture courses. The correlation is strongest in the higher level courses and transfer level courses, where Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 12 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b writing assignments and projects are more important components of the course. However, there is only evidence of correlation, not causation. Students who arrive at CR with a low level of English preparation probably have poor educational backgrounds and/or have learning disabilities. The Math 15 course has considerable reading and writing demands, and therefore the current course outline specifies a recommended English preparation level. Due to the correlation with higher success at the “passed English 1A” level, the department faculty will consider whether the recommended preparation should be raised from English 150 to English 1A. Mathematics preparation data: Some of the data in this table appears to be suspect, due to the design of the query that generated the table. There are also a lot of students in the "unknown" category. All math courses have definite prerequisites. Thus, for example, a student cannot take Math 30 unless he or she is at the transfer-level preparation level. Therefore, for all of the courses, virtually all the numbers in the table that lie in preparation columns to the right of the required preparation level are possible errors or misplaced students (these are for the most part the smaller enrollment numbers). As a result of the prerequisite requirements for all math courses, there are no comparisons to make in this table. Again, using Math 30 as an example, there is only one relevant subgroup, the students with transfer-level preparation. This observation holds for all the courses. Therefore, there is no meaningful analysis that can be made with these particular data. However, the mathematics preparation data may be more interesting for other subjects that do not have definite mathematics prerequisites. How has the discipline/program responded to these patterns and how will the discipline/program respond in the next three years? Student learning outcomes involving writing and communication are important parts of many of our mathematics courses, especially Math 15, Math 45, Math 55, and Math 4. We will be examining our course outlines to possibly add recommended English preparation levels, as we currently have in Math 15. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 13 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b 3. Labor Market Review (for occupational programs) Occupational programs must review their labor market data. Provide a narrative that addresses the following issues a. Documentation of lab market demand b. Non-duplication of other training programs in the region. c. Effectiveness as measured by the employment and completion success of its students. N/A 4. Budget Resources List your area’s budget for the following categories in the table below. Restricted funds have a sponsor/grantor/donor (federal, state, local government, etc). The funds are restricted by the sponsor/grantor/donor. Everything else is unrestricted. Category Supply and printing budget Equipment replacement and repair budget Professional Development Work-study funding Additional Budget Items Unrestricted Funds 10340 Restricted Funds 0 0 1952 8789 Is the funding for these areas adequate? Yes No If not, describe the impact of unaddressed needs on your discipline or program. After years of underfunding, the supplies and printing budget appears to be sufficient this year. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 14 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b The work-study budget is supposed to pay for student tutors in the Math Lab. However, it is woefully inadequate for that purpose. To fully fund the Math Lab with one student tutor at all hours of operation would require $10,500. To also have two students at the busy hours would require an additional $5600. Fortunately, Basic Skills funds were used last year and are being used this year to pay the student tutors. However, there is no guarantee that Basic Skills funds will continue to be available. The department needs a stable funding source for student tutors in the Math Lab. Therefore, we recommend that this budget item be increased to $16,100. The department hired a Math Lab assistant on a temporary basis last year, and again this year. This has greatly improved the operation of the Math Lab, with much more accurate and timely record-keeping. It also allows instructors to concentrate on helping students with course work instead of dealing with enrollment issues. However, the department actually needs a permanent Math Lab coordinator to set up the lab, handle recordkeeping and grades, hire, train, and supervise student tutors, and set up assignments. This position was approved two years ago, but we were unable to fill the position despite two searches. Moreoever, this open position is underfunded in the budget ($8589 of the "Additional items" line above) at about one-half of its proper level. We recommend that a permanent full-time Math Lab coordinator position be filled, and given office space next to the Math Lab. The coordinator can also handle book and calculator rentals. The coordinator position, at 40 hours per week, would cost $43,301 including benefits. The equipment budget is nonexistent. However, for mathematics faculty, specialized computer hardware and software is a necessity for their work. Six of the eight full-time Eureka math faculty have computers that are 5-7 years old and will not run the mathematical computer software that is used for course development and delivery. The college has not had any regular hardware replacement program for many years, and the computers that are usually purchased by the college do not meet the needs of our discipline. Therefore, we require a regular budget item of $5000 per year to upgrade two computers each year. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 15 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b 5. Learning Resource Center Resources Is the level of resources provided by the Library (Learning Resource Center) adequate? Yes No If No, Complete the following: Library Needs Not Covered by Current Library Holdings1 Needed by the Unit over and above what is currently provided. These needs will be communicated to the Library List Library Needs for Academic Year 2009-2010 Please list/summarize the needs of your unit on your campus below. Please be as specific and as brief as possible. Place items on list in order (rank) or importance. 1. Expand library and ASC hours Reason: In the annual report from 2008, the department commented on the lack of weekend hours and the library closing prior to the last bus arriving (9:00PM instead of 9:30PM). Given the current staffing levels at the LRC it is not possible to open the facility on weekends and extend the hours to 9:30PM. Given the shifting of evening classes to start at 6:00 instead of 5:30 (and the increased number of these evening classes), and the change in the schedule for the last buses, there is more need than ever for the library and ASC to stay open until 9:30 or later. We also recommend that the LRC investigate the demand for keeping the facility open until 9:00PM on Fridays (it currently closes at 5:00PM) and for providing open hours on weekends, and find the finances to extend the hours. A simple survey done via MyCR may be all that is needed or perhaps IR can assist. Discussions with the bus system for coordinating weekend service will also be needed. 2. Replace library and ASC computers Reason: As per our 2008 program review: The computers in the library are very old and slow. These need to be replaced. We are expanding our use of Optimath into more classes. More sections of Math 380 are using the MyMathlab system that comes with the text. Our requirement for computer access is and will continue to increase. The computers in the LRC/ASC take up to 10 minutes to boot and once booted run very slow. We need to replace these computers if we are to continue to require students to access internet based materials. 1 If your SLO assessment results make clear that particular resources are needed to more effectively serve students please be sure to note that in the “reason” section of this form. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 16 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b 3. Replace cramped computer workspaces Reason: As per our 2008 program review: The computer workspaces are cramped, with very little space for books and notebooks. These need to be replaced. It is nearly impossible to tutor students that are using the computer for course work in such a tight space. 4. Modify placement advising and procedures Reason: The district currently uses Accuplacer for math placement. Outside of the online resources, there is no advising done prior to the test being administered. We recommend that the advisors provide assistance to help students prepare for the placement exam, so that the results will be more indicative of their potential. Currently, students are only asked to do a survey as part of the test to start the test off at the "correct" level. We recommend that there also be assistance at this stage of the test. Students should also be allowed the option of asking for clarification of the questions. Results of the test need to be used along with other measures to place students in the appropriate math courses. 5. Add quiet area for online testing Reason: As per our 2008 program review: There should be a quiet area created for taking online exams (as there currently is for paper exams). We are being asked to increase our offerings via the online modality. If we expand these sections, we need to also be prepared to expand our testing services. Currently, students are asked to sit out on the floor of the ASC to take online assessments. This leads to an imbalance in the assessment of our online students. If students take the same assessment in paper-and-pencil format, they are afforded a quiet area free from distractions. We recommend that the district pursue a real testing center as part of the plan in expanding online offerings. In the interim, the ASC should schedule LRC103 for testing (and provide it with a video surveillance camera) when it is not in use and publish that schedule to all faculty. 6. Modify paper exam procedures Reason: As per our 2008 program review: For paper exams, the current drop-off and pick-up/courier system is inadequate. It would be better to offer other options for dropping off tests (such as special sealed envelopes that can be delivered by any person, including students) and to develop a system wherein faculty could email tests along with the ASC testing form. Or perhaps a daily courier system could be set up in central locations (such as Division Offices), similar to Printing Services. In addition, there needs to be a centralized system for distribution of online testing. A staff member (not a student employee) needs to be made the contact person for making sure that proctoring for all hybrid and online sections is taken care of not only at the ASC, but district-wide. 7. Expand copy center to other campus locations Reason: We recommend that the copy center be outsourced and expanded. Students that need to make copies in the PS building are required to return to the LRC as it is the only copy center on campus for student use. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 17 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b 8. Add discipline-specific software to ASC computers Reason: The imaging of the computers in the library (or possibly just the ASC) needs to include software required by students in mathematics. 9. Improve support for ITV courses at Del Norte and Mendocino Reason: Service of video conference system at Del Norte and Mendocino has been very sparse. Students are placed in the room at their respective campus without any training on how to use the video system, including recording the telecast. Local IT supervision at the remote campuses is needed. 10. Expand textbook loan program Reason: The Math Department wishes to continue with our textbook loan program, which is working well. We recommend expanding the program to include College Algebra and Trigonometry. The circulation desk requested that we do a condition check (preprocessing) of any additional texts we bring to them for this program. The time line for this project requires the text be supplied as soon as possible to be available for the spring semester and also that our Dean request the service. 11. Purchase a JSTOR subscription Reason: The Math Department requests that the library purchase a JSTOR subscription. This electronic journal service is an excellent resource for student research in mathematics and other sciences. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 18 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b 6. Faculty Table 6.01 – Faculty Load Distribution by semester Associate Faculty Regular Staff/Non-Overld Regular Staff/Overload Total 2005 - 2006 2006 - 2007 2007 - 2008 2008 - 2009 FTEF % of Total FTEF % of Total FTEF % of Total FTEF % of Total 6.55 35% 6.59 36% 8.07 44% 8.97 44% 10.57 65% 10.27 64% 9.29 56% 9.77 56% 0.13 1% 17.25 100% 16.85 100% 17.36 100% 18.74 100% a. Describe the status of any approved, but unfilled full-time positions. There are currently no unfilled full-time positions. • b. If you are requesting a Full-Time Faculty position, fill out the current faculty position request form and attach it to this document. c. If your Associate Faculty needs are not being met, describe your efforts to recruit Associate faculty and/or describe barriers or limitations that prevent retaining or recruiting Associate Faculty The Eureka mathematics program needs to hire more full-time faculty because we continue to have difficulty finding enough associate faculty to teach all of our courses. The Math Department is still down two full-time faculty positions due to several retirements: Michele Olsen retired after the fall semester of 2006, Sandy Vrem retired after the spring semester of 2007, and Sandra Taylor retired after the fall semester of 2007. We recovered one of these three positions in Spring 2008. As a result, we have had a 20% decrease in the number of full-time faculty who teach math courses at the Eureka campus. We routinely place ads for associate faculty in the local papers, but HSU pays more and provides medical benefits to part-time faculty. On the Del Norte campus more than half of the mathematics teaching load was taught by three associate faculty. In addition, this year one of the associate faculty is filling in for the full-time math professor who is currently on leave (and who will probably resign the position). The associate faculty have consistently taught between 12 and 15 TLUs each semester. There is not a large pool of associate Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 19 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b faculty applicants and the college continues to be restricted to offering courses that are dependent upon the instructors' schedules. Additional associate faculty on the Del Norte campus would allow additional math courses offered in the afternoon or as evening courses. On the Mendocino campus, there is one full-time professor (currently on leave with an associate replacement). This is enough to keep the bare minimum going--meaning offerings of Math 376 Prealgebra, Math 380 Elementary Algebra, and Math 120 Intermediate Algebra every semester; and then alternating Math 15 Statistics and Math 30 College Algebra as the fourth course in a semester. However, this puts the one full-time faculty member in overload every year; and it also limits the ability to broaden offerings at the Mendocino campus. For example, some students do not place into Math 376 Prealgebra, but Mendocino has not been able to offer a lower course, i.e., Math 372 Arithmetic. We are forced to do one of two things: enroll them in Math 376 Prealgebra anyway; or tell them to find some way to improve their math skills outside of CR and then come back. Neither option is good. We taught Math 25 Trigonometry once, when we had one associate faculty member at Mendocino, but now we cannot. Additionally, we are unable to offer the Math Lab for student support without associate faculty to cover the hours. With the possibility of the full-time member teaching occasional courses online, there is definitely room for an associate faculty member to teach one course per semester in addition to offering the Math Lab. On the Eureka campus, the department has often had to cancel sections that would normally fill because we have been unable to recruit a qualified instructor. In fact, this past summer there were five unstaffed sections at one point. We were able to recruit staff for two of those, but had to cancel the other three. All of our other sections were completely filled, so many students were effectively turned away because of the cancellations. As a result of the faculty shortage, we are unable to offer enough sections to meet student needs. We also had problems last year because of several serious illnesses among our faculty. Because of the limited number of associate faculty, it was very difficult to cover their courses. The Math Department is concerned about the future availability of associate faculty in our discipline because many of our associate faculty are currently seeking permanent employment outside of the area, or they choose to work at Humboldt State University because HSU offers health benefits and higher pay to part-time faculty. 7. Staff Resources Complete the Classified Staff Employment Grid below (please list full- and part-time staff). This does not include faculty, managers, or administration positions. If a staff position is shared with other areas/disciplines, estimate the fraction of their workload dedicated to your area. (To add additional rows to this table, press Tab when the cursor is in the far right-hand cell) Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 20 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b Staff Employed in the Program Assignment (e.g., Math, Full-time (classified) English) staff (give number) Part-time staff (give number) MSE Division (Academic Affairs budget) 1 open position, but underfunded 1 (50% in Mathematics) Gains over Prior Year Losses over Prior Year (give reason: retirement, reassignment, health, etc.) Do you need more full-time of part-time classified staff? Yes No If yes, fill out the current staff request form (to be provided by Administrative Services) Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 21 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b 8. Facilities, and Classroom Technology Are teaching facilities adequate for achieving the educational outcomes of this discipline/program? Yes No If No was checked, complete a Facility Form for each instructional space that does not meet the needs of this discipline/program. Additional facilities forms are available at the end of this document for each separate facility being addressed. Facilities, and Classroom Technology Form Program/Disciplines: Mathematics Submitted by: Year: 2009 Kevin Yokoyama List classroom or instructional space name/number: PS 110 Check if any of the following are not adequate: Ventilation / room ADA Number of seats / work stations: Technology (computers, projectors, internet) temp access 40 Other (briefly describe): We reecived a grant to purchase a wireless mobile computer classroom. As part of the grant, we agreed to abandon one of our computer labs. Therefore, we are changing PS 110 from a computer lab back into a regular classroom. Describe the specific action and cost to make this space adequate for your instructional needs: Remodel PS 110, remove old computer counters along room perimeter. Need one document camera: cost = $1,500, replace computer and LCD projector once every five years: cost = $2,600 once every five years. Install new whiteboards, document camera, purchase new desks and chairs for 40 students. Cost ~ $10,000 List the average number of discipline/program sections scheduled in this room each semester, and the total number of students enrolled in these sections. This year, there are no classes scheduled in this room, because we are planning to change it from a computer lab into a regular lecture room. Sections: 0 Students: 0 Describe how these changes will improve student learning outcomes: By creating another classroom, we will be able to offer an additional 7 sections of classes each semester. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 22 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b 9. Equipment Is the available equipment (other than classroom specific equipment described in the facilities section) adequate to achieve the educational outcomes of your program/discipline? Yes No If No was checked, complete an equipment form. If No was checked, complete the following grid for each piece of equipment being requested for this area/discipline: (To add additional rows to this table, press Tab when the cursor is in the far right-hand cell) Equipment 6 faculty computers Price, include tax and shipping Number of students using equipment each semester $15000 Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 23 of 58 0 Describe how the equipment allows achievement of program/discipline educational outcomes For mathematics faculty, powerful computer hardware and specialized software is a necessity for their work. Six of the eight full-time Eureka math faculty have computers that are 5-7 years old and will not run the current versions of the mathematical computer software that is used by the department for development and delivery of course materials, videos, textbooks, testbanks for online assignments, animations, and java applets, as well as delivery of online office hours and demonstrations in mathematical modeling. The 10/4/2009 5.1 b college has not had any regular hardware replacement program for many years, and the computers that are usually purchased by the college do not meet the needs of our discipline. Appropriate replacement computers are needed now for six mathematics faculty, at a cost of $2500 each. 12 new computers needed in PS116 computer lab, with enough memory and power to run the software required by students in mathematics, science, and engineering. 18000 100 The equipment in PS116 is used by all of the high-end students in mathematics, science, and engineering. The current machines are P3 Intel machines, woefully out-of-date, in need of repair, with inadequate memory needed to run the current versions of software used by our students. Equipment Repair Does the equipment used for your discipline/program function adequately, and does your current budget adequately provide adequate funds for equipment repair and maintenance? This does not include classroom specific equipment repair described in the facilities section. Yes No Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 24 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b If No, provide the following information to justify a budget allotment request: (To add additional rows to this table, press Tab when the cursor is in the far right-hand cell) Equipment requiring repair Repair Cost / Annual maintenance cost Number of students using equipment each semester Faculty and student computers: Repair from IT is woefully slow. A full third of the computers in PS116 are not functioning, even though work orders have been pending since the first day of classes in Fall 2009. One fulltime instructor’s computer stopped functioning and because we Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 25 of 58 Describe how the equipment allows achievement of program/discipline educational outcomes The loss of workstations in the lab makes it difficult for students to find stations to complete their assignments and research. When a faculty computer stops functioning, that faculty member cannot prepare course materials, process grades, communicate with her students, etc. 100 We need timely, if not immediate repairs when our equipment stops functioning. We recommend that the IT department be reorganized so that work is better prioritized and handled more efficiently. The addition of more IT staff might help ameliorate this long-standing problem. 10/4/2009 5.1 b temporarily moved a computer from another area to handle the emergency, IT refused to execute the work order submitted to configure the machine. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 26 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b 10. Learning Outcomes Assessment Update Program and Course Learning Outcomes Refer to the assessment analysis forms that track discipline meetings held to summarize and discuss SLO assessment. Use that information to complete the following table for each SLO and/or PLO analyzed during the previous academic year. Additional tables are available at the end of this document to summarize the results for each SLO and/or PLO analyzed. Math 30 Course SLO Measured: 2, 3, 5, 6 Or PLO Measured : Describe assessment tool/ assignments faculty/staff used to measure the SLO or PLO. All students took a 10-question pretest on the first day of spring 2009 classes. The same questions were embedded in all finals administered in Math 30. The pretest also included 10 questions on Math 120 material, to see how well-prepared the students were at the beginning of the course. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 27 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b Summarize the overall results of your department, including performance data if applicable. The following table summarizes the the pretest/posttest results. While students did significantly better in all skill areas on the posttest than on the pretest, the results were very poor in the area of logarithmic and exponential equations. The table also shows the results of the pretest on Math 120 material. It is evident that the students did not remember many of their Math 120 skills at the start of the semester. However, function evaluation and factoring were important positive results. It was clear that calculator procedures and many of the other Math 120 skills would need to be reviewed. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 28 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b How will your department address the needs and issues that were revealed by your assessment? Instructors will review Math 120 skills as they are needed. Instructors will devote additional instruction and classroom assessment to the area of logarithmic and exponential functions. The department will also design and administer a common exam with a wider variety of questions in this area. List the TOP 3 TO 6 actions/changes faculty judge will most improve student learning Review Math 120 skills as they are needed. Devote additional instruction and classroom assessment to the area of logarithmic and exponential functions. Design and administer a common exam with a wider variety of questions in this area. Provide a timeline for implementation of your top priorities. Additional review and instruction will commence in the Fall 2009 classes. The common exam will be implemented in the Spring 2010 classes. Math 30 Course SLO Measured: 1, 4 Or PLO Measured : Describe assessment tool/ assignments faculty/staff used to measure the SLO or PLO. A survey of the textbook and Optimath system was administered at the end of the Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 semesters. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 29 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b Summarize the overall results of your department, including performance data if applicable. The results of both surveys were discussed and a summary report will be written and available on the department website. Most students had positive comments on the textbook, although some students wanted more examples. Students were very appreciative of the very low price of the old edition (either by rental or online purchase), and very few had trouble obtaining this inexpensive version. Survey results on the use of Optimath, our online testings system, were mixed, and fairly similar to previous surveys. Some students found it to be very beneficial, and others disliked it. Students were especially positive about its use for practice and preparation for exams. Many students still have problems entering in formulas correctly, and students also disliked the lack of solutions for some of the questions. How will your department address the needs and issues that were revealed by your assessment? Items from the summary report were shared with Math 30 instructors prior to the first meeting of Spring 2009 and Fall 2009 classes, in order to make them aware of difficulties students encountered last year. Strategies to help students with textbook difficulties, including obtaining the textbook, were instituted at these first meetings. Help pages were improved in Optimath, and web pages were updated to address student difficulties with the system. In Spring 2009, department faculty spent a great deal of time and effort writing solutions for most of the questions in the Math 30 Optimath testbanks. List the TOP 3 TO 6 actions/changes faculty judge will most improve student learning Communication with instructors and with students. Help resources for students and instructors. Writing solutions to testbank questions. Provide a timeline for implementation of your top priorities. Many of these changes have already been implemented. Work will continue this year on writing solutions to all of the testbank questions. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 30 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b Indicate where learning outcome assessment forms (Course-Discipline, Course-Section) are archived (e.g, Division Office, Dean’s Office). This is required to provide accreditation documentation of the District’s assessment activities. Departmental electronic repository and web site. 11. Curriculum Update Identify curricular revisions and innovations undertaken a. in the last year. Course Outlines: Last year, the department revised the Math 4 course outline (Matlab Programming), and will be working this year to make sure that this course is rearticulated to the UC system. Math 115 (Math Confidence) was also resurrected with a new course outline. This semester, Math 115 is being taught as a linked course with one of our Math 376 sections. All mathematics course outlines are posted for our students in an easy-to-read format at http://msenux.redwoods.edu/mathdept/outlines/ Prealgebra Textbook and Testbanks: In a major initiative last year, the math department created a new Prealgebra textbook for use in its Math 376 course. The textbook was authored by David Arnold, with additional exercises and editorial help contributed by other faculty in the department, including associate faculty. This textbook is designed to help students meet the student learning outcomes for Math 376. The first edition was finalized in summer of 2009, and is now being used during the current fall semester. The department provides the entire textbook and solutions manual on CD to its students, and it is also available online at http://msenux.redwoods.edu/PreAlgText/ Math 376 instructors will meet monthly this semester and recommend revisions for the second edition to be used next spring. In conjunction with the Prealgebra textbook, a large set of testbanks for Math 376 were also created for use with our locally-authored online testing system. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 31 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b Core-course schedule: Every spring semester, faculty in the Mathematics, Science, and Engineering (MSE) division meet to revise its two-year plan for scheduling "core" math and science classes. These classes are typically offered in only one or two sections and correspond to classes needed by students majoring in the fields of biology, science, chemistry, physics, engineering, and mathematics. The MSE division tries to schedule core classes to avoid conflicts, a difficult process to say the least. Therefore, when each two-year schedule is finalized, it represents a commitment on the part of the MSE division to try to offer these courses at these days and times during the school years 2009-2010 and 2010-2011. The two-year schedule thus provides an opportunity for math, science, and engineering students to plan out their course sequences in advance. Students and other faculty may also provide comments about the schedule to help with future revisions. The most recent schedule is posted at http://msenux.redwoods.edu/surveys/corecourseschedule2009-11.html Evening calculus sections: Last year, Math 50C (Multivariable Calculus) and Math 55 (Differential Equations) were taught at 5:30 PM on MWF to allow members of our community who work during the day to enroll in these classes. These courses were also broadcast via interactive television from the Eureka campus to the other campuses. This schedule was a continuation of our plan to teach our upper level courses during the evenings on a three-year rotating basis, so that once every three years people who work during the day will be able to complete the sequence of upper level math courses. The evening calculus sequence will begin again in Fall 2010. Televised courses to the branch campuses: In Fall 2008, the department offered Math 50A, 50C, 15, and 25 as interactive television courses to the branch campuses. In the Spring 2009, the department offered Math 50B, 55, and 30. These courses allow students at the branch campuses to meet transfer level GE requirements, complete the requirements for the AA degree (mathematics emphasis), and prepare to be math and science majors upon transfer to 4-year colleges and universities. Online and hybrid courses: We continued to offer Math 15 (Statistics), Math 25 (Trigonometry), and Math 120 (Intermediate Algebra) as online courses, and we continued to offer Math 25 and Math 30 (College Algebra) in a hybrid format (2/3 in class, 1/3 online). We also created new hybrid versions of Math 120 and Math 380 (Elementary Algebra). The online and hybrid formats allow more students to fulfill their GE requirement for the AA or AS degree, or GE transfer level math requirement, because they are able to fit these classes into their schedules. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 32 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b Math 101 schedule change: Math 101 is a combined review course for students who have completed either Elementary Algebra or Intermediate Algebra. It is a 1/2-credit, 9-hour, Pass/NoPass course offered each summer. This past summer (2009), we changed the schedule to 3 hours per day on Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday of the week before the fall semester begins. The schedule change was very successful. It resulted in a full class of 35 students, and they found the review course to be very beneficial. Student and instructor resources: Last year, the department created and organized a new department web site that contains common student and instructor resources for all of its courses. See http://msenux.redwoods.edu/mathdept/courses.php This web site helps instructors to plan and conduct their courses, especially in multi-section courses, and helps students obtain the help they need. While this site is always a work in progress, many courses now have substantial and very useful course pages and resource collections. For example, various help resources were added for Math 120 students, including a web site for practicing inline formulas, instructional videos to help students make effective use of the textbook on CD, web sites for help with the graphing calculator, online practice exercises, and illustrative java applets. See http://msenux.redwoods.edu/mathdept/courses/math120.php Similar resources are available for Math 376 at http://msenux.redwoods.edu/mathdept/courses/math376.php and for Math 380 at http://msenux.redwoods.edu/mathdept/courses/math380.php Online videos and office hours: As a supplement to the online Math 15 and Math 120 courses, Michael Butler and Aeron Ives added to our large set of instructional videos. The videos were posted on the Internet and were accessible by course students from any computer with an Internet connection. These videos are a great way to provide additional instruction to students in online classes, answer questions that may not be covered in class due to limited time constraints, provide extra examples, exam reviews, and more. The videos have proved to be very popular with students in both online and regular classes. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 33 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b Michael Butler has also been using CCCConfer to hold online office hours in Math 15. This allows students to ask for and receive help without having to come to campus. Online testing system: The department has continued to improve and extend Optimath, an online testing system developed by faculty from our department. Among the enhancements last year were improvements and more flexibility in the creation of paper quizzes and assignments. Extensive testbanks for Math 376 were created to accompany the new textbook, and many additional questions and solutions were created in testbanks for Math 120, 25, 30, and 50A. The system now has extensive testbanks for six courses: Math 376, 380, 120, 25, 30, and 50A. In 2008-2009, the Optimath system delivered almost 32,000 online assignment to students, and also generated about 350 paper quizzes. For usage statistics, see http://msenux.redwoods.edu/online/usage.pdf Graphing calculator rentals and online help: The department has augmented its TI Calculator rental program with the purchase of additional calculators. We now have a set of 130 TI graphing calculators that we rent to students at a cost of $20/semester. By bringing the cost of education down, this provides greater access to our mathematics courses. To help students and associate faculty learn how to use of the graphing calculator, Kevin Yokoyama created an online TI Calculator tutorial site in 2007-2009. Students and instructors can log on to this site to get step-by-step instructions on how to use the TI graphing calculator to accomplish several important tasks ranging from basic calculator usage to finding least squares regression equations to model different sets of data. The link for this site is: http://online.redwoods.edu/INSTRUCT/KIYOKOYA/TIHelp/index.htm In 2008-2009, this site was accessed over 2500 times. Textbook loans and rentals: The Math Department is very concerned about the exorbitant cost of textbooks for our students. Therefore, the department has taken a number of steps in the last few years to reduce this cost in some of its courses: • (new this year) As detailed above, the department now provides its department-authored Math 376 textbook free-of-charge online and via CD. Printed copies, for those students who want them, are also available for $26.50. This initiative saves our students about $100,000 per year. • The department continues to provide its department-authored Math 120 textbook free-of-charge online and via CD. Printed copies, for those students who want them are also available for $40. This initiative saves our students about $100,000 per year. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 34 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b • (new last year) The department purchased about 50 copies of an older edition of a College Algebra and Trigonometry book for Math 30 and Math 25, and these are available for rent for $5 per semester. The book can also be purchased online for about $5. This initiative saves our students about $50,000 per year. • With the support of block grant funds, the department purchased many copies of an older edition of the Calculus textbook. These books are loaned to the Calculus students each semester. This initiative saves our students about $15,000 per year. • The department arranged for a custom paper edition of the Math 380 textbook. While still expensive, it’s much cheaper than the complete textbook would be. This initiative saves our students about $40,000 per year. b. planned for the coming year. Each semester, the department plans to offer two sections of its online version of Math 15 and two sections of its evening hybrid Math 380. It also plans to continue to offer a hybrid version of Math 120 and evening hybrid sections of Math 25 and 30. The department will offer interactive TV sections of Math 50A, 50B, 50C, 55, 15, 25, and 30 for the branch campuses. The department will develop a schedule for revising course outlines on a regular basis. The department will seek funds to purchase a large quantity of previous edition textbooks for Math 372. These books will then be added to our textbook loan program, thus substantially reducing the educational costs for Math 372 students. The department will request the hiring of a permanent full-time Math Lab coordinator. Math 115 (Math Confidence) was reactivated, and this year the department is offering one section linked to one of the Math 376 sections (so those students must be enrolled in both sections). Also, some of the mathematics basic skills classes in Fall 2009 are linked to the corresponding Math Lab sections. After the semester, we can compare success rates in the linked classes vs. success rates in the unlinked classes. The department will continue assessment of student learning outcomes in various courses. In particular, the department is in the process of constructing appropriate assessments for course learning outcomes for Math 15. It will measure across all sections of the course and a standardized rubric will be used. Implementation of this assessment will begin in Spring 2010. We continue to meet with all faculty teaching the course and will develop appropriate Optimath testbanks. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 35 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b In Math 15, student assessment of research reported in the mass media/peer-reviewed journals have been required. A timeline has been created for these projects, detailing deadlines for submission. A grading rubric, incorporating course learning outcomes, has also been created for this writing assignment. Students are required to analyze a given set of data and use descriptive/inferential statistics to present their results in a written report. In Statistics, probability is correctly interpreted as relative frequency (Frequentist Interpretation). Students typically find this concept to be quite abstract. Todd Olsen has been writing hands-on activities involving simulations to give students hands-on experience with this idea. testbanks. c. Complete the grid below. The course outline status report can be located at: http://www.redwoods.edu/District/IR/Reports/Curriculum/Curriculum_Course_Outlines.htm (To add additional rows to this table, press Tab when the cursor is in the far right-hand cell) Course Math 101 Math 115 Math 372 Math 372L Math 376 Math 376L Math 380 Math 380L Math 120 Math 120L Math 5 Math 15 Math 25 Math 30 Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 36 of 58 Year Course Outline Last Updated 2007 2009 2007 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008 2007 2008 2007 2007 2007 2007 Year Next Update Expected 2012 2014 2012 2013 2012 2013 2013 2013 2012 2013 2012 2012 2012 2012 10/4/2009 5.1 b Math 50A Math 50B Math 50C Math 45 Math 55 Math 4 Math 40 Math 52 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2009 2008 2008 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2014 2013 2013 If the proposed course outlines updates from last year’s annual update (or comprehensive review) were not completed, please explain why. All updates were completed. 12. Action Plans List any action plans submitted since your last annual update. Describe the status of the plans. If they were approved, describe how they have improved your area. None 13. Goals and Plans. Address either item a. or b. in the section below a. If you have undergone a comprehensive review, attach your Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) and address progress made on the plan and list any new plans that have been developed (using a new QIP form). QIP Attached N/A Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 37 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b b. If you do not have a QIP, refer to the goals and plans from your previous annual update. For each goal and/or plan, comment on the current status of reaching that goal and/or completing the plan. (i) The department plans ongoing assessment of one or more of the course learning outcomes in many of its classes during the spring semester (Objective 3.1 of Goal 3 of the Strategic Plan). See item #10 for a detailed discussion of assessment results. (ii) The department will continue to work towards reducing the cost of textbooks for its students. In particular, planning will begin for the writing of a College Algebra textbook (Objective 5.7 of Goal 5 of the Strategic Plan). The department decided that it was more important to write a textbook for Math 376 than Math 30. David Arnold then wrote a textbook for Math 376 during the spring and summer of 2009. Additional exercises and editorial help were contributed by other faculty in the department, including associate faculty. This textbook was completed before the Fall semester of 2009, and is currently being used in all of the Math 376 classes this year. The old Math 376 textbook cost over $150, and we believe that many of our students could not afford this textbook, even if they tried to purchase a used edition. We are also continuing to use the Math 120 textbook written by members of our department in all of our intermediate algebra courses. As a result of offering these two free textbooks, we estimate our students are saving a total of nearly $200,000 every year! Last year, the department also purchased about 50 copies of an older edition of a College Algebra and Trigonometry book for Math 30 and Math 25, and these are available for rent for $5 per semester. The book can also be purchased online for about $5. This initiative saves our students about $50,000 per year. We are continuing our loan program of calculus books. This saves our students about $15,000 per year. We are also using a custom paper edition of the Math 380 textbook, which saves our students about $40,000 per year. All together, our textbook initiatives save students about $300,000 per year. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 38 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b (iii) The department will continue development of its course web site, making more information available to both students and instructors (Objective 5.6 of Goal 5 of the Strategic Plan). Last year, the department created and organized a new department web site that contains common student and instructor resources for all of its courses. See http://msenux.redwoods.edu/mathdept/courses.php This web site helps instructors to plan and conduct their courses, especially in multi-section courses, and helps students obtain the help they need. While this site is always a work in progress, many courses now have substantial and very useful course pages and resource collections. See item #11 for more details. (iv) The department plans to teach three sections of Elementary Algebra on the HSU campus on a trial basis during the spring semester. If these classes are successful, additional Elementary and Intermediate Algebra courses would be taught in the fall of 2009. This would result in an average of 11 new sections each semester (Objectives 1.5 of Goal 1 of the Strategic Plan). Initial planning meetings were held between CR and HSU math faculty, but then HSU administration made a decision to have HSU continue to teach these courses. (v) The department will try to hire a permanent Math Lab coordinator, streamline Math Lab operations, and work towards establishing some Math Lab hours at Arcata and Mendocino (Objective 1.2 of Goal 1 of the Strategic Plan). The department was able to streamline Math Lab operations and recordkeeping through the hiring of a talented temporary assistant. However, we did not hire a permanent Math Lab coordinator last year. This is still a high priority for our department. We need a coordinator to set up the lab, handle recordkeeping and grades, hire, train, and supervise student tutors, and set up assignments. We will also need someone to rent out over 130 TI-calculators, as well as rent out textbooks for Math 25 and Math 30 each semester, because it is very likely that we will lose our division secretary (Eloise Cottrell) this year. Handling the rentals could be one of the additional duties of the Math Lab coordinator. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 39 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b (vi) The department will continue to work on refining our current courses that are offered in the online and hybrid modality, and work on increasing the variety of online and hybrid course options (Objective 5.6 of Goal 5 of the Strategic Plan). We continued to offer Math 15 (Statistics), Math 25 (Trigonometry), and Math 120 (Intermediate Algebra) as online courses, and we continued to offer Math 25 and Math 30 (College Algebra) in a hybrid format (2/3 in class, 1/3 online). We also created new hybrid versions of Math 120 and Math 380 (Elementary Algebra). The online and hybrid formats allow more students to fulfill their GE requirement for the AA or AS degree, or GE transfer level math requirement, because they are able to fit these classes into their schedules. Members of the department also did a large amount of additional work creating help resources for online and hybrid courses. See item #11 for details. List any new goals and plans your area has for the coming year, and indicate how they are aligned with the goals/objectives in CR’s Strategic Plan. (CR’s strategic plan is located on the web at http://inside.redwoods.edu/StrategicPlanning/strategicplan.asp). A. We will continue to develop course kits (instructor resources) for each of the courses in our discipline. By having standardized course kits, student learning performance will be improved by having the same student learning outcomes specified for the courses we teach. (Objective 3.1) B. We will continue to assess the student learning outcomes in the courses in our discipline. (Objective 3.1) C. The department will try to hire a permanent Math Lab Coordinator to manage the Math Lab, as well as to take over the calculator and textbook rental programs. The Math Lab is a central part of the Department's plan to maintain and improve student success and retention. Managing this lab requires copious amounts of time that currently is being undertaken by the Math Department Chair. Under this configuration, there is little time to work on improving the lab (e.g., a tutor training program, etc.). (Objective 1.1 and 1.2 and 5.7) Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 40 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b D. The Math Department suspects, based on anecdotal evidence, that the current placement instrument (Accuplacer) has been placing incoming students into inappropriate math courses. The department plans to assess the effectiveness of Accuplacer and to investigate other placement instruments. (Objective 3.1, 3.4 and 3.5) E. The Math Department was recently awarded a large grant to purchase and install a wireless mobile classroom for the Physical Science building. Currently, the Math Department has encountered numerous "roadblocks" from CR's IT department. Our goal is to get this classroom up and running as soon as possible. (Objective 2.3 and 2.4) F. The Math Department has identified the rapidly rising cost of textbooks as a major impediment to student access to our courses. We plan to continue lowering textbook costs for our students by purchasing addition textbooks for our rental and loan programs and by possibly authoring an additional open source textbook. (Objective 5.7) G. Over the past several semesters, some faculty have expressed concern over the allocation of resources throughout the District. We plan to develop resource-allocation priorities (using data) for optimal scheduling of time and location of classes. (Objective 1.3 and 3.4) H. Many members of the Math Department have extraordinary computer skills. As an example, we are the only department on campus to use version control software (subversion) to manage departmental documents. As another example, we use the mathematical typesetting software LaTeX to write all of our open source textbooks. The department has as an overarching professional development goal for all Math faculty to become proficient with these software packages. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 41 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b Additional Forms Facilities and Classroom Technology Form List classroom or instructional space name/number: PS 201 Check if any of the following are not adequate: Ventilation / room temp ADA access Number of seats / work stations: 40 Technology (computers, projectors, internet) Other (briefly describe): Describe the specific action and cost to make this space adequate for your instructional needs: The LCD projector in this room needs to be replaced. It is too dim for students to easily see. The blowers on the roof are right next to the windows, so this room is too noisy when the blower is running. Because this room is upstairs, it is not ADA compliant. Replace computer, document camera and LCD projector once every five years: cost = $4,100 once every five years. Replace old desks with new tables and chairs: cost = $8,000 List the average number of discipline/program sections scheduled in this room each semester, and the total number of students enrolled in these sections. Sections: 7 Students: 275 Describe how these changes will improve student learning outcomes: By installing a new LCD projector, students will be able to easily see what the instructor is projecting onto the white board. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 42 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b Facilities and Classroom Technology Form List classroom or instructional space name/number: PS 120 Check if any of the following are not adequate: Ventilation / room temp ADA access Number of seats / work stations: 36 Technology (computers, projectors, internet) Other (briefly describe): Describe the specific action and cost to make this space adequate for your instructional needs: Replace computer, document camera and LCD projector once every five years: cost = $4,100 once every five years. Replace old desks with new tables and chairs: cost = $7,500 List the average number of discipline/program sections scheduled in this room each semester, and the total number of students enrolled in these sections. Sections: 6 Students: 210 Describe how these changes will improve student learning outcomes: Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 43 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b Facilities and Classroom Technology Form List classroom or instructional space name/number: PS 115 Check if any of the following are not adequate: Ventilation / room temp ADA access Number of seats / work stations: 40 Technology (computers, projectors, internet) Other (briefly describe): Describe the specific action and cost to make this space adequate for your instructional needs: Replace document camera, computer and LCD projector once every five years: cost = $4,100 once every five years. Replace old desks with new tables and chairs: cost = $8000 List the average number of discipline/program sections scheduled in this room each semester, and the total number of students enrolled in these sections. Sections: 7 Students: 275 Describe how these changes will improve student learning outcomes: Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 44 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b Facilities and Classroom Technology Form List classroom or instructional space name/number: PS 117 Check if any of the following are not adequate: Ventilation / room temp ADA access Number of seats / work stations Technology (computers, projectors, internet) Other (briefly describe): Describe the specific action and cost to make this space adequate for your instructional needs: Replace document camera, computer and LCD projector once every five years: cost = $4,100 once every five years. List the average number of discipline/program sections scheduled in this room each semester, and the total number of students enrolled in these sections. Sections: 7 Students: 275 Describe how these changes will improve student learning outcomes: Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 45 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b List classroom or instructional space name/number: PS 116 Check if any of the following are not adequate: Ventilation / room temp ADA access Number of seats / work stations Technology (computers, projectors, internet) Other (briefly describe): Describe the specific action and cost to make this space adequate for your instructional needs: Replace 12 computers with special math software and hardware and laser printer once every five years: cost = $30,000 once every five years. List the average number of discipline/program sections scheduled in this room each semester, and the total number of students enrolled in these sections. Sections: open lab Students: 100 Describe how these changes will improve student learning outcomes: Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 46 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b List classroom or instructional space name/number: PS 118 Check if any of the following are not adequate: Ventilation / room temp ADA access Number of seats / work stations Technology (computers, projectors, internet) Other (briefly describe): Describe the specific action and cost to make this space adequate for your instructional needs: Replace computers, document camera and laser printer once every five years: cost = $12,300 once every five years. List the average number of discipline/program sections scheduled in this room each semester, and the total number of students enrolled in these sections. Sections: 6 Students: 210 Describe how these changes will improve student learning outcomes: Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 47 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b Program and Course Learning Outcomes Math 25 Course SLO Measured: 3, 5, 6 Or PLO Measured : Describe assessment tool/ assignments faculty/staff used to measure the SLO or PLO. All students took a 10-question pretest on the first day of spring 2009 classes. The same questions were embedded in all finals administered in Math 25. The pretest also included 10 questions on Math 120 material, to see how well-prepared the students were at the beginning of the course. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 48 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b Summarize the overall results of your department, including performance data if applicable. The following table summarizes the the pretest/posttest results. Students did significantly better in all skill areas on the posttest than on the pretest, with the exception of the area of trigonometric identities. The overall results were good for skills from the first half of the course, and not very good for skills from the second half. The table also shows the results of the pretest on Math 120 material. While students did not remember all of their Math 120 skills, the results were fairly reasonable for an exam at the very beginning of the semester. The worst results were for skills relating to radical functions. It was clear that many of the Math 120 skills would need to be reviewed. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 49 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b How will your department address the needs and issues that were revealed by your assessment? Instructors will review Math 120 skills as they are needed. Instructors will devote additional instruction and classroom assessment to the areas of trigonometric identities and equations. These are among the harder topics in the course, but they are very important topics for success in calculus. The department will also design and administer a common exam with a wider variety of questions in these areas. List the TOP 3 TO 6 actions/changes faculty judge will most improve student learning Review Math 120 skills as they are needed. Devote additional instruction and classroom assessment to the areas of trigonometric identities and equations. Design and administer a common exam with a wider variety of questions in these areas. Provide a timeline for implementation of your top priorities. Additional review and instruction will commence in the Fall 2009 classes. The common exam will be implemented in the Spring 2010 classes. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 50 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b Program and Course Learning Outcomes Course SLO Measured: 1, 4 Math 25 Or PLO Measured : Describe assessment tool/ assignments faculty/staff used to measure the SLO or PLO. Summarize the overall results of your department, including performance data if applicable. A survey of the textbook and Optimath system was administered at the end of the Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 semesters. The results of both surveys were discussed and a summary report will be written and available on the department website. Most students had positive comments on the textbook, although some students wanted more examples. Students were very appreciative of the very low price of the old edition (either by rental or online purchase), and very few had trouble obtaining this inexpensive version. Survey results on the use of Optimath, our online testings system, were generally positive. Most students who used the system found it to be very beneficial, and had few problems using it. There were some some comments about problems with the ASC computers, which hampered their ability to use Optimath. Some students also commented on the lack of solutions for some of the questions. How will your department address the needs and issues that were revealed by your assessment? Items from the summary report were shared with Math 25 instructors prior to the first meeting of Spring 2009 and Fall 2009 classes, in order to make them aware of difficulties students encountered last year. Strategies to help students with textbook difficulties, including obtaining the textbook, were instituted at these first meetings. Help pages were improved in Optimath, and web pages were updated to address student difficulties with the system. In Spring 2009, department faculty spent a great deal of time and effort writing solutions for most of the questions in the Math 25 Optimath testbanks. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 51 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b List the TOP 3 TO 6 actions/changes faculty judge will most improve student learning Communication with instructors and with students. Help resources for students and instructors. Writing solutions to testbank questions. Provide a timeline for implementation of your top priorities. Many of these changes have already been implemented. Work will continue this year on writing solutions to all of the testbank questions. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 52 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b Program and Course Learning Outcomes Course SLO Measured: 2 Math 372 Or PLO Measured : Describe assessment tool/ assignments faculty/staff used to measure the SLO or PLO. Each student created his/her own personal math reference book. Starting with a blank book, students organized information for their own personal uses including definitions, methods, examples, and helpful hints. Information sources included the textbook, supplementary handouts, and class lectures and activities. Summarize the overall results of your department, including performance data if applicable. The majority of students successfully displayed the ability to read from the text, think critically, take good notes, and organize information effectively. Students who were at very low levels of reading and writing were not as successful with these outcomes, though other students had low success for unknown reasons. How will your department address the needs and issues that were revealed by your assessment? Instructors will attend more to the process of creating and developing these reference books throughout the term, assessing them in greater detail. Instructors will investigate reasons for lack of success. Instructors will devote additional instruction and classroom assessment to different facets separately. List the TOP 3 TO 6 actions/changes faculty judge will most improve student learning Instructors will attend more to the process of creating and developing these reference books throughout the term, assessing them in greater detail. Instructors will investigate reasons for lack of success. Instructors will devote additional instruction and classroom assessment to different facets separately. Additional instruction and assessment of reference books will commence with Fall 2009 classes. In Spring 2009, closer attention will be paid to assessing individual facets. Provide a timeline for implementation of your top priorities. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 53 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b Program and Course Learning Outcomes Course SLO Measured: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 Math 45 Or PLO Measured : Describe assessment tool/ assignments faculty/staff used to measure the SLO or PLO. Instructions for student projects included specific requirements related to the course learning outcomes. A timeline was created for these projects, detailing deadlines for submission of subtasks throughout the semester. A uniform grading rubric, incorporating course learning outcomes, was also created for the projects. Summarize the overall results of your department, including performance data if applicable. This was a very small class of just three students, and the projects were not as good as in past years. In view of the many excellent projects in previous years, these results can be primarily attributed to the skill levels of these particular students. How will your department address the needs and issues that were revealed by your assessment? The project instructions, timeline, and grading rubric will be used in the future, with continued refinement and improvement as results dictate. The timeline should be shifted so that students begin their projects earlier, and a first draft of the written portion should be included in the grading rubric. Student learning through the work on these projects would be improved with additional time and additional feedback between the first and final drafts. One of the three projects demonstrated good performance in relation to SLO #1. The other two were acceptable, but had some deficiencies. All three projects demonstrated good performance in relation to SLO #2. All three projects demonstrated good performance in relation to SLO #3. All three projects demonstrated good performance in relation to SLO #5. Two of the three projects demonstrated good performance in relation to SLO #7. The other project had some deficiencies. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 54 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b List the TOP 3 TO 6 actions/changes faculty judge will most improve student learning Shift the timeline so that students begin earlier. Include a first draft of the written portion in the grading rubric. Provide a timeline for implementation of your top priorities. The Fall 2009 Math 45 class has used these suggestions in implementing a timeline for current student projects. See http://msemac.redwoods.edu/~darnold/math45/fall2009/projects/ProjectTimeline.pdf The first part of the project, due three weeks into the class, is an introduction to LaTeX. Students are required to write up a solution to a system of equations using Gaussian Elimination and back substitution. Students receive background in the LaTeX language, setup, and writing scientific papers in an article "Writing Scientific Papers in LaTeX." The requirements for this early assignment can be found at (view in Firefox 3): http://msemac.redwoods.edu/~darnold/math45/eliminationModel.php This has produced excellent early results, as can be seen in the student work located at the following URL. To view student work on this early project, click the Fall 2009, Introduction to LaTeX, student links. http://msemac.redwoods.edu/~darnold/math45/laproj/index.php Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 55 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b Program and Course Learning Outcomes Course SLO Measured: 1, 2, 3, 4 Math 4 Or PLO Measured : Describe assessment tool/ assignments faculty/staff used to measure the SLO or PLO. Instructions for student projects included specific requirements related to the course learning outcomes. A timeline was created for these projects, detailing deadlines for submission of subtasks throughout the semester. A uniform grading rubric, incorporating course learning outcomes, was also created for the projects. Summarize the overall results of your department, including performance data if applicable. How will your department address the needs and issues that were revealed by your assessment? All projects demonstrated good to excellent performance in relation to these course learning outcomes. List the TOP 3 TO 6 actions/changes faculty judge will most improve student learning Refine the grading rubric to include more detail on the requirements of the presentations. Continue to look for appropriate course materials in particular textbook options. Continue to encourage more faculty to include this course in their repertoire. Construct a Math 4 web site with student and instructor resources. Department faculty will work on these changes in Spring 2010. Provide a timeline for implementation of your top priorities. Department faculty will continue to meet and confer on how to improve this course. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 56 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b Program and Course Learning Outcomes Course SLO Measured: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 Math 55 Or PLO Measured : Describe assessment tool/ assignments faculty/staff used to measure the SLO or PLO. Math 55 (Differential Equations) is offered once a year in the spring. The student clientele in this class is comprised of mathematicians, engineers, and scientists, all of whom have had a minimum of two courses in calculus. In order to assess SLO's #1, 2, 3, 5, and 6, students in the Spring of 2009 were assigned a term project. Students were required to investigate a real-world application of differential equations, write a paper on the topic, and present a 15-minute talk on their topic, to be accompanied by presentation slides prepared in advance. To get the students started, a smaller project was assigned, the purpose of which was to introduce the students to LaTeX, a document preparation system used by mathematicians and scientists. The guidelines and requirements for this project can be found online at the following URL: http://msemac.redwoods.edu/~darnold/math55/model.php Students are required to use the LaTeX document preparation system to craft both their term paper and presentation slides. In addition, the instructor developed a timeline describing due dates and expectations for various stages of the term paper and presentation. This timeline rubric can be viewed online at the following URL: http://msemac.redwoods.edu/~darnold/math55/TimelinesAndGrading.php Summarize the overall results of your department, including performance data if applicable. All of the students successfully completed their term projects and presentations on time. Student work, both term papers and presentation slides, can be viewed at the following URL: http://msemac.redwoods.edu/~darnold/math55/DEProj/index.php Please check the links for student papers and presentation slides for the spring semester 2009. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 57 of 58 10/4/2009 5.1 b How will your department address the needs and issues that were revealed by your assessment? The project instructions, timeline, and grading rubric will be used in the future, with continued refinement and improvement as results dictate. List the TOP 3 TO 6 actions/changes faculty judge will most improve student learning A large amount of time was wasted in the opening week or two as students tried to find a suitable model for their first project. For comparison, students in the Fall 2009 Math 45 (Linear Algebra) class were assigned a specific task for their opening introduction to the LaTeX document preparation system. This was highly successful, allowing students to get started with LaTeX much earlier. We recommend that future instructors in differential equations use this strategy in the future. The rest of the timeline was very successful. It set specific dates of submission and also set expectations for each submission. Students were able to receive cumulative feedback from the instructor over the course of the semester, which helped to improve the quality of their final publications. Provide a timeline for implementation of your top priorities. Another difficulty that presented itself was the fact the students had a hard time choosing an application of appropriate difficulty for their term project. Some chose topics that were too trivial, others chose topics that were too difficult to tackle in a semester's time. For comparison, in the fall of 2009 in Math 45 (Linear Algebra), the instructor hand-picked a number of papers and allowed the students to choose from this collection during the first class meeting. Hopefully, this strategy will allow students an early start and they can focus on the learning rather than running about looking for a suitable project on their own. We'll have more information on the results of this strategy at the end of the fall semester 2009. These changes will be implemented in the Spring 2010 class. Annual Program Review Template, Approved Spring 2009 Page 58 of 58 10/4/2009