Oklahoma State University
Course Title: College Algebra
Contact: Cynthia Francisco
Oklahoma State University (OSU) plans to redesign College Algebra, a course taken by many students to fulfill their major or general math requirements. It is taught in a traditional lecture format and enrolls ~2000 students annually. Previously taught by faculty in large sections of 100 students, the course is currently taught by graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in 40 sections of 50 students each. Students also have access to tutoring at the Mathematics Learning Resource Center (MLRC), staffed entirely by undergraduate tutors.
The traditional course faces several academic problems. The success rate has been relatively low, with large variation among sections and semesters. The only regular feedback that students receive has been weekly homework consisting of a small number of problems graded by an undergraduate tutor. The current 50-student sections are not financially sustainable, and the math department also has difficulty finding qualified adjuncts to teach large 100-student sections. The quality of tutoring at the MLRC is poor in part because tutors are only able to spend a few minutes with each student before moving on to help others.
OSU will redesign College Algebra using the Emporium Model. Students will be required to spend three hours per week working with MyMathLab in a lab staffed by instructors and undergraduate tutors, who will provide on-demand, individualized assistance. All homework will be completed online, and quizzes may be taken multiple times. Small focus groups of 35 students each will meet once a week for 50 minutes. The focus group instructor will monitor student progress and intervene when students need assistance.
The redesigned course will enhance the students’ educational experience, making them active and engaged learners and providing a consistent learning experience for all students. A redesign goal is to improve the success rate to 65%-70% by providing more feedback to and interaction with students. Online testing will give students immediate feedback throughout the semester. Their progress will be closely monitored and individual assistance will be provided by both instructors and undergraduate tutors. The personal attention in the labs and the focus groups will keep the students more connected to the course.
The impact of the course redesign on student learning outcomes will be assessed by comparing performance data from parallel sections. In the pilot phase, 20 traditional sections of 50 students each and 16 redesigned sections of 25 students each will be offered. Performance on a common final exam and common content items on three hourly exams will be compared.
The cost of instruction will be reduced primarily by increasing the total number of students from 100 per instructor in the traditional course (2 sections of 50) to 140 per instructor in the redesign (4 sections of 35). The total number of instructors will decrease from 20 to 15. Part-time faculty will be reduced from 13 teaching two sections each to five teaching four sections each. The number of GTAs will be slightly increased from seven to nine, and undergraduate graders will be eliminated. These actions will decrease the cost-per-student from $102 to $74, a 27% reduction. Savings will be used by the math department to support other courses, possibly reducing some class sizes, and to expand the graduate program.
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