MINUTES
Math Department Meeting
October 6, 2008
1.Summary of what we have completed on assessment
Nicole reviewed math assessment over the past two years.
PROGRAM LEVEL
Spring 06 & Spring 07 analyzed
Results: students are not declining in knowledge.
COURSE LEVEL
Fall 06 096 analyzed, 112 analyzed
Spring 07 090 & 096 analyzed, 112 analyzed
Fall 07 090 analyzed, 096 & 112 not analyzed
Spring 08 101 & 102 not analyzed
Fall 08 101 not analyzed
Results: For now, instead of gathering more data,
analyze and reflect on the data we have.
It was agreed to again send out 096 and 112 results toall instructors
of these courses, as well as to post these results on the math web page.
Mary Ann passed out data on 090 course level assessment (attached).
Dan passed out 096 survey results (attached).
2.Discussion about how to go forward this year on assessment
Lauren will start looking into assessing math education (113).
It was agreed to ask for data about the success of 098 students
in 101, 102 and 112.
3.MTH 098 Departmental Final Exam – discussion of topic – no vote at this meeting
The question was discussed as to whether the department should develop
new comprehensive final exams for math 096 and 098, to be required in all
sections of those courses. The purpose would be to assess developmental
education. Points were made for and against such a requirement. It was agreed
that, to put the question in perspective, we would try to find out whether colleagues
at ECC and elsewhere, in math and other fields, currently require such exams.
Pat reported that at NIU, all college algebra sections use departmental finals
as a percentage of the final grade.
4. Remodeling classroom and computer classroom space
There is a need for more computer classrooms, organized differently from our
current classrooms: chairs placed around centralized tables, and computers against
walls. Also, a preference was expressed for screens for overheads to be placed in
corners of rooms, as in MSC, instead of in front of the white boards.
5. U-46 Curriculum meetings
Lauren announced U-46 meetings that will discuss math curriculum, on
September 30 and December 16. She is planning to attend and invited
anyone else who is interested. Also, geometry will be discussed on
November 18 and February 4. Contact Lauren for details.
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From: Mary Ann TuerkJune 2008
MTH 090 COURSE LEVEL ASSESSMENT
In Spring 2005, several members of the math department met to address concerns about thedevelopmental math course MTH 090, then titled “Arithmetic.” Issues had been brought up in math department meetings and in joint meetings with counseling. The major items of concern were as follows:
- Students in the subsequent course MTH 096 Basic Algebra were often inadequately prepared to study algebra because they had not mastered the pre-algebra skills of computations with fractions and signed numbers.
- At that time there was no prerequisite course for MTH 096. Based on results of the COMPASS Placement test, MTH 090 was often recommended but not required before a student could enroll in MTH 096.
- The math department had done a statistical analysis of data from Fall 2003 that showed that “completing MTH 090 did not change 096 scores in a statistically significant manner.”
- The grade distribution for MTH 090 was not in line with other courses in the developmental math sequence.
- The course objectives and policies for MTH 090 were not adequate to prepare students to succeed in MTH 096 Basic Algebra.
The following changes were made to address these concerns:
- A subcommittee reviewed and rewrote the course objectives.
- The limits on use of calculators and other aids such as tables were clearly defined.
- The course was renamed “PreAlgebra” and an appropriate text was selected.
- The Curriculum Committee approved the change to the Prerequisite for MTH 090 as “Appropriate score on the Placement test or Successful Completion of MTH 090 with a grade of C or better.”
- A Departmental Final Exam was developed and is now required for all sections.
- Professional Development opportunities for the instructional staff were offered.
- MTH 090 was offered in a Computer Assisted Format using Plato Software beginning in Fall 2005.
The following items are offered for analysis as part of the Course Level Assessment for MTH 090:
- Correlation of Assessment Scores (using the Departmental Final Exam as the instrument) and the Final Course Grade.
- Comparison of student success in computer assisted v. traditional format.
- Additional Analysis of Student Success in MTH 096 by students who have successfully completed MTH 090 with a grade of C or better.
- Analysis of Grade Distribution in all sections of MTH 090.
- Correlation of Final Exam Scores and Final Course Grade
FINAL EXAM SCORELETTER GRADE
(OUT OF 50)(A = 4.0)
ALL SECTIONS MTH OO90 36.12.71
- Comparison of Academic Systems v. Traditional Classroom
TRADITIONAL CLASS
(5 SECTIONS, N=119) 36.42.92
ACADEMIC SYSTEMS
(2 SECTIONS, N=33) 34.91.97
- Analysis of Student Success in MTH 096 by students who have successfully completed MTH 090 with a grade of C or better
Some data was provided in order to compare student success in MTH 096 between two groups of students: 1. Those who placed into MTH 096 and took it as their first developmental math course; and 2. Those who placed in MTH090, successfully completed it, and then completed MTH 096. All data starts with results from Fall 2005 and later.
STUDENTS WHOSE FIRST COURSE
WAS MTH 096 (N=156)
GRADE / NUMBER / PERCENTA / 20 / 12.80%
B / 24 / 5.4
C / 84 / 53.8
D / 15 / 9.6
F / 13 / 8.3
STUDENTS WHO TOOK MTH 090 AND
THEN COMPLETED MTH 096 (N=257)
GRADE / NUMBER / PERCENTA / 33 / 12.80%
B / 58 / 22.4
C / 86 / 33.5
D / 30 / 11.7
F / 50 / 19.5
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Mth096 – Beginning Algebra – Survey Results
Students were asked to rate each of the following statements about their feelings regarding math.
(1 = Strongly Disagree and 5 = Strongly Agree.)
initial
(n=55) / exit
(n=26) / change
(n=26)
- I feel confident about my ability to learn and do well in my math courses.
- I enjoy math.
- I get so nervous on test days I forget some of the material.
- I’ve always struggled with math.
- I dread math quizzes and tests.
- I was pretty good with math when I was younger, but it got too hard for me.
- I believe mathematics is useful in my daily life and will be important in my career.
- I enjoy coming to my math classes.
- I get frustrated easily with problems.
- I give up if I can’t figure things out right away.
- I’ve always been pretty good with math.
- I used to be good with math, but I had a bad experience when I was younger.
* A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F/W=0
- How long before this course was the last math course you took?
last semester / 3-6
months / 6 months
to 1 year / 1-2 years / more than
2 years
(1) / (2) / (3) / (4) / (5)
Average: 2.5Correlation with grade: 0.24 (yes – positive)
- What was the highest level math course you took in high school?
none / Pre-Algebra / Algebra I / Algebra II / Pre-Calculus / Calculus
(1) / (2) / (3) / (4) / (5) / (6)
Average: 3.3Correlation with grade: 0.08
I also asked several questions about the students’ placement, but none of those showed any correlation with final grade.
Interesting Facts:
- 62% of those surveyed said they found math useful in their everyday lives, with only 9% disagreeing or strongly disagreeing.
- 34% (20/58) of those surveyed enjoy math, with 26% (15/58) saying they do not.
- Students who enjoy math (item 2) were twice as likely to finish the course (16/20 = 80% vs.
6/15 = 40%) and twice as likely to be successful (12/20 = 60% vs. 4/15 = 27%). - For students who finished the course, believing math is useful (item 7) had very little correlation with final grade.
- For students who finished the course, the item most correlated with final grade was whether or not the student enjoyed math (item #8, r=0.57).
- Time away from math was positively correlated with final grade (meaning further away related to a higher grade).
- In fact, 53% of students who had been away from math more than 1 year were successful (8/15) vs. only 29% (7/24) for those who took a math class the previous semester.
- Time away had the second-highest positive correlation with final exam grade (r=0.38).
- Those students who finished Algebra II in high school were more than twice as likely to be successful in Mth096 as those who did not (16/29 = 55% vs. 6/25 = 24%).
- Feelings of past struggles had the largest negative correlation with final exam grade by far
(r=-0.66, with the next closest items 3, 5, and 6 at about r=-0.40).
- None of the responses had very strong correlations with final grade (A=4, F/W=0).
- The largest positive correlation was item #11 (r=0.34), suggesting students who have confidence tend to be more successful.
- Items 3-6 and item 7 all had approximately the same negative correlation (r=-0.30), which should not come as a surprise.
- Analysis of Grade Distribution in all sections of MTH 090
A COMPARISON OF GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS AMONG
SUCCESSFUL COMPLETERS (WITH GRADES OF A, B, OR C) IN MATH 090
SEMESTER / NBR OF STUDENTS / GRADE / NUMBER / PERCENTFALL 2001 / 67 / A / 57 / 85.1%
B / 9 / 13.4
C / 1 / 1.5
FALL 2002 / 63 / A / 60 / 95.2
B / 2 / 3.2
C / 1 / 1.6
FALL 2003 / 115 / A / 78 / 67.8
23 / B / 23 / 20.0
14 / C / 14 / 12.2
FALL 2004 / 111 / A / 64 / 57.7
B / 27 / 24.3
C / 21 / 18.9
FALL 2005 / 114 / A / 40 / 35.1
B / 40 / 35.1
C / 34 / 29.8
FALL 2006 / 147 / A / 53 / 36.1
B / 46 / 31.3
C / 48 / 32.7
FALL 2007 / 168 / A / 66 / 39.3
B / 50 / 29.8
C / 52 / 30.1
This data clearly shows a marked change in the pattern of grade distribution beginning in Fall 2005.