APPENDIX 16 MATH REDESIGN ABSTRACT. Cleveland State Community College DSPM Redesign Abstract

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1 APPENDIX 16 MATH REDESIGN ABSTRACT DSPM Redesign Abstract is a two year institution in the Tennessee Board of Regents system with an annual enrollment of approximately 2100 FTE and 3100 headcount. Developmental math courses at Cleveland State consist of three courses: Basic Math, Elementary Algebra, and Intermediate Algebra. These courses are offered primarily in the traditional lecture format. Annual enrollment in developmental math courses at the college is over 1200 students, with over 200 students in Basic Math, 500 students in Elementary Algebra, and 500 students in Intermediate Algebra. The developmental math courses at Cleveland State suffer from the common problem of high failure rates and low success rates. DFW rates average 45% in these courses. Elementary Algebra presents the biggest obstacle to student success, often having DFW rates of more than 50%. Developmental math courses often represent a roadblock to the success of individual students, standing in the way of them earning a college degree. The redesigned courses will be based upon NCAT s emporium models of instruction. Classes will consist of a one hour class meeting and two hours in a large computer lab. During class meetings, instructors will not lecture, but rather help students individually and review student progress. Classrooms will be small computer labs to allow students to work online during class time. The large computer lab will be available for a wide range of hours to allow students to work at their convenience. Course material will be organized into modules that students will complete at the rate of one or more per week. All homework and testing will be done online. College Algebra, Finite Math, and Statistics will also be involved in the redesign project. The redesign project will have many positive outcomes for both the students and the college as a whole. Passing rates will increase, removing the roadblocks to graduation for students and increasing the retention rate of the college. Grade distributions will improve as well, due to an increase in student learning. Students will become active and engaged learners, aided by faculty through individual instruction. Online testing will give students immediate feedback, minimizing down time in the course and maximizing time on task. Faculty will be freed from the burdensome task of grading, and will spend more time helping students. Assessment of student learning will be done in a variety of ways. A before and after comparison of student mastery of learning objectives will be performed. Also, completion rates, grade distributions, and success in later courses will be tracked. The course redesign will result in a vast reduction in the number of adjunct faculty in the math department at the college, saving over $25000 per year. These cost savings will be used to

2 increase the class offerings in both developmental and college level math classes. Additional savings are anticipated due to higher student success rates and retention rates. DSPM Redesign Narrative Cleveland State will redesign the developmental math courses Elementary Algebra and Intermediate Algebra using a variation of the Emporium model. Each course will consist of a weekly one hour meeting and two hours of assigned lab time. The weekly meeting will take place in a classroom of 20 computers. During this time, students will work online and the faculty member will help students individually. Also, faculty members will review student progress and help students with their action plans for the coming week. The two hours of assigned lab time will take place in a large computer lab setting. Students will be able to complete the two hours of lab work at their convenience. The lab will be staffed by faculty and peer tutors in order to provide assistance to the students. After the initial pilot in Spring 2008, the redesign will be expanded to include Basic Math as well as College Algebra, Finite Math, and Statistics. The math department chose the emporium model due to its ability to provide students with flexible delivery and individual help on demand. Also, redesigning a total of six math courses means that the vast majority of students will be served by this model throughout their collegiate experience, meaning the institution will reap maximum benefits from course redesign. Each course redesign will involve the whole course all sections will be taught using the emporium model. For the students, this will lead to a consistent experience in their math courses. For faculty, this will increase efficiency in planning courses and monitoring student progress. Students will become active and engaged learners as they take ownership of their education. The role of faculty will move from a dispenser of knowledge to that of a partner or helper in the learning process. Students will receive one on one help from instructors. Faculty will spend more time answering questions and helping students and less time grading papers and sitting idly in their offices. Coursework will be completely online, with students receiving instantaneous feedback on homework and quizzes. This results in significantly less of the down time which is experienced in the testing cycles of the traditional lecture courses. Assessment will be done throughout each course. The online grading system allows both the quantity and quality of assessment to improve dramatically. Students will be working a minimum of three hours each week in their classroom and the computer lab. Students may work additional time as needed either in the computer lab or at home. This emphasis of having the students on task will enable them to complete the course objectives. The one hour weekly class meeting will give faculty time to review progress reports with each student as well as discuss an action plan for the next week. This structure will keep the students on task and moving forward in the course. Each course will be reorganized to contain modules. Students will be expected to complete a module or more each week, completing homework over learning objectives and taking a short quiz covering the information. Students in the developmental courses will be able to work on the homework continuously with an eye towards completing it at or near a score of 100% correct. This is possible because the students can work on homework problems multiple

3 times until they get the problem correct. Quizzes in the developmental courses will also be available multiple times, with the students retesting until they display mastery over each module. Students will have the option of completing more than one module each week, meaning they can move through each course at an accelerated pace. Students who complete a developmental math course early will be allowed to begin the next course immediately. Registration in developmental math courses will be flexible throughout the semester in order to maximize student success. An online learning system such as MyMathLab or MathZone will be used in each course. Currently, MyMathLab is being used in Elementary Algebra, Intermediate Algebra, and College Algebra, while MathZone is being used in Statistics. The online learning system for Basic Math and Finite Math will be determined in Fall The department realizes that flexibility will be necessary throughout the redesign process and will be open to using other instructional systems such as ALEKS as well. The instructional systems chosen will be evaluated on a regular basis for effectiveness and changes will be made if needed. The online system for each course will serve as the primary tool for delivery of instruction. Faculty will become familiar with the online instructional systems chosen in order to provide consistency when helping students. Cost savings will be accomplished in a variety of ways. Adjunct faculty will be greatly reduced, if not eliminated entirely, saving approximately $25000 in instructional costs. Online testing and homework will eliminate traditional exams and classroom materials, reducing copying costs by almost $5000. Thus an immediate savings of $30000 will be realized. Additional savings will be realized in future years as the mix of faculty and math lab personnel changes. The math department has three faculty members over 60 years old. As faculty members retire, replacing them with additional math lab assistant at the Cleveland campus and Athens campus can produce further cost savings without sacrificing instructional quality. These savings will be used by the institution to help ensure adequate instructional resources for academic programs. While enrollment in each course is fairly stable, section offerings will be increased in each course. The reduction in class meetings combined with the greater efficiency in course management, grading and record keeping provided by online instructional systems will enable the math department to expand its section offerings in each course. Increasing the number of sections in each course, combined with one hour weekly class meetings, will minimize scheduling obstacles for students. This will result in a slight increase in enrollment in both developmental and college level math courses. Also, higher completion rates in developmental math courses will result in a corresponding increase in enrollment in college level math courses. Finally, with scheduling conflicts for students reduced and higher completion rates in developmental studies math classes, graduation rates at the college will increase, greatly benefiting both the students and the institution.

4 DSP Redesign Timeline Fall 2007 During the fall semester of 2007, the foundation will be laid for a successful redesign project. First, the math department will seek to establish one or more partners, or consultants, to help guide it through its redesign process. Faculty at institutions that have successfully implemented the emporium model, such as the University of Idaho and the University of Alabama, will be sought out for their advice and expertise. Consulting will take place in a variety of forms, including travel between institutions and online chats or teleconferences. Second, planning for redesigning the six courses will continue. Online instructional systems for basic math and finite math will be selected. Course planning for Elementary Algebra and Intermediate Algebra will be finalized. Third, the large computer lab will be established at the end of the semester. This will be accomplished by removing a wall between two classrooms, with the maintenance department removing the wall and the IT department establishing the computer lab. Card readers and software will be purchased and installed in the lab. TAF funding for 60 computers has already been secured. These computers will be purchased during the semester. Finally, faculty members will embark upon a learning process, reading educational literature and attending conferences in order to become familiar with best practices and course redesign principles. This learning process will continue beyond the redesign process. Spring 2008 The initial redesign pilot will involve the developmental math courses Elementary Algebra and Intermediate Algebra. These courses will be offered in the emporium model with a one hour weekly class meeting and two hours of assigned computer lab work. The pilot will be limited to sections offered at the Cleveland campus. Off-campus sites in Athens and Vonore will not be involved this semester. The Math Tutoring Center at the Cleveland campus will be relocated to the large computer lab. The computer lab in Cleveland will be staffed by the head math tutor, peer tutors, and math faculty members. TAF funding for 50 computers will be requested. These computers will be put in math classrooms and will be needed as the redesign project expands to include the four additional courses of Basic Math, College Algebra, Finite Math, and Introductory Statistics. Preparation for redesign of the four additional courses will be completed. Online instructional modules and course syllabi will be finalized. Summer 2008 The results of the redesign project will be analyzed, including assessment of learning outcomes and completion rates. Faculty will meet to discuss course redesign strengths and weaknesses, and make adjustments as needed. Faculty consultants from other institutions will be involved in these discussions to offer insight and suggestions. Elementary Algebra and Intermediate Algebra will be offered during summer school in the redesigned format at the Cleveland campus. The new computers secured through TAF funding will be placed in two math classrooms. Fall 2008 The redesign project will be expanded to include Basic Math, College Algebra, Finite Math, and Introductory Statistics and off-campus sites in Athens and Vonore. The large computer lab in

5 Cleveland will be fully staffed by the head math tutor, peer tutors, and math faculty. It will be open to students 5 days, 4 nights, and 54 hours each week. One of two existing computer labs in Athens will be dedicated to math classes and staffed by two math faculty members. It will be open 4 days, 3 nights, and 30 hours each week. One math faculty member will travel to Vonore campus 2 days each week to offer classes. Section offerings in all six courses will be expanded, including additional sections in day and night and at both off-campus sites. The use of adjunct faculty will be eliminated except in programs such as dual enrollment. The changes decided upon in response to Spring 2007 results will be incorporated. Spring 2009 The results from Fall 2008 will be organized and analyzed by math faculty. The changes for improvement will be discussed and incorporated. Consultation with faculty at other institutions will continue. The course redesign project will be complete. Future Semesters Six redesigned math courses will be offered on an ongoing basis at Cleveland State. Cleveland State faculty will continue the learning process by attending conferences and reading literature in order to remain current with best practices. Assessment results will be used to make changes and improvements to courses as needed. DSP Redesign Budget Item Source Cost _ 60 computers Fall 2007 CSCC TAF Budget $ Furniture for computer lab Grant Request $ computers Fall 2008 CSCC TAF Budget $ Furniture for classrooms CSCC Math Budget $ 4000 Card Reader and software Grant Request $ 5000 Consulting travel and fees Grant Request $ 3000 Faculty travel and training Grant Request $ 2000 Total $ DSP Redesign Grant Request Cleveland State is requesting a grant of $15000 for this course redesign project. $5000 is to buy a card reader and software for the computer lab, $5000 is to provide furniture for the large computer lab, and $5000 is for consulting and faculty training. Any amount of the $15000 requested would be greatly appreciated.