Forward and “Backwards” Design of a Mathematics Co-Requisite Barbara Kirkwood Donna Krampe Ivy Tech Community College-Southwest Region

Co-requisite Questions Why a Co-requisite? How do you develop one? Does it work? Do students see the benefit?

Ivy Tech Community College- Southwest Region Two-year public college Statewide system-14 Regions Commuter population Our region—5539 students Open enrollment 70% referred to remedial math

Why a Co-Requisite? Low success in prerequisite courses No credits for remedial work Do not enroll in college-level course Reevaluating funding Topics are better aligned Provides just-in-time remediation

Cost of a calculator $12.99

Cost of textbook $192.25

Passing two Math courses in the same semester: Priceless!!

Co-Requisite Courses MATH 080 Mathematics Principles with Algebra Developmental MATH 118 Concepts in Mathematics College-level

“Backwards” Design Brainstorm prerequisite skills Created activities/lessons for just-in-time remediation Remedial class 1-2 days ahead Activities schedule listed topics for both

MATH 080 Activities Schedule Week & Dates Introduction of 080 Topics Review of 118 Topics Required MyMathLab Assignments For MATH 080 Learning Objective Numbers Week 1 1/13 – 1/17 Introduction Organizational Topics Section 5.2-Integer operations Measurement 9.1, 9.2 1, 4, 12, 13, Section 5.2 -Integers & Order of Operations Review for Chapter 9 Exam Section 5.21, 2, 4, 13 Week 2 1/21 – 1/27 Section 6.1- Algebraic Expressions Set Theory 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 Section 6.1 Binder Check 3, 14 Quiz 1-Integers and Algebraic Expressions Section 6.2- Solving One Step Equations. Review for Chapter 2 Exam Section 6.2a 5, 14

Collaboration with College-Level Faculty Rearranged the college-level topics Shared syllabi Used same textbook for both classes Communicated often Access to college-level exams

Methods of Evaluation No Tests!! 8 Quizzes Homework assignments Binder Checks Participation Points

Assignments MyMathLab for fundamental skills No longer than minutes Required to show written solutions Handouts-created or online Generated quizzes immediately

Incorporating Activities Appealed to different learning styles Worked in groups Embraced the activities Developed activities for graphing, probability and statistics Practiced calculator skills

Probability Activity I’m packing for a trip to visit my daughter in Colorado.

Probability Activity How many different outfits can you make if you have the following? = 12 shirts pants shoes outfits X

First Day of Class Explained how co-requisite works Student’s responsibility to ask questions Supplied list for binder Stressed importance of organization and taking notes

A Typical Day in MATH 080 Answered questions Demonstrated MyMathLab Mini lectures over remedial topics Previewed college-level topics Quiz or activity

Study Parameters Four semesters First two semesters-sections were not linked Last two semesters-sections were linked

Do co-requisites work? Only 22.3% complete remediation and college-level courses in two years Do co-requisites work? Only 22.3% of community college students complete remedial and associated college-level courses in two years. - Complete College America, 2012

Successful Completion of College-Level Course Co-RequisiteCollege-Ready 45.1%55.4%

Successful Completion of College-Level Course

ABCDFFWW Co-Requisite Students (n = 233) 15.0%15.9%14.2% 6.0% 4.7%33.0%11.2% College-Ready Students (n = 750) 16.0%20.3%19.1%9.9%4.1%19.6%11.1%

Successful Completion for Co-Requisite Students Total Sections Not Connected Sections Connected Connected and Same Instructor 45.1% (n = 233) 36.2% (n = 113) 53.4% (n = 120) 77.5% (n = 40)

Moving Forward Course sections linked 12 remedial, 12 college-level Same teacher for both courses Collaboration between instructors Refine materials Train faculty/adjuncts

Informal Survey Open-ended First semester, week 11 Anonymous Recommend the co-requisite Increase in self-confidence

Self-Efficacy Study Five question Likert-type survey Anonymous Administered twice, weeks 1 and 9 Compared results Improved self-efficacy

Results of Self-Efficacy Surveys Strongly Agree NeutralDisagree Strongly Disagree Response Mean 1) I feel confident in my ability to solve math problems in this class. 18% (13) 26% (19) 39% (28) 11% (8) 6% (4) % (17) 33% (14) 24% (10) 2% (1) 0% (0) ) I can complete my math homework without a lot of help. 10% (7) 32% (23) 33% (24) 17% (12) 8% (6) % (9) 55% (23) 17% (7) 5% (2) 2% (1)3.88 3) In math classes, I can typically understand the material a teacher is covering. 7% (5) 36% (26) 32% (23) 18% (13) 7% (5) % (18) 40% (17) 17% (7) 0% (0) 0% (0)4.26 4) I can master the skills being taught in math class. 6% (4) 41% (29) 36% (26) 13% (9) 6% (4) % (20) 36% (15) 14% (6) 2% (1) 0% (0)4.29 5) I feel confident enough to ask questions in math class. 31% (22) 41% (30) 17% (12) 11% (8) 0% (0) % (29) 24% (10) 5% (2) 2% (1) 0% (0)4.55

In Their Own Words How did taking both classes together change the way you studied math? I found myself taking more notes in each class and referring back to them when I studied. Since I don’t get frustrated with it, I am willing to spend more time on my studying. It made me immerse myself in math. Made me more confident and I love math now

Citations Blitzer,R.,(2011). Thinking Mathematically, 5 th edition. Pearson Education, Inc. Complete College America. (2012). Remediation: Higher education’s bridge to nowhere. Remediation-final.pdfhttp:// Remediation-final.pdf.

Contact Information Barbara Kirkwood-Associate Professor, Mathematics Donna S. Krampe-Assistant Professor, Mathematics PowerPoint Available at

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