Program/Discipline/Course Assessment Report
Discipline: Mathematics
Course Number: MATH 120
School/Unit: School of Sciences
Submitted by: Ted Lambert
Academic Year: 2009-2010
Complete and submit your assessment report electronically to your Academic Dean. As needed, please attach supporting documents and/or a narrative description of the assessment activities in your program/discipline.
Program/Discipline
Outcomes
In the boxes below,
summarize the outcomes
assessed in your program or
discipline during the last
year.
Assessment Measures
Assessment Results
Use of Results
Effect on the Program/Discipline
In the boxes below,
summarize the methods
used to assess program,
discipline, or course
outcomes during the last
year.
Common final exams
combined with student
portfolios were used to
assess the students’
knowledge and ability.
In the boxes below, summarize the
results of your assessment activities
during the last year.
In the boxes below,
summarize how you are or
how you plan to use the results
to improve student learning.
Based on the results of this assessment,
will you revise your outcomes? If so,
please summarize how and why in the
boxes below.
Students had difficulty differentiating
the various types of financial math
problems and hence difficulty selecting
an appropriate solution technique.
Based on the results of the
assessment new materials
were developed to address this
issue (see narrative below for
more details).
Classes, which use the new materials, no
longer have widespread difficulty with
financial math problems. This holds true
for classes taught either by full-time or
part-time faculty.
Outcome #2: (MATH 120)
Students will demonstrate
the ability to solve
exponential growth and
decay problems.
Common final exams
combined with student
portfolios were used to
assess the students’
knowledge and ability.
Based on the results of the
assessment new materials
were developed to address this
issue (see narrative below for
more details).
Classes, which use the new materials
and are taught by full-time faculty, no
longer have widespread difficulty with
exponential growth and decay
problems. This does not hold true for
classes taught by part-time faculty. (see
narrative below for more details).
Outcome #3: (MATH 120)
Students will demonstrate
the ability to solve basic
problems in probability and
statistics.
Common final exams
combined with student
portfolios were used to
assess the students’
knowledge and ability.
In general students’ feel that
demonstrating the ability to solve
exponential growth and decay problems
is the most difficult outcome for this
course. Exam results indicated that in
fact outcome 3 was the most difficult,
but students overall were not performing
well on this outcome either.
Assessment results indicated that this
outcome posed the most difficulty for
students.
Based on the results of the
assessment new materials
were developed to address this
issue (see narrative below for
more details).
Classes, which use the new materials
and are taught by full-time faculty, have
limited the common problems to one
objective contained in this outcome.
This does not hold true for classes taught
by part-time faculty, which still struggle
with 3 objectives contained in this
outcome. (see narrative below for more
details).
Outcome #1: (MATH 120)
Students will demonstrate
the ability to solve financial
math problems.
Program/Discipline/Course Assessment Report
Discipline: Mathematics
Course Number: MATH 120
School/Unit: School of Sciences
Submitted by: Ted Lambert
Academic Year: 2009-2010
Implementation of hybrid
format MATH 120.
Common final exams
combined with student
portfolios were used to
assess the students’
knowledge and ability.
Those students who were successful in
this format reported that it was an
excellent option; unfortunately overall
success rates were noticeably lower.
We decided to stop offering
the hybrid format course until
we are able to properly screen
students for success.
The hybrids format is no longer used for
MATH 120.
Implementation of a large
lecture format for MATH
120.
Common final exams
combined with student
portfolios were used to
assess the students’
knowledge and ability.
There was no measurable difference
between large lecture sections and small
lecture sections using the newly
developed materials.
We are offering a limited
number of large lecture
sections of MATH 120.
With the use of large lecture sections
taught by full-time faculty we can
improve the ratio of students taking
MATH 120 who are taught by full-time
faculty vs. part-time faculty.
Program/Discipline/Course Assessment Report
Discipline: Mathematics
Course Number: MATH 120
School/Unit: School of Sciences
Submitted by: Ted Lambert
Academic Year: 2009-2010
MATH 120 Assessment Report Narrative
The following report is based on a four year study of the MATH 120 courses offered at Truckee Meadows Community College. Over the course of
the four year study new materials and methods have been introduced and tested with promising results. For most full-time faculty we have reduced
the number of objectives for which students regularly perform poorly from 8 of 19 objectives to 1 of 19 objectives. For most part-time faculty we
have reduced the number of objectives for which students regularly perform poorly from 11 of 19 objectives to 5 of 19 objectives. As would be
expected our data supports the conclusion that full-time faculty have better student success than part-time faculty do in terms of meeting course
objectives.
For most full-time faculty the one objective which students still regularly have difficulty with is “Use the Normal Distribution to perform computations in
probability and to solve applied problems including but not limited to confidence intervals and margins of error.” Future efforts will be made to see if we can improve
the student success rate for this outcome. Possible ideas for improving the student success rate include:
1. Providing students with additional support material for this objective.
2. Reassessing the level at which this objective is measured as there is evidence that our expectations may greatly exceed those of other
institutions in the system.
3. Providing incentive for students to revisit this objective with additional feedback opportunities prior to course assessment of the objective.
For most part-time faculty the five objectives which students still regularly have difficulty are:
1. Use the Normal Distribution to perform computations in probability and to solve applied problems including but not limited to confidence
intervals and margins of error.
2. Identify events and compliments of events and compute theoretical and empirical probabilities by using the definitions and rules of
probability and combinatorics.
3. Use exponential and logarithmic functions in mathematical modeling.
4. Apply the rules of combinatorics and combinations of sets to compute the cardinal number of a set.
5. Solve and apply exponential equations.
Program/Discipline/Course Assessment Report
Discipline: Mathematics
Course Number: MATH 120
School/Unit: School of Sciences
Submitted by: Ted Lambert
Academic Year: 2009-2010
Based on part-time faculty interviews there is evidence to suggest that items 2 and 4 from above are a function of the faculty member’s academic
preparedness for the subject matter of those objectives. Items 3 and 5 were historically difficult objectives for students for both full-time and parttime faculty. Unlike items 2 and 4, there is no evidence that part-time faculty are significantly less competent in items 3 and 5, so further
investigation into these objectives for part-time faculty will be conducted.
Over the course of four years we have introduced a custom written textbook, lecture videos and homework software. Student feedback on these
items has been very positive and assessment results support the conclusion that they have improved student success.
Developing a set of strategies based on student feedback Ted Lambert has been able to teach large lecture classes without any measurable detrimental
effect to student success; in fact the success rate has improved. One question which had been asked was whether or not these improved results could
be replicated with another faculty member. Due to a new full-time hiring, we had the opportunity to try and answer this question. Following the
prescribed strategies this new faculty member was able to produce comparably impressive results. This was the first time the faculty member had
ever taught this class and they were only provided 1 week to prepare for the start of the semester. Based on these very promising results we would
like to investigate whether or not the same results can be obtained by a part-time faculty member using these strategies.
We also attempted to provide MATH 120 in a hybrid format. One of the strategies referred to previously was to provide all course lectures on video.
This allowed us to have the class meet for 1 hour and 15 minutes a week instead of the usual 3 hours a week, putting the rest of the instruction in an
online format. Those students who were successful in this format reported that it was an excellent option; unfortunately overall success rates were
noticeably lower. Most students found that it was difficult for them to provide the additional time outside of class needed to compensate for the
lowered contact time. Based on these results it has been decided to cease offering the hybrid format at this time. In the future we may offer this
option with the criterion used for online classes, i.e. students must have a B or better in the previous course and students cannot have failed this
course in either this format or an online format.
In summary, based on the data MATH 120 is a successful course for most full-time faculty, but as is always the case improvements can be made. We
either need to find a way to improve part-time faculty success, possibly using the new strategies developed by Ted Lambert, or we should have fewer
part-time faculty teaching this course.
Below are the course objectives used during this study.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Describe and represent sets and combinations of sets.
Compute and use the cardinal number of a set by using Venn diagram.
Apply the rules of combinatorics and combinations of set to compute the cardinal number of a set.
Identify a probability experiment and construct or describe its sample space.
Identify events and compliments of events and compute theoretical and empirical probabilities by using the definitions and rules of probability and combinatorics.
Program/Discipline/Course Assessment Report
Discipline: Mathematics
Course Number: MATH 120
School/Unit: School of Sciences
Submitted by: Ted Lambert
Academic Year: 2009-2010
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
Compute the expectation of a random variable.
Construct, interpret a frequency distribution, histogram, Pie chart for a set of data.
Compute the mean, median, mode, variance and standard deviation for a set of raw or grouped data.
Use the Normal Distribution to perform computations in probability and to solve applied problems including but not limited to confidence intervals and margins of error.
Find and interpret a linear regression equation for a set of data.
Compute present and future values by using formulas appropriate to simple and compound interest as appropriate.
Apply financial formulas to solve applied problems and make critical choices in situations involving add-on interest loans, simple interest amortized loans and annuities.
Convert units within and between unit systems by using Dimensional Analysis.
Perform geometric computations involving perimeter, area, surface area and volume and apply these concepts to application situations.
Find exact and approximate values for trigonometric ratios for angles measured in degrees.
Apply trigonometry to problems involving solving and applying right triangles.
Use exponential and logarithmic functions in mathematical modeling.
Solve and apply exponential equations.
Use a graphics calculator to perform calculations, construct and represent mathematical models and form conjectures.
They have since been condensed into the following
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Solve exponential equations.
Use exponential functions in mathematical modeling.
Apply trigonometry to problems involving right triangles.
Apply financial formulas to solve applied problems in situations involving add-on interest loans, simple interest amortized loans and annuities.
Compute and use the cardinal number of a set by using Venn diagram.
Apply the rules of combinatorics to compute the cardinal number of a set.
Compute present and future values by using formulas appropriate to simple and compound interest.
Identify events and compute probabilities by using the definitions and rules of probability and combinatorics.
Compute the expectation of a random variable.
Construct and interpret a frequency distribution and histogram for a set of data.
Compute the mean, median, mode, variance and standard deviation for a set of raw or grouped data.
Use the Normal Distribution to perform computations in probability and to solve applied problems including but not limited to confidence intervals and margins of error.
Find and interpret a linear regression equation for a set of data.
Program/Discipline/Course Assessment Report
Discipline: Mathematics
Course Number: MATH 120
School/Unit: School of Sciences
Submitted by: Ted Lambert
Academic Year: 2009-2010
I have reviewed this report:
__Submitted by Vice-Chair Ted Lambert_____________________
Department Chair
Dean
Date______8/1/10__________
Date__
________________________________________________
Vice President of Academic Affairs and Student Services
Date_______________
Ted Plaggemeyer____________________________________
10/8/10_____________