Developmental math Math refresher MOOC Report

Transcription

1 Developmental math 2014 Math refresher MOOC Report

2 More than 2,000 students enrolled in our individually customized, free course. Our objectives are to: Help students refresh math skills Prepare students for placement exams Decrease the number of required math classes students take Increase success in math courses Increase the number of students completing college math requirements Increase graduation rates Student Feedback I think this course is amazing. Having the professor interacting with the students on a daily basis is a plus. I am very happy that I am able to get some online help with math.

3 Course Setup June 2- July 28, 2014 Math content by NROC Hosted on Canvas.net Course Background UVU offers an annual math refresher MOOC (massive open online course) every summer. This free course, open to anyone in the world with an internet connection, is designed to help students refresh their math skills and prepare for placement exams. While initially conceived as a tool primarily for new college students, it has also been used by high school students looking to solidify mathematical concepts, graduates preparing for the GRE, retirees looking for an intellectual challenge, and practically everyone in between. Current college students, or those returning to college after a break, make up the majority of our students. Student Support One professor Two peer mentors (TAs) Chat sessions 6 days/week On-campus help 1 day/week Discussion boards UVU faculty initially envisioned the course in 2012 when MOOCs were first becoming common. Unable to obtain grant funding, the Development Math Department funded the first iteration (2013) internally, and it has grown from there. With generous state support in place, the program is positioned to grow and expand, providing a valuable service to the state of Utah and beyond. Involved Campus Groups University College Innovation Center Distance Education Prospective Student Services Marketing Advisors

4 Course Participants Due to the completely open nature of the course, the only information we have about our students is what they provided to us. About one-fourth of the students filled out an initial survey which enabled us to gather some data. We had students from all over the world, but the majority were from Utah. In fact, just under half of the participants identified themselves as UVU students. Additional data about our students is provided in the following graphics. Student Feedback Thanks for having this available, especially for free. It is very helpful. Excellent course online. Explanations were excellent. Outstanding program, no other comments. Student Breakdown Brief overview of students college status Will not attend college within a year 12% New college student within a year 14% Reasons for Taking Course Prepare for math placement exam Prepare for a different exam Learn more about success in college Learn more about MOOCs Refresh my math skills Other 0% 100% Returning after 1+ year layoff 20% Continuing college student 40% Enrollment Attending Graduate School 8% Did not provide an answer 6 % 1,400 students/ summer ,100 students/ summer 2014

5 Post-Survey Results How satisfied were you with the course Expect to be more successful in math courses in college How likely that you ll be able to skip/test out of a course Survey Results We invited our students to participate in a research study that compared their attitudes and perceptions before and after the course. While far more students took the initial survey, the Confidence/Interest data on this page compares students who took both surveys. Placement Results Roughly one-fifth of the students who participated in the initial survey (and provided a UVU ID number) took or re-took the Accuplacer after starting the course. Of those students with a current course placement, more than half were able to skip a course. Most of the students however (approximately 75% of them), had expired or no placement scores. The majority of our students appear to use the course to help them prepare for the placement exam, rather than to try and skip courses mid-sequence. The figures below indicate how they placed results are included for comparison sake. Confidence/Interest Levels Courses Students Tested Into 2014 Results How confident are you in your ability to do math? Below % 3.5 What is your interest in math? 1000/ % How prepared do you feel for college? 1050 or Above 10% Pre-Survey Post-Survey Maximum Rating Courses Students Tested Into 2013 Results Effect on attending/staying in college as a result of the course Effect on attending/staying at UVU as a result of the course Below / % 63% More likely 64 % More likely 60% 1050 or Above 6% No impact 36 % No impact 40 %

6 Moving Forward Our goal is to create the most extensive set of math refresher and placement exam preparation resources available anywhere. We aim to help all Utah students complete their math requirements as efficiently and effectively as possible. We are expanding our program to provide year-round access to the math content. That way, if students are unable to participate during the summer, they will still be able to refresh, practice, and prepare. In addition, we re pursuing funding to pay for placement test retakes if a student meets certain course milestones. This will incentivize course completion as well as additional attempts at the placement exam. We also plan to increase our marketing efforts so that additional students can benefit from this free resource. For more information visit or mathprep@uvu.edu. It has all been so amazing and helpful. It has worked very well! I hope that you will offer this course again so that I will have the opportunity to improve my skills. Student Feedback

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