Course Redesign for Math 1324: Business Mathematics
Teacher Guide
An Overview of the Course Format
In this course, the intention is to increase student engagement and motivation by
making students more active participants in the learning experience. Students learn by
doing rather than listening or watching, and the accountability to other group members
increases attendance. The instructor is no longer a “talking head” at the front of the class
but rather a guide and facilitator. The shift in the role of the teacher creates more
interaction with students and consequently creates better relationships.
In general, students watch videos outside of class that deliver prerequisite material
for the class activities. During class time, students work together in small groups to
complete the class activities. The instructor circulates through the class checking on
progress and answering questions for any groups that need assistance. Assessment takes
place via graded activity answer sheets, in-class quizzes, online homework, and in-class
exams.
To balance the extra work outside of class, the in-person class time is reduced
from 3 to 2 hours per week. For example, a MWF class would meet only on MW and a
TTh class would meet twice for 50 minutes instead of 75. Students are still getting in all
of the required contact hours, but some of the hours are now via online instruction. (For
other ideas regarding the structure of the course, please see the Alternative Formats
section on p. 3.)
The First Week
First and foremost, the syllabus is essential for setting expectations. The modified
course structure is foreign to most students and they need more guidance to be successful
in this unfamiliar format. See Appendix A for sample syllabus content.
To ensure that students completely understand the differences between this class
and a traditional-style class, we strongly recommend a Syllabus Quiz (see Appendix A)
during the first week of class. This ensures that students have read and digested the
information and fully understand what they can expect and what is expected of them in
the coming semester.
We also recommend that you ask students to sign off on the non-traditional class
style. (See a sample in Appendix A.) In our experience, poor students use the excuse “I
didn’t know this class was different.” later in the semester in an attempt to garner
sympathy for low grades. Asking students to acknowledge understanding in writing can
preemptively eliminate issues.
Lecture Videos
Before each class period, students have a video lecture assignment. The content in
the assignment includes prerequisite material for the class activity, material that is never
discussed in class, or a combination of the two. The video assignment also includes
optional videos that repeat the same material as the activities, which students may use as
extra preparation for class or as a review after class to follow up on the day’s material.
Each video has built-in comprehension-check questions. The questions are the
same difficulty level as those an instructor might ask in class during a traditional lecture,
i.e, “What happens next?” or “Which technique should we use in this example?” as well
as some True/False and simple math exercises.
If you wish to record grades for the questions embedded in the video to ensure
that students are actively watching, you can create video assignments with an online
course management system. One example is WebAssign but any SCORM compliant
system will work. If you do not wish to record grades for the videos, versions are
available that give students immediate feedback on the embedded questions and are
independent of any online course management system. The videos were created with
PowerPoint and Camtasia and the content for the entire semester exists in video format.
The original PowerPoint slides are available in pdf format for students to use as a notetaking tool.
Group Work
Students spend class time working in small groups on learning activities instead
of listening to a lecture. Groups consist of three students who are randomly assigned to
work together during the first week of the semester. Groups may need to be reorganized
at some point in the semester to account for drops or adds. Due to absences, a group of
one student may be temporarily merged with another small group for that day’s activity.
You may also wish to reassign groups that are not functioning properly.
There are a number of methods to randomly assign students to groups. For
example, you may use a computer or spreadsheet program or assign students a group
number as they come in to class one day. We recommend against letting students choose
their own groups as this puts quiet students at a disadvantage and groups comprised of
friends tend to chat more and work less.
Students may wish to give their group a name, which introduces an element of fun
and can build team unity. We found it most appropriate to let students choose group
names from a list of math terms.
Because students do not choose the groups, it is important to have measures in
place to deal with problem groups. We suggest implementing a system by which students
can reprimand or eject problem members. A Letter of Intent to Disassociate and a Letter
of Disassociation are available in Appendix B and describe the procedures by which a
group may deal with an unproductive member.
Class Time
Begin class with a warm-up exercise or a brief introduction connecting the
required videos to the upcoming activity. After the introduction, the class breaks into
groups to work through the activity. The instructor circulates to clarify and answer
questions and, as often as possible, answer questions with leading questions rather than
direct answers. Groups that finish early should be encouraged to help other groups who
are still working. Each student needs an individual copy of the activity to work from and
keep but only one answer sheet per group needs to be turned in for grading. All members
of the group receive the same grade except that group members who are not present
should receive a grade of zero for that activity.
The activities each require between 20 and 50 minutes. The length of the activity
is included on the teacher’s cover page that accompanies each activity. About half of the
activities are designed to require less than a 50-minute class period because a shorter
activity leaves room for an in-class quiz or other assessment of the instructor’s choice.
Exams may be incorporated as appropriate for the institution and do not need to be
modified. The course redesign does not affect the composition or administration of
exams.
Alternative Formats
The materials are very flexible and can be used in a number of other ways. Some
instructors and students may miss the inclusion of traditional lecture. For those people, it
is certainly a possibility to break class activities into smaller units and include some live
lecture. Many activities have natural break points and the unfinished portions can be
assigned as homework or left as an optional supplement.
Other arrangements include showing videos during class time and assigning the
activities as homework, meeting once per week for 75 minutes, or using the lectures for
an online class.
Online Course Management Systems
As previously mentioned, videos and homework can be assigned and graded
within any SCORM compliant online course management system. An online system also
provides a natural calendar of assignments, which is helpful for students who may lose
track. However, an online system is not required for the use of the course materials.
Calculator Usage
Materials were developed under the assumption that students have access to a
non-CAS graphing calculator, specifically the TI-83 or 84. Many activities incorporate
specific calculator instructions and all calculator procedures are supported by videos with
step-by-step instructions.
Support Materials
In addition to the semester’s worth of lecture videos, there are also numerous
resources available to support students’ progress. A variety of tutorial videos address
common misconceptions and topics with which students typically struggle. For extra
practice and alternative explanations, a bank of supplemental exercises with video
solutions covers all course topics.
The support materials are particularly useful when students are studying for
exams or struggling with a particular concept.
Appendix A
Sample Syllabus
Syllabus Quiz; Quiz Key
Acknowledgement of Course Format
Appendix B
Letter of Intent to Disassociate
Letter of Disassociation