Getting Ahead in First-Year Mathematics College Courses

Benjamin FloresDirector, Model Institution for Excellence

Helmut Knaust Chair, Department of Mathematical Sciences

Nancy MarcusAssistant Dean, College of Science

Dorothy Ward Director, Entering Students Program

February 23, 2004

Overview of PresentationOverview of Presentation

• UTEP’s Science and Engineering Program• CircLES at UTEP• Summer Orientation and Mathematics Placement• Modular Pre-Calculus• Institutionalization: Challenges and Opportunities

Fall 2002 EnrollmentFall 2002 Enrollment

17,232 students

2,521 in Engineering+ 1,164 in Science  3,685 or 21% of total

enrollment

Fall 2003 EnrollmentFall 2003 Enrollment

18,542 students

UTEP Student Population Profile (Fall 2001)UTEP Student Population Profile (Fall 2001)

24 years of age (undergraduate average)69% Hispanic (Mexican American)82% from El Paso County 98% commuter81% employed54% first generation university students

UTEP’s Model for STEM Student SuccessUTEP’s Model for STEM Student Success

TimeLine TimeLine

GoalsGoals

The goal of the CircLES program is to ...

• increase student retention

• improve their academic performance during the first year at UTEP

• add value to their college education

ORIENTATION

CLUSTERS

ADVISING

STUDENT LEADERSHIP

DEVELOPMENT

StructureStructure

CircLES - One Week-Long OrientationCircLES - One Week-Long Orientation

CONNECTIONS TO UNIVERSITY

SERVICES

DEVELOPMENTAL MATH REVIEW AND PLACEMENT

STUDY SKILLS RESEARCH MODULES(Science or Engineering)

Math ReviewMath Review

• Duration: 3 days, 2 hours each day• Students solve math problems in small groups of 4

or 5 students• Math review is led by peer facilitators• The accompanying text focuses on short

explanations and practice problems• After the math review is complete, students retake

UTEP’s math placement exam

[Almost] all students place into one of six courses: 1. College Prep Math (El Paso Community College; since Fall 2003)2. Basic Mathematics (El Paso Community College; since Fall 2003)3. Introduction to Algebra (UTEP)4. Intermediate Algebra (UTEP)5. Precalculus (UTEP)6. Calculus I (UTEP)

Math ReviewMath Review

Placement Before and After Math Review Placement Before and After Math Review 2001-032001-03

2003 Math Review: Mathematics Course 2003 Math Review: Mathematics Course Taken by Students Initially Placing into Taken by Students Initially Placing into Intro to Algebra (n=16)Intro to Algebra (n=16)

2003 Math Review: Math Course Taken by 2003 Math Review: Math Course Taken by Students Initially Placing into Intermediate Students Initially Placing into Intermediate Algebra (n=152)Algebra (n=152)

2003 Math Review: Mathematics Course 2003 Math Review: Mathematics Course Taken by Students Initially Placing into Pre-Taken by Students Initially Placing into Pre-Calculus (n=144)Calculus (n=144)

Intermediate Algebra Passing Rate - Fall Intermediate Algebra Passing Rate - Fall 20032003

Pre-Calculus Passing Rate - Fall 2003Pre-Calculus Passing Rate - Fall 2003

Correction:On the graph on the right, the two regions “45%” and “39%” are switched by mistake: 39% of the students finished in one semester. 45% received an “In progress” grade.

PreCalculusFirst

Attempt

First-Time Enrollment in Semester

475

598 571655

0100200300400500600700

AY 1999-2000 AY 2000-2001 AY 2001-2002 *AY 2002-2003

Nu

mb

er

Percentage Passing on First Attempt

51.4%

71.9%68.1% 65.1%

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

100.0%

AY 1999-2000 AY 2000-2001 AY 2001-2002 *AY 2002-2003

Per

cen

tag

e

Calculus IFirst

Attempt

First-Time Enrollment in Semester

563584

639621

500

550

600

650

AY 1999-2000 AY 2000-2001 AY 2001-2002 *AY 2002-2003

Nu

mb

er

Percentage Passing on First Attempt

50.2%57.4% 51.5%

51.9%

0.0%20.0%40.0%

60.0%80.0%

100.0%

AY 1999-2000 AY 2000-2001 AY 2001-2002 *AY 2002-2003

Per

cen

tag

e

Fall Semester

Wintermester

Spring Semester

Maymester

Time 1

Part 1

Time 2

Part 2 Part 2 Part 3

Time 3 Time 4

Semester Grade = P (In-Progress)

Part 4 Grade = A, B, C, or P

If P:

Time 1

Part 4

Time 2

Part 1 ofCal I

Part 2 ofCal I

Part 3 ofCal I

Time 3 Time 4

Part 4 Grade = A, B, C, or P

MODULAR PRECALCULUS – SOCIAL SAFETY MODULAR PRECALCULUS – SOCIAL SAFETY NETNET

Students work in teams Instructor Pooled Office Hours Weekly Feedback Sessions Monthly Tracking of Students Semester Tracking of Students through Next Course Email Communication Web Site Communication Non-Punitive Environment Success Let’s Try it in Calculus

Institutionalization: Challenges and Institutionalization: Challenges and OpportunitiesOpportunities

Spring 2003: • The State of Texas drastically reduces UTEP’s budget for

the biennium 2004-05

Summer 2003: • New Mathematics placement exam (Accuplacer)• The State of Texas replaces TASP by the Success Initiative

Fall 2003: • The administration of the CircLES Program switches hands

from the Colleges of Engineering and Science to the University College

• Integration of the CircLES program into the university-wide Entering Students Program – Preservation of best practices

Institutionalization: Challenges and Institutionalization: Challenges and OpportunitiesOpportunities

Spring 2004: • First phase of a substantial tuition increase; the second

phase will become effective in the fall of 2004

Summer 2004: • Math review remains mandatory for entering science and

engineering students• Math Review becomes optional for the rest of the entering

student body

Fall 2004: • Begin of a pilot program to “modularize” Calculus I in

cooperation with Polytechnic University

ReferenceReference

Benjamin C. Flores, Jana Renner Martínez, Helmut Knaust, Ann Darnell, Lilly Romo, and Connie Kubo Della-Piana:“The Effectiveness of a Mathematics Review for Student Placement into College-Level Mathematics”.“Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition”, 2003.