Math Department Agenda –2/19/2013

Announcements

  1. April 25th CETL training for 096/098/099 learning skills has been cancelled (see below)

Old Business

  1. Placement committee (Dan)
  2. We had a very productive meeting on 2/15. It looks like we are on track to make a proposal to the department that would adjust a student’s placement based on HS cumulative GPA. Details will be provided once we have a firm recommendation.
  3. Textbook committees – volunteers welcome, if you are interested, contact the committee chair
  • 096/098/099
  • Review module – Gary, Kenny, and Chalyce
  • Study skills – Nicole, Naima, Lauren and Dave
  • 102 – Chalyce (chair), Eva, and Naima
  • 110 – Lauren (chair), Catherine, Eva, and Molly
  • 112 – Catherine, Naima, Terri, Kris and Gary (chair)
  • 120 – Dan and Naima (chair)
  • 126 – Lauren and Nicole
  • 130/134 – Kris, Gary, Nicole, Catherine (no chair….yet)
  1. Assessment
  2. 098/099 – an email was sent by Terri to all current instructors
  3. 134 – Kris, Nicole, Ken, Chalyce and Dan are working on developing a 6-8 question assessment tool to be embedded in final exams.

New Business

  1. Student misconceptions about the math course progression (John Coffin, Counseling)

There are three options for tracks students follow based on what students are planning on going into. Counseling tries to communicate the idea of taking the classes that will be meaningful to their career choice rather than taking a bare minimum to satisfy degree requirements. The website has a selection under programs of study that deals with education plans based on where students are thinking of transferring to that provides information on what courses transfer as what.www.elgin.eduunder “Your Education/Programs of Study/University Transfer/Education Plans” It provides a template of the AA and AS degrees and study plans based on the more popular majors that our students go into. They also provide the requirements for the four year degree. Counseling also advises students based on the pre-requisites for the courses they will be taking at their transfer institution to see if there are additional courses they should take here.

Just because a student may not have to take the math placement exam, counseling recommends that they do to give students better options for the start of their program.

Counseling would like us to think about what courses students need and what order we would recommend. Particularly MTH 112/MTH 125/MTH 126/then MTH 120 or MTH 112/126/120 if they don’t need MTH 125. Students sometimes mistake course numbering as the order in which courses should be taken.

It was noted that Bus 120 may be a prerequisite into accounting instead of MTH 112, and Bus 140 is also coded as an IAI Gen Ed Stats class.

Counseling has extended an invitation to the entire staff to come over an meet with the counseling department on a Wednesday from 2 til 3.

  1. Rescheduling the 096/098/099 learning skills training (Dan)

There will be a training session scheduled for Friday April 26th in the morning. We will know by the end of March what materials we will be using and the structure of the training session.

The committee is still working on the review module and the instructor file for the new course format.

In the future, textbook committees will be responsible for updating the instructor file for that course after a choice is made.

  1. Program Review
  2. goals for AY2014 (next year)

compare results from old/new 098/099 final exam

create new departmental exams for 096, 098, and 099

continue developing the learning skills objectives for 096 and 099

investigate 101 curriculum

continue to support and participate in the ACR

continue to work with NIU on their Bridges to Success program

offer one honors course

Evaluate usage and effectiveness of the Math Lab

Continue communication between full-time and adjunct faculty

Offer a Math Professional Day for full-time

  • goals for the next 5 years (next page)

expand the number of honors courses

continue investigating the use of supplemental instructors

hire another math full-timer

improve the quality and visibility of the math department web page

investigate effectiveness of the new fourth-year math course

Revise the math placement procedure to reflect multiple measures

Investigate adding alternative developmental pathways

Revisit alternative forms of instruction (e.g. computer-assisted)

Encourage the continued growth of the math-intensive sequence

Investigate revising the calculus sequence (i.e. the number of credits)

Host training for DS09 math teachers

  1. Assessment conference feedback (Kris)

The Assessment Conference ECC Spring 2013 was geared towards administration, not faculty. Kris expressed an interest in course specific assessment training. James indicated that he would be willing to bring in a speaker for assessment training at the division level.

  1. Thank you video (Dan)

It was agreed that we would support a short video with clips of our new space, to be submitted to the Board of Trustees as well as those who were involved in the design process. Dan will work this out, perhaps with a graphic design student.

6. Goals/Objectives for Next Five Years

(Due February 7, 2013)

Topics to consider:

  1. Curriculum
  2. Instructional delivery
  3. Staffing & other resources
  4. Scheduling
  5. Marketing
  6. Student learning/assessment
  7. Dual Credit/Articulation
  8. Other
  1. Describe the new approaches, innovations, improvements or changes planned for the program for the next five years, considering the list of topics above.
  1. Describe resources the program may need to accomplish these activities.
  1. In a bulleted format, provide proposed action plans and goals to be pursued within the next year. (*)
  1. In a bulleted format, provide proposed action plans and goals to be explored and pursued over the next five years. (**)

Completed by:

Date:

(*) You will be asked to provide a short narrative summary of progress in Fall 2014. (**) Your next program review report will begin by addressing progress towards these goals.

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