Dr. Paul Nolting talks about integrating math study skills into the curriculum The Foundations for Student Success/Title III grant hosted a two-week “Learnshop” during the month of June for faculty teaching developmental education. The theme of the second annual summer institute was Destination Success. A total of 42 employees participated including faculty teaching developmental mathematics, math tutors, and reading faculty. The first week of the institute focused on general topics relating to developmental education, while the second week focused on best teaching practices for developmental mathematics.

Presenters included national experts Dr. Paul Nolting, State College of Florida & Academic Success Press and Dr. Erick Hofacker, University of Wisconsin. Dr. Nolting discussed how teaching students effective study skills can positively impact student learning in mathematics. Dr. Hofacker modeled different ways to use active learning strategies to better engage students in essential understandings in algebra.

Local presenters included math faculty Scott Adamson from CGCC and our own Theresa Killebrew. They shared strategies about how to teach the new developmental math modules. Life Sciences and Education Studies adjunct faculty Rosie Magarelli presented crucial information about how student mindsets impact brain processes, motivation and learning.

MCC’s Beth Alsen and Megan Garvey led a lively and insightful presentation about lesson design and delivery in the form of a travel guide, Route 21. Utilizing the Route 21 handbook designed by Alsen and Garvey, faculty worked collaboratively to create and evaluate mini lessons that incorporated strategies and pedagogy presented during the workshop. Math faculty had fun sharing their best strategies and practices.

The Foundations for Student Success discipline team -- including Paul Nuñez, Karen Appel, and Melissa Carpenter -- reported on program data collected during the first year of the Title III grant. Important findings, such as results from an ALEKS pilot study during Fall Semester 2012, were discussed.

The study showed that Introductory Algebra (MAT092) students who were selected to take an ALEKS online remediation course and who spent a minimum of 5 hours in the course had higher test scores when they retested on the course mastery test. Students who spent at least 10 hours in the course had even better results.

Overall, the study indicated that those who improved their ALEKS course mastery had an increased chance for success in their Introductory Algebra class. For example, students that fell under the Not Prepared (score <50) category initially and then improved to a Prepared (score 71+) category had a successful completion (grades A, B, C) rate of 78%.

Of those in the At Risk (score 50-70) category who improved to a Prepared category, 72% were successful. In contrast, students in Introductory Algebra who were not selected to take the ALEKS course had an average completion (grades A, B, C) rate of 52%. This information helped the FSS team plan for the use of the ALEKS remediation program during Fall Semester 2013.