Subject: Re: Maximum class sizes
From: Martha Haehl (haehl@kcmetro.cc.mo.us)
Date: Thu Sep 21 2000 - 20:14:25 EDT
With this said, in my own classes the only thing that has made a difference
in my retention rate is changing the nature of the student experience. The
first time I ever had 27 out of 32 students in College Algebra take a final
exam was when I developed activities that the students did almost every day.
(If memory serves, 24 of those students made C's or higher.) I have not
had that good of retention since but I have consistently better retention
than I used to have--and yes that is even with the access officer directing
as many learning disabled students to my classes as she can.
And I do not want to hear that it is because I lowered standards. Quite the
contrary--now to pass my class with a C students have to make an 80%
competency on skills quizzes without partial credit (for which they can
retake replacement quizzes with a grade reduction). My questions on tests
have gotten more comprehensive, conceptual, and real-life, and less skills
oriented.
My arguement for smaller class size is that it makes interactive strategies
easier to manage and allows the teacher to evaluate more types of student
work. If however, a teacher plans to predominately lecture, give 4 tests
and a final, and "treat the students like adults" and grade no other work,
why not just give them a graders and have them lecture to large groups?
Martha
----- Original Message -----
From: Lillie Crowley <lillie@pop.uky.edu>
To: Jeff Morford <jmorford@hfcc.net>; <mathedcc@archives.math.utk.edu>
Sent: Thursday, September 21, 2000 8:25 AM
Subject: Re: Maximum class sizes
> We actually did some tracking of elementary algebra sections capped at 20
> vs. the regular class size of 35--there were six sections taught with the
> reduced sizes, out of an average of 17 sections per semester. We did this
> for two consecutive semesters. THe instructors involved were instructors
> who normally taught the course (as opposed to pulling in some new people).
> Success rates were no different in the classes with only 20 people in
them,
> and by the end of the semester, the classes were VERY small--only five or
> six people left. Sorry.....
>
> Now, of course, the administration wants to raise the caps on all of our
> classes, to 40 or 50...
>
> Lillie
>
>
> At 09:37 PM 9/20/00 -0400, Jeff Morford wrote:
> >Bret mentioned (If I understood right) that his institution found no
> significant correlation between student success and decreased
developmental
> class size, but that the data was suspect.
> >
> >While we expect that smaller class size increases student success have
> any of you found this is the case at yourcolleges? In other words
changing
> very little about the course except section size, did the pass rate go up?
> What size were your sections? I'm wondering what the "magic number" for
> section size is.
> >
> >
> >Regards,
> >
> >Jeff Morford
> >
> >
> >
>
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> *************************************************************
>
> Lillie R.F. Crowley
> Professor, Mathematics
> 138 Moloney Building
> Lexington Community College
> Cooper Drive
> Lexington, KY 40506-0235
>
> NOTE NEW AREA CODE
>
> (859) 257-4872 x 4115 Phone
> (859) 257-4988 Fax
> lillie@pop.uky.edu e-mail
>
> http://www.uky.edu/LCC/MATH/Crowley
>
>
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