Realizing YSU’s Mission: An Opportunity Revising Developmental and General Education Department of Mathematics and Statistics October 3, 2012

Eastern Gateway Community College Significant decreases in enrollment in developmental mathematics (See handout) Establishment of a community college in the region Need for Youngstown State University to provide comprehensive developmental education in mathematics may no longer be necessary

State Standards for Developmental and General Education Ohio Board of Regents established definitions and standards for developmental coursework and articulation agreements for general education Result: Survey of Mathematics course does not meet the requirements to be included as a “TAG” course. Courses such as College Algebra, count towards general education requirements at other Ohio institutions are not counted as general education courses at YSU

YSU Mission Urban Research University Three Core Principles Scholars/Teachers “Scholarship at YSU provides education that is both up- to-date and grounded in best practices…” Scholarly Engagement “Community engagement is necessary …” Resource Alignment “The institution will invest in new and existing programs…”

Four Issues According to OBOR standards, some courses YSU says are college level are not college level. Several key mathematics courses at YSU either do not exist or are not currently TAG approved. Developmental education in mathematics at YSU is approaching the point in which other means of preparing students in mathematics for college are becoming a reality. Curriculum gaps currently exist because of the lack of a College Algebra course.

Department’s Quandary Opportunity and a quandary YSU needs to be in line with State regulations/recommendations This presentation sets forth a plan for moving forward: Delete courses that should be taught at a community college Offer one developmental course Add a college algebra course, gain TAG approval and YSU general education approval Revise MATH 1513, MATH 2623, MATH 2625 (MATH 1552?) so that they are TAG approved and general education approved

Goals/Objectives Reduce YSU’s presence in developmental mathematics education, Provide coursework in mathematics that seamlessly flows from one course to the next, Increase retention and success in mathematics coursework, Assure that general education courses meet TAG standards and become TAG approved, Set educational standards that align with YSU’s mission of being an Urban Research Institution.

Steps of the Plan STEP 1: Delete MATH 1500, MATH 1501, MATH 1502, MATH 1503, MATH 1507, MATH (Note 1502 and 1503 are slower versions of MATH 1501) STEP 2: Provide opportunities for students who need MATH 1500 to gain this knowledge. YSU will provide two ways for students to accomplish this. Use online learning and the Mathematics Assistance Center to provide opportunities, at little or no charge, for students to learn the material. Develop an agreement with Eastern Gateway Community College to provide this coursework on the YSU campus. Set up dual enrollment plan. Work with area high schools to develop programs that reduce educational gaps and provide direct pathways into YSU’s college-level coursework.

Steps 3 and 4 STEP 3: Introduce new course, MATH 1505 so that it is our only developmental course. The course should be a combination of MATH 1501 and the beginning topics of MATH The course will be called Intermediate Algebra. (5 s.h.) STEP 4: Rename MATH 1508 as MATH 1511, so that it contains enough trigonometry to assure that STEM students are better prepared for calculus. (3 s.h.)

STEPS 5 and 6 STEP 5: Introduce a new course, MATH 1510, College Algebra (4 sh). This course must satisfy OBOR’s definitions of college level and TAG certified. This course will lead into MATH 1511 and then on to MATH The course will also be YSU general education certified. STEP 6: Revise MATH 1513 (MATH 1552?) so that it is also a TAG course. MATH 1513 currently does not include the required topics of sequences, series and vectors. These topics need to be added to assure that it is a TAG course.

Math 1505 Interm. Algebra Math 1510 College Algebra Math 1511 Trigonometry MATH 1513 Precalculus MATH 1552 Business Math MATH 1564 Middle Math Math 2623 Survey of Math MATH 2651 Early Childhood Math First course in sequence dependent on Math placement and major

Steps 7 and 8 STEP 7: Revise MATH 2623 (and MATH 2625) so that it is a college level course and TAG certified in general education. This would force a prerequisite change and may include a change in required topics. The prerequisite should be MATH STEP 8: Update placement procedures for mathematics courses.

Steps 9 and 10 Step 9: Gain University Approval and University Buy-in! Step 10: Market “New Standards”

Timeline Fall 2013 Delete MATH 1500 Have help/procedures in place to help affected students Fall 2014 Delete MATH 1501, 1502, 1503, 1507, 1508 Have procedures in place to help affected students Fall 2014 Introduce MATH 1505, 1510, 1511 Introduce MATH 1505, 1510, 1511 Revise MATH 1513, MATH 2623, MATH 2625