Department of Mathematics
November 14, 2001
Mathematics Department Assessment Report, Fall 2001
This report summarizes the assessment efforts in the mathematics department and actions that
have been taken in response to the assessments over the past year. The 1996 mathematics
department assessment plan includes ten objectives, and the body of this report has been
structured around these ten objectives.
1.
All members of the departmental teaching staff will demonstrate good teaching,
including exploring the use of new approaches.
Faculty in the mathematics department have continued to receive outstanding student
evaluations. The average for the 2000-2001 academic year was 4.4 on the 5 point scale.
Individual averages ranged from 4.2 to 4.7. This clearly exceeds our stated goal of 4.0.
During the past year, Bill Stone was active in starting a supplemental instruction (SI) program
for Math 103. We are continuing this program during the 2001-2002 academic year and we are
hoping to see definite signs of improvement in the performance of students in the Math 103
course.
Bill Stone was recently awarded the 2001 distinguished teaching award of the Southwestern
Section of the Mathematical Association of America.
2.
Student entering the calculus sequence will have adequate preparation.
As in previous years, we have monitored the performance of students in Math 103/104
precalculus courses and Math 131 calculus I.
Note that these statistics have changed slightly because of the switch from our old student
information system to the new Banner/SCT system.
Students who started in Math 131 in the fall:
Year
95-96
96-97
97-98
98-99
# of students
74
95
87
85
# passing in fall
66 (89%)
86 (91%)
74 (85%)
74 (87%)
# passing in spring % by year end
1
91%
3
94%
8
94%
7
95%
801 Leroy Place  Socorro, NM 87801
(505) 835-5393 telephone (505) 835-5366 fax
http://www.nmt.edu/~math/
99-00
00-01
97
121
78 (80%)
91 (75%)
8
8
89%
82%
An unusually large number of students started in Math 131 in the fall of 2000. Unfortunately,
the pass rate for these students was down from previous years. After discussion with the Math
131 instructors, it appears that most of the students who were failing calculus simply weren't
attending class, turning in homework, and taking quizzes and exams. This points to a serious
motivation problem.
A second issue was that some students were still getting in to Math 131 despite poor algebra and
trig skills. In some cases, this happens when students transfer credits from community colleges.
In other cases, this happens when students just barely pass the placement test or precalculus
courses.
We will carefully monitor this situation during the next year. If the pass rate in calculus does not
improve, we will consider options such as raising the required placement test score and raising
standards in the precalculus courses.
Next, we consider students who began in Math 103 and/or Math 104.
Year
95-96
96-97
97-98
98-99
99-00
00-01
# of students
76
59
62
75
98
92
# pass 103/104
57 (75%)
49 (83%)
41 (66%)
52 (69%)
73 (74%)
67 (73%)
# took 131-S
53 (93%)
44 (90%)
36 (88%)
43 (83%)
64 (88%)
47 (70%)
# pass 131-S
34 (64%)
24 (55%)
23 (64%)
35 (81%)
48 (75%)
35 (74%)
% by year end
45%
41%
37%
47%
49%
38%
The pass rates in 103/104 and among students who took 131 after passing 103/104 are about the
same as last year. There's no evidence here that the first year of the SI program had a large
positive or negative impact. However, we will continue to monitor this situation to see whether
the SI program is in fact helping students.
The percentage of students who passed 103/104 and then did not go on to take calculus is way
up. It appears that some of this was caused by advisors telling students to take Math 103 in the
fall followed by Math 104 in the spring. Another issue is that a number of these students were
not intending to complete a BS degree at NMT- they were either working towards an associates
degree or planning to transfer to some other university.
3.
Students at the end of first year calculus will have a working understanding of one
dimensional calculus.
A committee of math department faculty met to review the performance of students on the Math
131 and Math 132 final exams. The committee referred to the goals and specific learning
objectives for the calculus course that have been adopted by the mathematics department.
801 Leroy Place  Socorro, NM 87801
(505) 835-5393 telephone (505) 835-5366 fax
http://www.nmt.edu/~math/
The consensus of the committee was that the content of the exams has been stable over the last
six years, with the content closely matching the stated course objectives. Among students who
earned grades of C or above on the final exam, the performance was considered adequate, with
some students doing very well. The performance of students who failed the exams was not
adequate. One common problem was a lack of skill in algebra and trigonometry.
The mathematics department will continue to monitor the performance of students on the Math
131/132 final exams. If problems with algebra and trig are common, we may need to reevaluate
the placement test cutoff and the grading of the Math 103/104 courses.
4.
Our service courses will meet the needs of students in other departments while
maintaining mathematical content.
Faculty in the mathematics department have worked with faculty from other departments to help
coordinate our service courses with other departments requirements. For example,
representatives of the mathematics department recently met with representatives of the electrical
engineering department to discuss the content of the calculus sequence. We expect to continue
this series of meetings during the 2001-2002 academic year and broaden the discussion to
include other academic departments.
5.
Our bachelor's degree students will understand the material from their junior level
core courses.
The mathematics department faculty met in the spring of 2001 to discuss the May 2001
graduates. There was consensus that all of the graduates have a generally adequate command of
the material in the junior level core courses.
6.
Our BS graduates will be prepared for success in their postgraduate academic and
professional careers.
There were fourteen BS graduates in mathematics in May of 2001. Of these fourteen students,
eight went to graduate school, three went on to work in industry, and one was still looking for
employment. We have no information on the other two graduates. We are pleased that so many
of our BS graduates have gone on to graduate school. Because of the relative lack of job
opportunities for graduates with BS degrees in mathematics and the much better opportunities
for graduates at the MS level, we have initiated a new five-year BS/MS program.
7.
Our MS graduates will be able to understand and communicate significant
mathematical ideas, and will have the preparation for successful careers.
There were 4 MS graduates between May 2000 and May 2001. Each of these students gave a
public presentation of their thesis or independent study project. The mathematics faculty has
been generally satisfied with the quality of these projects and presentations. The professional
801 Leroy Place  Socorro, NM 87801
(505) 835-5393 telephone (505) 835-5366 fax
http://www.nmt.edu/~math/
development seminar (Math 501/502) seems to have been effective in preparing students to write
and present their theses.
Three of these four graduates have gone on to careers in industry. Our MS graduates who have
gone on to industry have typically gotten starting salaries of $50,000 to $60,000 per year. These
graduates are clearly well prepared for industrial careers.
8.
Each member of the departmental faculty will develop a program of research and
scholarly activity. Graduate student research advisors will be active in research or
other scholarly activity.
Faculty in the mathematics department have continued to be active in research. Eight of the ten
tenured/tenure track faculty have published within the last year. Three faculty members have
worked on externally funded research projects within the past year. All of the faculty who are
currently supervising graduate students are active in research.
9.
We will communicate our research program to others in the department.
The mathematics department has continued to run a regular weekly series of seminars which are
attended by the faculty and graduate students. In the fall, faculty give presentations on their
interests. In the spring, first and second year graduate students give presentations on their
research projects. We fill out the schedule with additional speakers from other departments on
campus and other universities in New Mexico. Nine of the ten faculty members will give talks
during the fall of 2001.
10.
The department will contribute to the Institute and the profession.
During the 2000-2001 academic year, seven of the eight faculty in the department served on
faculty council or senate committees within the institution. Department faculty were heavily
involved in the recruiting of two new faculty members. One faculty member was elected chair
of the faculty council. Two of the faculty in the department hold editorial positions for
professional journals. One faculty member was recently elected to the board of a national
society.
801 Leroy Place  Socorro, NM 87801
(505) 835-5393 telephone (505) 835-5366 fax
http://www.nmt.edu/~math/