Presenters: Beth Kilmer and Kari Mueller
Northeastern Junior College

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Fall 2008
 119 students enrolled in MAT030/060 combo
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55 passed MAT030
(46%)
32 passed
MAT030/060 combo
27% pass rate for
MAT030/060 combo

 Roadblock #1 – Unable to maintain a Pace that satisfied the needs of all students
 Roadblock # 2 4 Instructors
+ 2 Textbooks
Inconsistency
 Roadblock #3 - Student Apathy

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Visited several sister colleges searching for best practices
Self-paced math lab setting offered by
Trinidad State Junior College addressed each roadblock
 Students were allowed to work at own Pace
 Requirements and materials were Consistent across all sections regardless of instructor
 Student “Buy-In” to self-paced concept was high

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How It Looks
MAT030/060 combo; 8 weeks per class
Class meets 3 days per week for 1 hour 45 minutes
Class size increased from 15 to 30 students
Two instructors assigned to team teach each section
One learning assistant (student tutor) provided by Comprehensive Learning Center
(CLC)

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How It Works
Required materials include a customized textbook and a homework packet designed by
NJC Math Lab instructors
Students are provided with a Course Schedule to help them pace themselves to complete the course in the allotted 8 week format
Class time is devoted to self and/or small group study, one-on-one instruction and assessment
Students who don’t complete the course in Aterm are allowed to continue working

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How It Works Homework
Homework includes short answer study questions designed to:
 Encourage students to read front matter
 Promote note taking
 Enhance study skills
Homework is checked by instructors to monitor progress and identify students needing extra help
Students maintain a homework notebook that is collected for grading during the final

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How It Works – Assessment
Quizzes
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“One Shot Deal”
Designed to highlight areas where students need more work prior to taking the exam
Exams
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Students are allowed 3 opportunities to earn a 75% or better on each chapter exam
 Helps to reduce test anxiety
 Requires student to prove mastery of material before moving on
 Cumulative final exam – limited to two opportunities

How It Works – Attendance
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Students are required to sign an attendance contract
 Excused vs. Unexcused/Tardy
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 Repercussions
Rewards
Attendance records maintained in D2L

Stuff That Didn’t Work
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Original textbook
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 Difficult to read
Not user friendly
Overly complicated practice problems
Homework on the “honor system”
Excessive testing opportunities
Grading based on tests only
An attendance policy that was too lenient
Incomplete grades

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Math Lab is not for every teacher
Labor intensive set-up
Teamwork – consistency

Semester/
Year
FA 2010
SP 2010
FA 2009
MAT030
Fall 2010
Passed
MAT030
# passed
M030 A-
MAT030
A-term
Success
Rate
Passed
MAT030
Took all by
Semester semester Total pass rate for
Passed
MAT030
&
MAT060 MAT030
Overall
M030 & by
Semester
End
Overall
Success
Rate for
MAT030
/060
Combo in M030
114
74 term
74 65%
M030
8
8 semester
72% 56
%
49%
56 49%
Spring 2010 51
51
91
Spring 2009 45
Fall 2008 119
91
34
30
51
30
51
17
55
14
59%
59%
38%
46%
1
0
9
16
0
9
76%
74%
40%
46%
16
41%
22
76%
6
32
43%
25%
13%
27%
24%
22
23
43%
25%
SP 2009
FA 2008
SP 2008
45
119
34
17
55
14
38%
46%
41%
1
0
0
40%
46%
41%
6
32
8
13%
27%
24%