Tammy MuhsGeneral Education Program Mathematics Coordinator University of Central FloridaNCAT Redesign Scholar

Course Redesign:

A Way To Improve Student Success and Faculty

Productivity

University of Central Florida• Metropolitan university• 56,235 students (expected to reach 59,000+ in fall 2011)

• 2nd largest university in U.S.

About UCF:

Annual enrollments – 4000+ students◦ Issues with course drift due to the many

different instructors Large lectures - 384 students per class (3

hours lecture, 1 hour recitation) Independent sections-49 students per

class (3 hours lecture) Mixed mode sections -21 students per

class (1 hour lecture with online component)◦ Withdrawal rate more than double traditional,

lower success rate, lower cost, less space

College Algebra:

• Success Rates: Pass rates were down, withdrawal rates were up

• Space: Too many students, not enough classrooms

• Budget: We needed to do more, with less

Motivation to Redesign College Algebra:

UCF Goal – “Fix” College Algebra

NCAT Goal - Increase learning outcomes and success rates while decreasing cost

Received the NCAT Grant in Spring 2008◦ Grant actually cost us money-we received

knowledge◦ Create a student-centered learning environment

National Center for Academic Transformation

(NCAT):

• Change the mix and number of faculty teaching the course

• Combine smaller sections into one larger section

Cost Reduction:

5

6

750

50

50

1350

50

50

4

31

50

1

2

50

Coordinate all sections of the same course by using a Course Coordinator

Benefits◦ Remove redundancy resulting in improved

productivity◦ Prevent course drift resulting in consistency in

course content Drawbacks

◦ Faculty buy in◦ Weak Coordinator may result in many sections

with issues as opposed to a single or couple of sections

Productivity Improvement:

Emporium (Lab) Model*** Replacement (Hybrid) Model*** Fully Online Model Supplemental Model Buffet Model

***Typically produces the best results in terms of student learning and cost for Mathematics courses

NCAT Redesign Models:

Borrowed Space for Pilot:

Students spend one hour in class ◦Review concepts from the previous week◦Highlight upcoming material◦Receive administrative information◦Classroom Response System (iClicker) is

used to keep students engaged

Face to Face Class Hour:

Students spend a required three hours in the Mathematics Assistance and Learning Lab (MALL)• Online hw and quiz assignments are

completed for the most part in the lab• Proctored environment • MALL staff provide on-demand assistance

for students

MALL Hours:

Testing is completed online in a proctored environment using a password system◦Immediate feedback◦Free response questions or multiple

choice◦Challenge week◦ADA time accommodation adjustments◦Integrity violations almost non-existent◦Cost savings

Online Testing:

Faculty Peer tutors Undergraduate and graduate mathematics

students Graduate Teaching Assistants

◦All are required to complete assignments◦Become test proctors during testing

weeks◦Complete training about 14 hours a

semester College Reading & Learning Association International

Tutor Program Certification

MALL Staffing:

Course Redesign Improved Success Rates:

Fall 2005

Fall 2006

Fall 2007

Fall 2008

35%

51% 50%

74%

Percent-age of

Students Earning a

C or Higher

Actual dollar savings

Capacity to serve more students in the same space

Reduction in repeated course attempts

Cost Savings:

Course improvement or redesign Offering additional courses Serving more students Distance learning sections Reduction in teaching load Training Balance the budget

Ways to Spend the Savings:

Renovated Space for the Mathematics Assistance and Learning Lab (MALL)

Provides funding for six faculty members committed to improving learning in General Education Program Mathematics

Provides funding for peer tutors and MALL expenses

Presidents Class Size Initiative (PCSI):

Mathematics Assistance and Learning Lab (MALL):

From Renovation to CompletionPhase I - 95 computers (Spring 2010)Phase II - 100 computers (Summer 2010)Phase III - 120 computers (Spring 2011)

Students register in sections of 19 students

Creates a learning community• In-class community• Virtual community

Between 15 and 18 of these 19 student sections meet together, at the same time, in a large lecture hall one hour each week

PCSI-Small Within Large:

Top GTAs are called Mentors ◦ Meet with teaching team weekly◦ Communicate with students◦ Hold seminars and test reviews◦ Help with classroom management

Progress Monitoring◦ Students Progress is monitored weekly◦ Faculty meet with at risk students◦ Students receive weekly feedback via email

Communication has been shown to have an important role in learning and understanding mathematics (Knuth & Peressini, 2001)

Mentors and Progress Monitoring:

Historical Success Rate:

Fall 2005 Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Fall 2009 Fall 2010

35%

51% 50%

74%78% 79%

Percentage of Students Earning a C or Higher

Summer 2009 Traditional

Summer 2009 Redesigned

Fall 2009 Tradi-tional

Fall 2009 Redesigned

62%

75% 72%78%

Student Success RateP

erce

ntag

e of

Stu

dent

s E

arni

ng

C o

r H

ighe

r

Final Exam Scores:

Course Grade Distribution

Summer 2009 Traditional Section n=226 students

Summer 2009 Redesigned Sections n=162 students

Fall 2009 Traditional Sections n=851 students

Fall 2009Redesigned Sections n=1174 students

A 11.9% 20.4% 28.7% 27.7%B 26.1% 36.4% 26.8% 33.7%

A & B 38.0% 56.8% 55.5% 61.4%

Anonymous student surveys in fall 2009 with similar results in fall 2010

90.79% of the students felt the redesigned course offered at least as much instructional interaction as their other courses

60.97% indicated that there was considerably more interaction when compared to their other courses

Instructional Interaction:

Producing favorable results • Active learning has been shown to be an

effective method of improving learning outcomes (Prince, 2004, Twigg, 2003)

Increased course offerings• Intermediate Algebra fall 2010• Precalculus spring 2011• Trigonometry fall 2011

Results and Course Offerings:

AASCU and UCF Grant

Working with 20 collaborating institutions

Blended Learning Course Redesigns

Math, English, and Other courses

Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC):

Supported Math Course is College Algebra

◦Other courses include Intermediate Algebra, Precalculus, and Basic Math

Course delivery fall 2011 or spring 2012

Math Component of NGLC:

Two group math training sessions are scheduled

Coursesites Template course for a model

Actual course with homework and assessments that can be copied and modified

Institution will schedule an initial consultation to review and discuss their particular needs

Resources Available:

Ongoing discussion throughout the duration of the project

Opportunity to submit course deliverables to receive feedback prior to and during the delivery of the redesigned course

Generic training to adapt an existing curriculum to a blended learning format considering established effective practices

Additional Resources:

Please feel free to contact me atTammy.Muhs@ucf.edu

Questions: