October 3, 2012
Revising Developmental Mathematics and General Education Mathematics at
Youngstown State University: A New Approach and Opportunity
Background: Because of significant decreases in enrollment in developmental mathematics
courses due to the establishment of a community college in the region, the need for Youngstown
State University to provide comprehensive developmental education in mathematics may no
longer be necessary. In addition, due to the establishment of Ohio Board of Regents definitions
and standards for developmental coursework and articulation agreements for general education,
it has become apparent that several gateway courses in mathematics do not meet the minimum
requirements for the course to be called college level. For example, the current the Survey of
Mathematics course has MATH 1501 “Beginning Algebra” as a prerequisite, not “Intermediate
Algebra,” so that course is not considered by the State to be college level. Further, this course
does not meet the requirements to be included as a “TAG” course. At the same time, courses
such as College Algebra, that do count towards general education requirements at other Ohio
institutions are not counted as general education courses at YSU, even though these courses are
listed as TAG courses. In fact, the course, College Algebra, does not exist at YSU.
IN SHORT: There are four current problems concerning YSU mathematics.
1. According to OBOR standards, some courses YSU says are college level are not
college level.
2. Several key mathematics courses at YSU either do not exist or are not currently TAG
approved.
3. Developmental education in mathematics at YSU is approaching the point in which
other means of preparing students in mathematics for college are becoming a reality.
4. Curriculum gaps currently exist because of the lack of a College Algebra course.
Opportunity: This presents the Department of Mathematics and Statistics as both an opportunity
and a quandary as to what to do with these courses. This document sets forth a plan for moving
forward by deleting MATH 1500, MATH 1501, MATH 1502, MATH 1503, MATH 1507, and
MATH 1508 from our list of available courses. MATH 1505 Intermediate Algebra and MATH
1510 College Algebra courses will be developed, with general education approval and TAG
approval gain. MATH 1508 will be expanded with one additional hour of content and become
MATH 1511. MATH 1513 and MATH 2623 will be revised so that they meet TAG
requirements.
Objective: The plan has as its core objective to:
 Reduce YSU’s presence in developmental mathematics education,
 Provide coursework in mathematics that seamlessly flows from one course to the next,
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Increase retention and success in mathematics coursework,
Assure that general education courses meet TAG standards and become TAG approved,
Set educational standards that align with YSU’s mission of being an Urban Research
Institution.
The Plan: The following plan outlines the steps that will be taken to implement this plan. Note
that these steps will not necessarily be carried out in chronological order.
STEP 1: Delete MATH 1500, MATH 1501, MATH 1502, MATH 1502, MATH 1507, and
MATH 1508. Note: MATH 1502 and MATH 1503 are together equivalent to MATH 1501.
STEP 2: Provide opportunities for students who need MATH 1500 to gain this knowledge. YSU
will provide three ways for students to accomplish this.
1. Use online learning and the Mathematics Assistance Center to provide opportunities,
at little or no charge, for students to learn the material.
2. Develop an agreement with Eastern Gateway Community College to provide this
coursework on the YSU campus. Set up dual enrollment plan.
3. Work with area high schools to develop programs that reduce educational gaps and
provide direct pathways into YSU’s college-level coursework.
STEP 3: Introduce new course, MATH 1505 so that it is our only developmental course. The
course should be a combination of MATH 1501 and the beginning topics of MATH 1507. The
course will be called Intermediate Algebra. (5 s.h.) This will be our gateway course, as
illustrated by the following diagram.
Math 1510
Math 1511
College Algebra
Trigonometry
MATH 1552
Business Math*
Math 1505
Interm. Algebra
MATH 1564
Middle Math
Math 2623
Survey of Math*
MATH 2625
Math Lit
MATH 2651
Early Math
Math 1513
Pre-calc*
*indicates that these courses are currently not TAG courses
STEP 4: Revise MATH 1508 and rename it MATH 1511 (3 sh) so that it contains enough
trigonometry to assure that STEM students are prepared for MATH 1570 and MATH 1571.
STEP 5: Introduce a new course, MATH 1510, College Algebra (4 sh). This course must satisfy
OBOR’s definitions of college level and TAG certified. This course could also lead to MATH
1511 Trigonometry and then to MATH 1513.
STEP 6: Revise MATH 1513 so that it is also a TAG course. MATH 1513 currently does not
include the required topics of sequences, series and vectors. These topics need to be added to
assure that it is a TAG course. MATH 1552 is not currently a TAG course for business students
because it does not have College Algebra as a prerequisite. A decision will need to be made with
regard to pursuing TAG approval for this course.
STEP 7: Revise MATH 2623 and MATH 2625 so that they are college level course and TAG
certified in general education. This would force a prerequisite change and may include a change
in required topics. The prerequisite should be MATH 1505.
STEP 8: Update placement procedures for mathematics courses.
STEP 9: Gain University Approval and Buy In
STEP 10: Market “New Standards”
Summary: In short, the proposal will align YSU with OBOR standards, fill gaps in curriculum,
and shift YSU’s focus toward realizing its mission of becoming an Urban Research University.
Timeline
Fall 2013
Delete MATH 1500
Have help/procedures in place to help affected students
Fall 2014
Delete MATH 1501, 1502, 1503, 1507, 1508
Have help/procedures in place to help affected students
Fall 2014
Introduce MATH 1505, 1510, 1511
Revise MATH 1513, (perhaps 1552), 2623, 2625