> 2) Does anyone have any suggestions for me? (My department is having a big
>
> meeting on this in a couple of weeks and I'd like to take some ideas in
> with me.)
>
I am sure you will get lots of suggestions from others, and they will
probably be more helpful than my general comments below.
First, I would encourage the department to not be too reactive or
hasty. The low retention is caused by an interaction of your courses,
the students, and the college's enrollment system. The problem is
likely to actaully be a combination of two or all three of these.
Second, the very first place I would say you should look is the
placement and assessment program. Hopefully, this includes a valid
mathematics test (such as the MAA, CPT, or Compass), as well as a
systematic advising/exceptions program. At my college, for example, we
have a good set of placement tests (half CPT, half MAA) but we have lost
a little retention because there are 75 advisors who can grant waivers
to the tests. (The loss is not huge, but it is significant -- about 5%,
I would guess.)
Another part of this system should be the tracking of prerequisites; it
won't do much good to have great placement tests if a student can enroll
in intermediate algebra after failing beginning algebra (or getting a
1.0)
Third, the next place I would point you towards is the actual set of
courses and the instruction. We have had some trouble getting students
to attend enough to succeed, and we could have a bigger impact if we are
willing to impose policies that reward attendance. (Daily activities or
assessments that lead to points would be a good start.) Another common
source of problems is a curriculum with gaps between courses OR with
excessive overlap; both are very discouraging to students.
The next area to examine is the students non-mathematical skills; this
is often the toughest to address, which is one reason why it's later on
my list. I would guess the main reason for a drop in your retention in
the last 5 years is that the students are even less prepared for the
college environment. These academic skills are critical for success,
and there are packages and resources available to develop them -- if you
can get students to invest the energy.
> Thanks!
You are welcome; I wish you the best luck, and the wisdom you will need
to cope with the complex issues. Let us know how it goes!!
--
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< from >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Jack Rotman phone (517)483-1079
Chair of AMATYC's Developmental Math Committee
Math Professor ROTMAN@ALPHA.LANSING.CC.MI.US
Lansing Community College Lansing, MI
"Like all art & science, mathematics surrounds us."
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Math Success ! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
dept web page http://www.lansing.cc.mi.us/sas/mathsci
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