Subject: Re: Maximum class sizes
From: Pansy Waycaster (Pansy_Waycaster@sw.cc.va.us)
Date: Fri Sep 22 2000 - 10:02:11 EDT
Martha,
I agree with you in that having valuable activities for the class
every day which must be completed in class makes attendance more important
to the student. I am trying daily worksheets this semester for the first
time and have already noticed improvements in not attendance but also
grades on quizzes and tests.
Pansy
>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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