ACHIEVING THE DREAM
Mountain
Empire
Community
College
Classroom and Curricular
Innovations
Compass
Developmental Math and English
Academic Resource Center
Supplemental Instruction
Learning Communities
Student Advocate for SDV 100
Purpose: Improve
Compass/Testing Processes
Change from DOS Compass, with no
calculator, to WEB Compass, with calculator
Improve placement of students in “Decision
Zones”
– E-Write for students in English Decision
Zone
Have lower anxiety and greater knowledge
of purpose/content of Compass Test
Purpose: Appropriate Placement
Fall 2005 Fall 2007
No calculator With calculator
MTH 2: MTH 2:
– 143 students – 65 students
– 8 sections – 5 sections
MTH 3: MTH 3:
– 157 students – 173 students
– 8 sections – 8 sections
Purpose: Provide a Menu of choices,
depending on amount of help needed
Fast Track Math:
Concentrated review for most able students
– MTH 2: 1 credit (usually 3 credits)
Limited to students who scored 20 or better on the
Arithmetic section of the Compass Test
– MTH 3: 2 credits (usually 5 credits)
Limited to students who tested into Algebra I on the
Compass Test, but who had Algebra I in high school
with a grade of “C” or better
How is Fast-Track offered?
MTH 2 and MTH 3 are offered at the same time slot on the
schedule.
MTH 2 starts at the beginning of the semester and goes for
about 1/3 of the time.
MTH 3 starts after the completion of MTH 2.
Students can thus take MTH 2 and MTH 3 Fast Track back
to back. This allows them to complete two semesters of
work in one semester.
It is cheaper for low-income students: If they take both
courses, they pay for 3 credits of math, rather than 8
credits.
Fast Track Results
MTH 2 Fast Track MTH 3 Fast Track
Success Rate Success Rate
86% success rate 88% success rate
But that is to be But these students all had
expected. These are the a grade of “C” or better in
students with high high school Algebra I.
Compass scores.
Fast Track Results
MTH 2 Fast Track-- MTH 3 Fast Track –
Retention Rate: 71% Retention Rate: 91%
Retention= Returned the We are tracking these
following semester students to see if the
Fast-Track students do
as well as other students
in follow-up courses.
Purpose: Provide a Menu of choices,
depending on amount of help needed
Academic Resource Center
Self-paced learning conducted in library or
on the WEB
– Weaver software and SmartThinking tutors in English
– ModuMath software in math
Two target groups:
– Students who are on borderline and who wish to review
concepts before retaking Compass Test
– Students who wish to review concepts before taking
Compass Test
Goal: Improve success rate of students
in developmental classes by 5%
Focused first on classes that have high
number of students but a lower success
rate
Investigated best practices
Did site visits
Developed initiatives to improve success
rate
Fall 2007 Initiatives
MTH 3 (5 credit course)
– Peer-Led Team Learning
– Manipulatives
– Cooperative Learning
– Navigator
MTH 3:
Peer-Led Team Learning
Added block of time
that students work in
groups, under the Monday Wednesday Friday
direction of a peer Class Class PLTL
leader Class Class Class-
Focus on “fun” Tests
cooperative activities
Voluntary attendance,
with lots of
“encouragement”
PLTL Students “Go Fish”
MTH 3: Use of Manipulatives
Students who have difficulty visualizing
equations are able to build an equation
using materials that can be manipulated.
Manipulatives can be done individually or in
groups.
Assists kinesthetic learners in understanding
abstract algebra concepts
Algebra I Students Using
Manipulatives
Navigator
Navigator connects all student calculators to a
hub.
All calculator screens show on the instructor
computer, with student names or pseudonyms.
Instructor can project screens of all calculators or
choose certain ones to show to class.
Navigator has numerous activities, such as quick
quizzes, graded by Navigator.
MTH 3: Navigator
Cooperative Learning
College-wide goal to incorporate
cooperative learning in all classes:
ENG 3, ENG 1, MTH 4: piloting increased use of
cooperative learning Fall of 2007.
Numerous other faculty have attended cooperative
learning training sessions, and they are using
cooperative learning to a greater degree, also.
Supplemental Instruction
Biology 101 was identified as a “Gatekeeper
Course.”
Freshman level course with higher than desired failure
rate
Eleven staff and tutors received training provided
by staff of the University of Kansas at Kansas City.
Supplemental instruction offered on a voluntary
basis to all students in Biology 101 this fall.
Learning Communities
First learning communities were developed by
faculty who showed interest in a learning
community for a specific program.
Due to small enrollments, two were never able to
be taught. One was taught with limited enrollment.
New/revised learning communities being
developed for courses with larger enrollments.
History 121/English 111, ENG 3/SDV 107
These will be offered fall of 2008.
ACHIEVING THE DREAM
Using SDV 100 as our test course, we will have instructors work with
students who identify certain obstacles to their success .
A new staff person has been hired to work as the Student Advocate. He
will make referrals based on the identified items. He will also provide
Follow-up on the referrals and collect data to determine results.
We will also focus strongly on attendance, doing extensive follow-up
on students who have attendance problems.
Results?
We will be following each of these initiatives
to determine if they are successful.
– Comparing success rates against the
benchmarking data
– Comparing retention rates against the
benchmarking data
– Comparing success in follow-up courses
against benchmarking data
Data on MECC Website
http://www.me.vccs.edu/
Recommended Reading
No One To Waste: A Report to Public
Decision-Makers and Community College
Leaders, by Robert McCabe