1. The University of Idaho Mathematics Redesign

2. Which Courses Did We Redesign?
Intermediate Algebra ~1000 students annually
College Algebra ~1400 students annually
Approximately 1400 total students during the fall and 1000 students during the spring.

3. Why Redesign? Institutional Reasons
Increase student performance and retention.
Address student attitudinal issues.
Save classroom space.
Lower costs.

4. Why Redesign? Student-Centered Reasons Poor success rates.
Math 108 (Intermediate Algebra) is considered a “bottleneck” course.
Traditional lecture format made for an inappropriate learning environment.
Over time, incoming Freshman were coming to UI less and less well prepared.

5. The Polya Mathematics Center Brink/Phinney Hall 90-seat computer lab

6. How Do Students Learn In The Polya Mathematics Learning Center?

7. Each Student Attends A Mandatory Class One Hour Per Week Called The Focus Group

8. Each student must spend 3 hours/wk in the Polya Center

9. Students can attend Live Lectures in the Polya Center.
There are 9 Live Lectures each week.
Lectures get repeated throughout the week.

11. Polya Mathematics Center Live Lecture

12. Students Choose Their Homework Option
Option 1: Hand in problems from the
text book.
Option 2: Hand in MyMathLab problems on-line.
Most students choose the MyMathLab option. This semester, 95% of students chose the MyMathLab option.

13. Students Watch Polya On-Line Lectures

14. Signal For Help

15. Work Through a MyMathLab Problem

19. Fall 2004 MyMathLab Results
Of the students who finished the course, (took the final exam), 93% were “MyMathLab Students”
78% of the MML students passed the course while 62% of the “book students” passed the course.
The MML students scored, on average, 13.5 points higher on the final exam.

20. A Quick Tour Of The Polya Center
TOUR MOVIE

21. How Do The Students Know What To Do Each Week?
We created weekly task lists!
The task list is a step-by-step weekly list of tasks to accomplish each week.
Sample TASK LIST

22. We Want Test Taking To Be a Learning Experience
“Taking the tests in the Polya Center is great! Not only do I get a better grade, but the teaching is reinforced.”
Former Math 108 Student

23. Multiple Choice Tests Are Taken In The Polya Center

24. Test Grade=.80*(Best MC) + Written
Polya Testing
Each test has 2 parts
Multiple choice (80%)
Taken on the computer
Provides instant feedback
Allows for 3 chances
Must be taken in Polya
There are deadlines!
Written Response (20%)
Taken during focus group on a specific date
Test Grade=.80*(Best MC) + Written

25. Students Receive Immediate Feedback

26. Review the test objectives
Section 4.2: Find the slope of a line, given two points on the line.  \
Book Examples
Sidebar Problems
Book Problems
On-Line Lectures
Page 178, Example 1
Page 178, Problem 2
Page 185, Problems 13-18
OLL 4.2.3
Section 4.3: Write the equation of a line, given two points on the line. 
Book Examples
Sidebar Problems
Book Problems
On-Line Lectures
Page 192, Example 2
Page 193, Problem 3
Page 198, Problems 27-36
OLL 4.3.6
Section 4.5: Use f(x) notation (evaluate a function). 
Book Examples
Sidebar Problems
Book Problems
On-Line Lectures
Page 217 Example 5 Page 218, Example 8
Page 218, Problem 6 Page 219, Problem 7
Page 223, Problems 35-46
OLL 4.5.9

27. Meet with a coach in the Coaches Corner

28. How Do We Survive With Over 1,400 Students Each With a 150 min/wk Time Commitment And Only 185 Chairs?
ROLLING DEADLINES!! (The one drawback is we lose a week’s worth of material)

29. Students : September 5-8

30. How do we survive with over 1,400 students each with a 150 min/wk time commitment and only 185 chairs?
ROLLING DEADLINES!! (The one drawback is we lose a week’s worth of material)
Facility is wireless. New laptop cart (added 15 new computers)
Database automatically reduces time commitment for successful students.
“Virtual Polya” allows students to work from home and get credit for time spent.

31. Students: September 19-22

32. Outcomes Teachers are able to teach more courses.
Although hours in the classroom has decreased for teachers, the number of student contact hours has increased!
40-50 students finish the course early each semester.
Classroom space has decreased by 2/3.
Cost per student has decreased.

33. Outcomes

34. Outcomes STUDENTS WHO “TRY” A student who tries is a student who:
Attends their Focus Group each week
Fulfills their lab time requirement each week
Turns in all of their homework
Takes each test 3 times
Over 95% of these students pass the course!

35. Other ideas made possible by our redesign
Outreach to rural area schools, dual enrollment.
The re-collection of students (C.A.M.P)

36. C.A.M.P STUDENTS

37. C.A.M.P STUDENTS

38. Thank you for allowing me to talk to you!
Any Questions?