Fall 07: A Pilot Implementation
of Redesigned College Algebra at
Truman College
Presented by Angelito Garcia
Assistant Professor of Mathematics
The Truman College Experience with the College Algebra ~
Traditional Format
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Low Retention - 27% withdraw
Low Success Rate - 53% of those who remain get a grade of C or higher
Gate-keeper course (High potential to increase enrollment)
ELEMENTS OF THE ORIGINAL REDESIGN MODEL: Project Goals
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Institutional reasons: increase student performance and retention
rates, address student attitudinal issues, lower costs
 Student-Centered Reasons: poor success rates, math 140
considered a bottleneck course, traditional lecture format made
for inappropriate learning environment, more flexibility for
students
 Instructor-Centered Benefits: Reduced time spent on meaningless
routines and increased instructor focus on content rather than
management
Analysis of Pilot (Fall 07) Results
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Baseline Retention - 27% withdraw
Pilot Retention: 30.4% [Comment]
Baseline Success Rate : 53% (A,B,C)
Pilot Success Rate: 56.7% (A,B,C)
Baseline Test Results: 6.9 / 10 [Comment]
Pilot Assessment – 6.4 / 10 [Comment]
Greatest Student Transformation: Overcoming the initial struggles with new
technology and using it to the hilt as they maximized active learning away from the
classroom. (Comment)
Most many students who were able to install the MyMathLab plug-ins in their home
computers expressed deep satisfaction in the online aspects of course redesign.
Might have helped blazed the way for student’s acceptance of the use of online
course management software for other subject areas courses especially math
courses.
Removed student’s tendency to give up so easily. (Cite operant conditioning from
psychology)
Transferable tech skills (cite an example of a former student using TI-83 to do
complicate chemistry problems)
What implementation issues were
most important?
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Technology issues centering on MML as
the course management software in the
implementation
 Dealing with a non-existent computer lab
dedicated to redesign
 Departmental collaboration and core
support
 Communication amongst the redesign
course coordinator, redesign Instructors,
math chair, administrators, and manager
of classroom scheduling
What’s still missing and
unimplemented from the original
model.
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More interactive and harmonious partnerships
between math faculty within math department,
between math department and administration,
between math dept and systems people.
 A truly dedicated “24/7” math lab equipped with
the MML plug-ins and redesign technologies
 A handful of good math tutors whose major focus
is to assist college algebra (math 140) students
 Special fund for training adjuncts who will join as
math 140 instructors and available for instant
rehiring.
What can be added to enhance the
redesign experience.
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A fine website to supplement the MML (Truman faculty
online lectures can be uploaded to work in tandem with
MML videos/animations)
A video camera to tape the above lectures
An enhanced math lab that can track the visits and total
hours spent by the student at the computer terminal
Require students to visit with math tutor/math lab a certain
number of hours per week (curriculum tweaking issues?)
as a means to make up for absences and tardiness
Customized edition of the textbook
Involvement of adjuncts committed to the redesign concept
Appointment of a coordinator with release time privileges