Helen E. Burn

Embedded Mathematics Remediation Using The Math You Need, When You Need It: A 21st-Century Solution to an Age-Old Problem

Using the need for math skills in geoscience courses as an example, Helen E. Burn and Eric M. D. Baer from Highline Community College and Jennifer M. Wenner from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh make the case for just–in–time embedded remediation to improve student learning while using class time efficiently.

Pathways and Persistence: Basic Skills Students at One Washington State Community College.

Pressures to increase accountability in basic skills education have encouraged policy makers and postsecondary institutions to focus on student achievement. Using the Washington State Student Achievement Initiative Database and two consecutive years of data, this study examines the academic progress of basic skills students at one community college over the course of a year. Overall, one program, I-BEST short-term education and training leading to a certificate or further education or training, was the most successful route to earning college credit. However, other basic skills students frequently earned college credit that could lead to degrees and transferable credits. Many students in all basic skills programs made no measured academic skill gains. Demographic differences suggest that self-selection bias must be considered in drawing conclusions from the course-taking patterns. These findings indicate more attention should be paid not only to college credits earned but to enrollment as well.

Discipline-Based Remediation: Bridging the Mathematics Gap

Geoscience relies on numbers, data, equations, graphical representations, and other quantitative skills; therefore, introductory geoscience courses need to accurately portray the science as quantitative [e.g., Wenner et al., 2009]. However, up to 57% of students arrive at college underprepared to perform mathematics at the level necessary to succeed in introductory courses [ACT, 2011]. Although some institutions have turned to prerequisites as a way to ensure appropriate preparation, these extra courses can place undue financial, temporal, and academic burdens on interested students, keeping them from enrolling in science courses that may interest them. As an alternative to mathematics prerequisites, geoscience faculty at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and Highline Community College in Des Moines, Wash., funded by the National Science Foundation, developed a model of successful integration of discipline-based mathematics remediation into an introductory geoscience course: The Math You Need, When You Need It (TMYN; http://serc.carleton.edu/mathyouneed/).

Effective Engagement Strategies for Non-Tenure-Track Faculty in Precollege Mathematics Reform in Community Colleges

The success of efforts to improve student outcomes in precollege mathematics at community colleges hinges on engaging and supporting non-tenure-track faculty [NTTF], who comprise a significant proportion of precollege instructional staff. Although research suggests weak departmental support and barriers and constraints to NTTF engagement, no studies have focused specifically on NTTF in the context of precollege mathematics reform in community colleges. This qualitative case study fills a gap in our understanding through interviews with seven tenure-track faculty [TTF] and 11 NTTF from three departments participating in the Washington State Rethinking Pre-College Mathematics grant. The case study examines the nature and effectiveness of strategies and incentives developed by TTF to engage their NTTF peers in department-led reform of precollege mathematics. Each department was successful in securing NTTF engagement across a broad spectrum, using strategies that included offering perquisites, professional development, and targeted instructional support. The NTTF detailed some changes in their practice, such as diversifying classroom instruction and approaches to assessment. Strategies that successfully initiated engagement (e.g., compensation) differed from those that sustained engagement, with the latter leveraging NTTF interest in growing professionally in order to improve student outcomes and build professional relationships with peers. Findings inform the delivery of NTTF professional development by suggesting that education and training expand beyond the delivery of new content to include relationship building with other faculty. The studys findings also consider NTTF professional development to be a shared responsibility among departments, colleges, systems, and NTTF.