Flipping Math: Redesigning
Developmental Math
Courses for Success
Broward College Presenters:
Kelli Hammer, Professor and Developmental Ed. Coordinator of Mathematics
Alan Lebovitz, Associate Dean of Mathematics – North Campus
Joyce Nemeth, Associate Dean of Mathematics – South Campus
Workshop Overview
 Broward College - who we are
 Why Math Redesign/flipped model?
 Evolution and implementation of our flipped model
 Specifics of BC’s flipped model – Facilitation, Standardization,
Assessment
 Evidence of success
Broward College
 Third largest of 28 colleges in the Florida College System
 Three major campus with six centers throughout the county
 Over 67,000 students enrolled annually
 Diverse student body
 Certificates, associate degrees and select bachelor’s degrees
 #3 in nation in associate degrees awarded to minority students
 In the past, ~65% begin in developmental education (more than half in math).
Starting in January 2014, changes in state law allow the majority of students to
bypass developmental courses.
Why Math Redesign?
 Math is the #1 obstacle for students. Students beginning in lowest
level are seven times less likely to graduate than students who
begin in college-level math
 Path includes three math classes before a college level math
course: Development Math I (Pre-Algebra), Developmental Math II
(Elementary Algebra), Intermediate Algebra
 In 2008, mathematics faculty and Associate Deans met to discuss
how to redesign our developmental math classes to enhance
student success
 Main inspiration came from Beyond Crossroads, which emphasized
the idea of “flipping the classroom”
 Change classes from instructor-based lecture to classes in which
the students are actively engaged in the learning process with
peer learning
Why Math Redesign?
 Faculty attended conferences and visited other colleges to learn
about various redesign and/or emporium models of instruction
and concluded:
o students learn by doing
o students work better collaboratively
o attention spans aren’t what they used to be
 Used what they learned and the flipped classroom idea to adopt
new model with:
o video mini lectures
o in-class, collaborative assignments in the form of worksheets
o homework assignments to be completed online
Why Math Redesign?
 This model was adopted for the three courses in the pre-general
education math pathway and college algebra
 Goal of acceleration was added
 Classes were designed to meet four days a week during two 8-week
sessions (Sessions 2 and 4) as opposed to the traditional two days a
week classes during a 16-week semester
 This allowed students to complete two courses in a single semester
Evolution of Math Redesign
 Initial pilot phase was from Fall 2009 through Winter 2012 (six
major semesters)
 First year included software trials before agreeing on ALEKS.
 Faculty piloted various homework management systems (HMS)
 Each campus and instructor used at least two different systems over a 1-year
pilot
 ALEKS was selected unanimously as the permanent HMS.
 During the second and third years, faculty developed standardized
course shells (formerly Blackboard, currently Desire2Learn) containing
common:
 Syllabi
 Classwork
 Course pacing
 Tests
 Video lecture sources
 Grading system/point distribution
 Lecture/class notes
 ALEKS content
Evolution of Math Redesign
 Program was scaled up starting in Fall 2012 with a 151%
increase in course offerings from the previous Fall
semester (35 to 88). The total number of sections for
the current Fall semester is 126.
 During the scale-up period, faculty continued to update
course shells and meet on a regular basis to discuss and
implement improvements
 Faculty are now encouraged to personalize the daily
lecture, worksheets and/or tests to “make the class
their own”
Implementation and Logistics
 Initially, the only faculty who taught flipped redesign classes were
the ones who were involved in its development
 In subsequent semesters, additional faculty were recruited by the
Associate Deans on all campuses to participate, starting with a
mentor/mentee program
 These faculty observed multiple flipped redesign classes to
witness first-hand the implementation of the program
 Expanded by having the Associate Deans personally invite faculty
to teach flipped redesign classes
Implementation and Logistics
 Multiple training sessions on all campuses assisted faculty with the
transition into this modality, including the use of ALEKS, course
shells and proper classroom implementation
 Informal observations conducted by Associate Deans and faculty
mentors to assure that the model was being followed correctly
 Meetings with Associate Deans and faculty mentors to address
faculty concerns and correct deviations from the model
Implementation and Logistics
 Originally, faculty were scheduled to teach the same course in
both sessions to make it easier for faculty to adjust to the new
modality
 Changed to scheduling sequential courses in consecutive sessions
to allow students who passed the first course to move seamlessly
into the second course
 Registration in the second course of a two course cohort is
restricted so all students enrolled in the first course can register
for the second
 Most meet four days a week but some are now scheduled for two
days a week to meet students’ and faculty needs
 Additional standalone classes were added as needed
Implementation and Logistics
Sample Scheduling
Course
Session
Instructor
Start Time
End Time
Days
Pre-Algebra
Elem. Algebra
2
4
Hammer
Hammer
12:30 PM
12:30 PM
1:45 PM
1:45 PM
MTWR
MTWR
Elem. Algebra
Interm. Algebra
2
4
Lucke
Lucke
11:00 AM
11:00 AM
12:15 PM
12:15 PM
MTWR
MTWR
Interm. Algebra
College Algebra
2
4
Castillo
Castillo
2:00 PM
2:00 PM
3:15 PM
3:15 PM
MTWR
MTWR
Elem. Algebra
Interm. Algebra
2
4
Macfarlane
Macfarlane
6:30 PM
6:30 PM
9:15 PM
9:15 PM
MW
MW
College Algebra
2
Amato
9:30 AM
10:45 AM
MTWR
Elem. Algebra
4
Mancini
9:30 AM
10:45 AM
MTWR
BC’s “Flipped” Method - Facilitation
 Instructors are facilitators of learning rather than traditional
lecturers
 Brief videos are shown or mini lectures are conducted
 Students do a classwork assignment each day to reinforce the
skill(s) just learned. Approximately 40% of class time is spent on
worksheets
 Students work collaboratively with their peers and receive
assistance from the instructor
 Students use technology to do their homework. This allows the
faculty to monitor students’ progress and use intervention
strategies.
BC’s “Flipped” Method - Standardization
Syllabus, course schedule and pacing, daily lessons,
class work, grading system (samples in your
handout)
This ensures all students, no matter the instructor,
will receive the same quality and quantity of
instruction
Curriculum of each course is consistent and
matches our Broward College outlines to guarantee
coverage of all of the Developmental Education
Florida State Competencies
BC’s “Flipped” Method - Assessment
 Class work is graded and returned to students at the
next class meeting. Commonly missed questions are
reviewed
 ALEKS provides immediate feedback on each question
and continuously reassesses students at various
intervals
 Students are assessed and graded using a variety of
methods which helps the “poor test-taker”
 The developmental and gateway courses have collegewide departmental cumulative final exams
BC’s “Flipped” Method - Bonuses
 Students are more active learners
 Readiness levels are verified in initial assessment in ALEKS
 ALEKS is personalized, based on mastery, and has
remediation built in
 In ALEKS, students work towards goal completion and
visualize their progress, not just “do homework”
 Units in ALEKS are cumulative so students can run but not
hide from a topic a/k/a “roll-over minutes”
 Students are exposed to the necessary study habits to be
successful in a math course
 Textbook is not required, so students save money
Evidence: Are pass rates higher?
 Yes, significantly higher (p << .001)!
Course Pass Rates (ABC) 2013 & 2014 Academic Years
70%
66%
60%
50%
62%
57%
50%
66%
59%
50%
40%
41%
Traditional
30%
20%
Flipped
n=4989
n=1988
n=12023
n=3565
n=14399
n=2748
n=15350
n=1326
10%
0%
Pre-Alg
Beg. Alg.
Int. Alg
Col. Alg
Evidence: Are withdraw rates lower?
 Yes, significantly higher (p < .005)!
Course Withdraw Rates 2013 & 2014 Academic Years
16.0%
12.9%
12.0%
10.0%
15.6%
15.5%
14.0%
10.9%
10.6%
9.4%
8.9%
8.0%
9.3%
Traditional
Flipped
6.0%
4.0%
n=4989
n=12023
n=1988
n=14399
n=3565
n=15350
n=2748
n=1326
2.0%
0.0%
Pre-Alg
Beg. Alg.
Int. Alg
Col. Alg
Evidence: Are subsequent course pass
rates higher?
 Yes, significantly higher (p < .05), except for College Alg.
Subsequent Course Pass Rates (ABC) within next two major
terms 2013 Academic Year
70%
65%
60%
50%
40%
51%
63%
67%
54%
50% 51%
43%
Traditional
30%
20%
n=1781
n=605
n=2754
n=846
n=3471
n=874
n=4465
n=443
10%
0%
Pre-Alg
Beg. Alg.
Int. Alg
Col. Alg
Flipped
Things we didn’t expect
 Faculty are opting to use the flipped modality to teach 16-week,
semester long classes
 Offering additional courses in two 8-week cohorts
 Students are requesting classes and instructors that use the
flipped modality
 Recent changes in Florida law require that all developmental
courses be offered as accelerated, modularized, contextualized or
have a college-level co-requisite. The law also allows ~75% of
students to skip or ignore placement and take Intermediate
Algebra
 Math Redesign classes are now 100% of Pre-Algebra and Beginning
Algebra sections
 Use of ALEKS college-wide in Intermediate Algebra allows students
with deficient skills to learn prerequisite material to be successful
Questions?
Kelli Hammer – khammer@broward.edu
Alan Lebovitz – alebovit@broward.edu
Joyce Nemeth – jnemeth@broward.edu