University System of Maryland: Maryland Course Redesign Initiative

Coppin State University

Course Titles: Beginning Algebra and Intermediate Algebra
Redesign Coordinator: Nicholas Eugene

Status: This project originated as part of the Maryland Course Redesign Initiative, 2006 – 2009. The team has not submitted a final report. For more information, contact Don Spicer at dspicer@usmd.edu or the project contact listed above. The project plan serves as a good example of how to think about redesigning a large-enrollment course.

Project Abstract

Coppin State University plans to redesign two developmental mathematics courses, a five-credit Beginning Algebra course and a three-credit Intermediate Algebra course. Students are assigned to Beginning Algebra with ACCUPLACER math scores in the 0-81 range and to Intermediate Algebra with scores in the 81-108 range. Each year, Beginning Algebra enrolls ~900 students in 36 sections and Intermediate Algebra enrolls ~500 students in 20 sections, the combination of which represents over 90% of the incoming freshmen. Both regular and adjunct faculty members teach these courses.

The major academic problem the two courses face is the low student success rate. About 95% of Coppin’s 3,000 undergraduate students take developmental math and, of those, about 75% fail. From fall 2004 to spring 2006, of the students who enrolled in Beginning Algebra and Intermediate Algebra, only 32% and 25% passed respectively. This low success rate leads to a significant problem in terms of student retention across disciplines. It is one of the leading causes of low student retention and low graduation rates at the university. A second academic problem in the course is inconsistency from section to section in both course content and assessment methods. The department currently chooses textbooks, develops course outlines and writes content standards for both courses. However, there are no consistent efforts to ensure uniformity of content presentation or assessment across sections.

Coppin will use the Replacement Model in its redesign and will establish three computer labs to replace most class meetings. Students will proceed through the courses using MyMathLab, an interactive mathematics instructional software package. For Beginning Algebra, the traditional hours will decrease from five to one and required lab hours will increase from zero to five. For Intermediate Algebra, class hours will decrease from three to one and required lab hours will increase from zero to three.

The redesign will enhance course quality by creating a student-centered learning environment. Lab hours will be used for working through computerized tutorials, providing effective instruction that will allow students to focus on areas where they need more help. Undergraduate teaching assistants, adjuncts and regular faculty will be available for one-on-one assistance. The course software will provide guided homework problems and practice tests, online tutorials and assessment tools, and student progress tracking. Minimum lab requirements of five hours for Beginning Algebra and three hours for Intermediate Algebra will ensure that students spend sufficient time on task. The lab will be initially scheduled to be open for ~75 hours per week.

During the 2007-2008 academic year, data will be collected from both traditional and pilot sections to include performance on selected assessment items and all final examinations. Pre- and post-tests will be administered to both groups. Randomly selected students will be interviewed at the end of each semester to help redesign faculty gain a deeper understanding of the students' attitudes toward the course. Data collected from the redesigned courses will also be compared to five-year averages in the traditional format.

The redesign of Coppin’s Beginning Algebra course will reduce the number of sections in the traditional course from 36 to 26 while increasing the section size from 25 to 35. A similar increase in section size in the redesigned Intermediate Algebra course will decrease the number of sections taught annually from 20 to 14. An increase in course consistency as a result of the redesign will enable both courses to be taught solely by adjunct faculty. A total of eight full-time faculty members will now be available to participate in other activities on campus. In addition, because the redesigned course will require fewer sections, the course will require fewer classrooms.

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