Missouri Course Redesign Initiative
University of Central Missouri
Course Title: Intermediate Algebra
Contact: Shing So
The department of mathematics and computer science at the University of Central Missouri (UCM) offers 10 sections (35 students per section) of Intermediate Algebra per semester as the pre-requisite for three general-education courses: College Algebra, Contemporary Mathematics, and Basic Statistics. All sections of Intermediate Algebra are currently offered in a traditional lecture format. Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are employed to teach all sections. When not enough GTAs are available, adjunct faculty are hired to cover the remaining sections.
The department’s assessment data from 2005 to 2009 show that the DFW rates for Intermediate Algebra are 38.31%, 29.66%, 45.04%, 33.58% and 33.58%, respectively. Furthermore, Intermediate Algebra also suffers from course drift due to inconsistent coverage among sections. The department intends to increase the student success rate as well as create greater consistency throughout the course.
UCM will base its redesign on the Emporium Model. Lecture time will be replaced by online, interactive learning activities provided by commercial software and supported by individualized assistance in a computer laboratory. Students will be required to attend the lab and will be actively engaged in their learning. Students’ understanding of math and confidence in their math ability will increase, and the success rate in Intermediate Algebra will improve. More students will be better prepared as they move on to college-level math courses.
For the past eight years, the department has given common final exams in Intermediate Algebra and will use the same common exam to compare performance of students in the redesigned Intermediate Algebra course.
Intermediate Algebra was a relatively inexpensive course at the university prior to the redesign, yet the new format will produce a 12% savings. Section size will be increased from 35 to 70 students, reducing the number of sections offered annually from 20 to 10. The number of GTAs needed in the course will decline from five to 2.5, and undergraduate learning assistants will be added to help staff in the lab. Overall, the redesign will reduce the cost-per-student from $118 to $104.
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