open-entry math program pikes peak community college summer and fall 2010 marilyn frydrych ppcc...
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Open-Entry Math Program Pikes Peak Community College
Summer and Fall 2010
Marilyn FrydrychPPCC College Prep Math Faculty
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Four campuses in metropolitan Colorado Springs
About 20,000 students
About 3,600 college prep math students
The Web-based program MyMathLab used in regular college prep math classes
Pikes Peak Community College
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The mission of the Open-Entry Math program is to provide a learning environment where students taking college prep courses at Pikes Peak Community College, and having weak math skills, can advance at their own pace; and where students needing to refresh their math skills can move forward to complete two or three courses in one semester. It provides an alternative choice to the regular math classroom.
Mission
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Open-Entry Math Objectives
Service a fraction of the college prep math students
Provide an alternative learning environment for students unproductive in their regular classrooms.
Provide an opportunity for students who have taken the material previously to fast track through the courses.
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Started two years ago
Students start as soon as they register.
Three possible start dates for each course
• Serves less than 10% of math students
• Meets math faculty demands of retaining PPCC math standards
Open-Entry Math
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Serves only college prep classes◦ Basic Math
◦ Pre-Algebra
◦ Elementary Algebra
◦ Intermediate Algebra
Uses the Web-based program ALEKS
Meets MTWTh
Requires students to sign contract promising to adhere to syllabus
Requires students to reach 95% in ALEKSOpen-Entry Math (Continued)
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ALEKS Observations
A self-paced course is better for some students than a regular class.
ALEKS’ strength is that it offers ◦Only work that students are ready to handle
◦Review
◦Repetition
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Observations (Continued)
ALEKS builds math egosMotivated students fly through courses.
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Answers students’ questions
Teaches new instructors
Markets the Open-Entry
program
Implements improvements
Handles paperwork
Assesses how well Open-Entry meets
objectives of its mission statement
Open-Entry Coordinator
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Three Types of Students Enrolling in Open-Entry
Transfers from regular math classesStudents starting first day of semesterStudents starting as late start students
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Three Types (Continued)
Transfers from regular math classes
◦ Directed to Open-Entry by regular class instructors
◦ Recommended by counselors and advisors.
◦ Targeted by posters
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Three Types (Continued)
Students starting first day of semester
◦Returning ALEKS students
◦Last minute students
Often have no idea what Open-Entry is.
Often procrastinators who belong in Open-Entry
Sometimes transfer out into a regular math class.
Often, on the first day, returning students persuade
new students to stay in the class.
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Students Starting as late start students
(not transferring from a regular class)
◦Troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan
◦High school students
◦Home-schooled students
Three Types (Continued)
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Student Costs
Regular registration costs and ALEKS code
fees for non-transfers
Transferring students: cost of ALEKS code
No book fee (e-book available in ALEKS)
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How Classes Are Built into College System Five classes on two campuses and two
more on a third campus
Many sections for each class
4 math courses in each classroom
Multiple start-date options for each course
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How Classes Are Built (Continued)
Must transfer fromo Full semester class into full semester class
o Late start class into late start class
o Third trimester class into third trimester class
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Classroom Format
Maximum classroom enrollment limited to
available computers: 20 – 35
ALEKS used with PC’s or laptops (ovens)
No lectures. Tutor runs the class.
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Classroom Format (Continued)
Fast track students (10%) mixed with others
Students work ALEKS problems in required notebooks
◦Formatting ◦Vocabulary lists◦Formula lists◦No chicken scratching
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Classroom Format (Continued)
Some students prepare for tests in class.
1 hour 15 minutes classes Tried 2 hours and 1 hour
◦Had huge enrollment increases so can no longer do 2 hours
◦1 hour too short
• Instructors use “Time and Topic” to focus
on who needs help.
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Tests
PPCC has very high math standards with difficult tests
Open-Entry students take the same tests as students in regular classrooms.
Only one chance per test
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Tests (Continued)
Three prong attack
1. Paper practice tests familiarize students
with
◦Format of PPCC tests
◦Vocabulary on tests
◦Level of difficulty of tests
2. Explanations and problems from E-book
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Tests (Continued)
3. One ALEKS quiz before each test
◦Can be taken unlimited times
◦Placed under “homework” button so
students can control start time
Most tests taken in a testing center (class period too short)
Final taken after reaching 95% in ALEKS
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Tests (Continued)
• Instructors determine if students ready for
tests
◦ Go over practice tests with
student
◦ Check that quizzes are done
Instructors work one-on-one with test corrections
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PPCC’s Use of ALEKS
We integrate ALEKS with Miller/O'Neill /Hyde texts.
◦ALEKS upgrades Miller, etc. first.
◦Must match chapter content of PPCC’s texts with course content available in Miller, etc.
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PPCC’s Use of ALEKS (Continued)
We use the Gradebook.
We use Quicktables.
We use Homework for our quizzes.
We set expiration date of chapters
◦Two weeks after the end of the
◦semester.
◦One day after the other.
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Self-Paced• ALEKS individualizes each student’s
progress through assessments.
• Within the first week, students schedule how many topics they must cover each week to finish
• Students take 15 to 200 hours to reach 100% in ALEKS.
• Some students with long-term memory challenges take a year or more per class.
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“Self-Paced” (Continued)
• Up to three courseshave been completedin one semester.
• 33% do little or no homework and so don’t finish.
Number of Students: 3 Logged-in Students: 0
Name (Login|Student Id)
Total time in
this course
(hrs)
Last login
Last assessment
Reason
Assessment performance
Time to completion (Time to current objective |
Current learning rate)
goal Current
Intermediate Objective
hours per
week
topics learned
per hour of
use
expected hours
necessary to reach the goal
expected weeks
necessary to reach the goal
Student 2 7.4 09/27/2010 09/08/2010
Chapter 1 and Chapter 9
55 +16 % Ready 1.4 5.9 7.0 5.0
08/25/2010
Initial Assessment
37 +22 % Ready 1.4 10.5 5.4 3.8
Student 2 22.7 10/21/2010 09/25/2010 Chapter 4
100 % Ready 0.5 - - -
09/16/2010
Chapter 3 and Chapter 8
90 +10 % Ready 2.9 3.7 - -
09/12/2010 Chapter 2
78 +13 % Ready - 3.9 - -
09/07/2010
Chapter 1 and Chapter 9
67 +12 % Ready 4.5 5.3 5.5 1.2
08/24/2010
Initial Assessment
45 +18 % Ready 2.9 4.3 12.1 4.2
Student 3 6.3 09/09/2010 08/24/2010
Initial Assessment
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Grades Given at the end of the semester
No incompletes
For a student taking more than one course in a semester
◦First grade withheld until second course is finished except for the final
◦ If second course not finished, no grade.
Basic Math
Pre-Alge Basic & Pre-Alg
Beg. Alg. Inter. Alg.0
10
20
30
40
50
60
37
42
1917
55
40
54
36
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Percentage Passing with Greater than 10 Hours on ALEKS
Summer 2010 Fall 2010
Courses
Perc
en
t
Basic Math Pre-Alge Basic & Pre-Alg
Beg. Alg. Inter. Alg.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
0.58
0.76
0.5
1
0.81
1
0.79 0.81
0.92
Percentage Passing with 95% or Greater on ALEKS
Summer 2010 Fall 2010
Courses
Perc
en
t
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ALEKS Observations
A self-paced course is better for some students than a regular class.
ALEKS’ strength is that it offers ◦Only work that students are ready to handle
◦Review
◦Repetition
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Observations (Continued)
ALEKS builds math egosMotivated students fly through courses.
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What’s In Progress? We are:
◦Trying to implement modules within each class
◦Trying to find ways to motivate outside class
work
◦Trying to minimize administrative overhead
◦Trying to link all five classes so banner knows
when the classes are full
◦Trying to incorporate guest speakers
addressing study skills and test anxiety twice a
month.
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Open-Entry Math Objectives
Service a small fraction of the college prep math students
Provide an alternative learning environment for students unproductive in their regular classrooms.
Provide an opportunity for students who have taken the material previously to fast track through the courses.
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The mission of the Open-Entry Math program is to provide a learning environment where students taking college prep courses at Pikes Peak Community College, and having weak math skills, can advance at their own pace; and where students needing to refresh their math skills can move forward to complete two or three courses in one semester. It provides an alternative choice to the regular math classroom.
Mission
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Acknowledgement
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◦Phillip Martin
◦ free-clipart-picture.net
◦Clipartheaven
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