Who are we???  Four Year Comprehensive College of the SUNY system  604 acre campus located on Long Island about 20 miles east of NYC  Multicultural and Diversified Student Population of 3900 students  Undergraduate Degrees in the School of Arts and Sciences, Undergraduate and Graduate Degrees in School of Education and School of Business  Our goals for Redesign in the Math Department were to more consistently and successfully prepare students for both proficiency and further coursework.

The College Algebra Course  Traditional  minutes lectures  Mostly adjunct instructors  Departmental Syllabus  Instructor created assignments and tests  No specified department grading rubric  Section size of 30  Semester enrollment averaged 300  Redesign  Large section of 75 split into 2 tracks each meeting on one day  100 minute lecture one day for each track  All adjunct instructors  3 hours required in lab staffed with professional tutors  Structured and uniform attendance, grading, assignments, tests, and regulations  MyMathLab Common final exam for all sections

Initial Planning  First Redesign: Powertrack Math  Planning began March 2007  Replacement for unsuccessful course, high failure and drop rate  Provost heard about LSU redesign from the SUNY system provost  Provost forced action by refusing to run the old course  Redesign or No Course  Dean visited LSU  We copied LSU format  Lab was built which had 28 computers  All course documentation written  MyMathLab set up  Instructors and Tutors hired and trained  Course up and running Fall 2007 miraculously and successfully!!!!

Next Stop: College Algebra Redesign  Another unsuccessful course  Students were already asking for Powertrack format to be used in College Algebra, next logical step  Began work on SUNY CRI grant at the end of 2007  Team was formed, Powertrack was modified slightly to include 2 track feature separating proficiency students from students needing higher level courses  Grant was awarded in May 2008  More syllabi, schedules and MyMathLab assignments and tests created  Lab was expanded to 40 computers  First pilot of one section of 75 Fall 2008  Spring 2009 pilot up to 2 sections  “Fully” Implemented with 4 sections totaling 300 students in both Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 using expanded lab of 82 computers. 3 Traditional sections also offered each semester due to increased enrollment  5 sections totaling 375 students and 1 traditional section of 30 will run in Fall 2010 to accommodate growth in enrollment

Institutional Support  Administrative support extraordinary, perhaps due to the fact that redesign effort started from top down.  Tutoring budgets continue to be funded in spite of massive SUNY budget cuts.  Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences is a core member of the team and has been very involved in the program  College community recognizes the improvement and success in both courses and the math department has gained new respect  Lab expansion was handled far more quickly than expected due to the support the campus Capital Improvement director.  Plans for renovation of the library include a new lab with 100 computers for the program. Hopes are that including this lab will draw student traffic into the library.

Student Reaction  A majority of students agreed that they learned more from working independently with the support of the computer materials and tutors than from listening to a lecture.  Most students believed that they did better in the redesigned format than they would have in a traditional class.  Over 70% of those responding to the survey felt they were prepared to move on to the next level course.  Although students complained about the quantity of work and lab hours that were required of them, 55% agreed that they needed to do that amount or work to learn the material.  Students like only going to one lecture a week and doing their work at hours convenient to them.  Most students find MyMathLab helpful.  Most students don’t like attendance requirements and required homework affecting their grades.

Student Comments Mostly Good Ones ---  “Math Lab is the Best!!  “Great Course, I will retain more math than I did in High School”  “Good Class, Like one class a week”  “Learned More from doing work on computer”  “MyMathLab helped a lot, keep it going” Bad Ones Too ----  “Not an easy class for students who haven’t taken math in years”  “Lab a hassle for students who work and commute”  “Lab time not helpful, more stressful, rather be alone”  “Lab Hours should not be worth so much in final grade” And My Personal Favorite  “Them Lab Hours Be Killin Me!!!”