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Eric.ed.gov – The Math Learning Gap: Preparing STEM Technicians for the New Rural Economy

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The Rural Math Excel Partnership (RMEP) identified math competencies used by technicians in the workplace compared to standards of learning required in the public school curriculum. A modified DACUM process revealed 39 math competencies used by technicians in STEM-related occupations of the rural region. Group interviews with faculty in three community colleges helped substantiate math gaps. A project math specialist and team of teachers identified four types of learning gaps: (1) math competencies not included in state standards; (2) math competencies included in state standards taught prior to Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, and Algebra Functions and Data Analysis (AFDA) courses; (3) math competencies included in high school state standards that students struggle to learn; and (4) math competencies community college students struggle to learn. Implications include… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Assessing Course Redesign: The Case of Developmental Math

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Higher education institutions have taken to redesigning high-enrollment, introductory courses to improve student learning outcomes, student success, and degree completion. This paper presents findings from the assessment of course redesign by focusing on the case of developmental math at a large community college. The college adopted modularization, a common course redesign method in which concepts are disaggregated into modules and delivered through computer software. Preliminary results from the quantitative analysis of student performance in redesigned courses have been mixed. The study discusses faculty and student views and experiences with modular math redesign in order to complement and help illuminate the results from the quantitative analysis. Using evidence from five focus groups, one with faculty and four with students, the paper provides insights on how to help faculty… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Modularized, Computer-Assisted, Self-Paced Approach to Developmental Math

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Community colleges are a large sector of postsecondary education. In 2016-2017, the United States had nearly 1,000 public 2-year postsecondary institutions (community colleges), serving almost nine million students, representing 39% of all undergraduates. The majority of entering community college students require developmental (or remedial) math. Success rates in the developmental math course sequence and college more broadly are discouragingly low. Policymakers, practitioners, and researchers alike are eagerly searching for reforms to improve success rates, but there is a dearth of causal evidence on the effectiveness of most proposed reforms. We sought to answer the following question: what effect does a modularized, computer-assisted, self-paced approach to developmental math (compared with a more “traditional” direct-instruction course alternative) have on students’ likelihood of completing the developmental math course sequence? Findings… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Using Khan Academy in Community College Developmental Math Courses: Results and Lessons Learned from Developmental Math Demonstration Project

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE), with support from Lumina Foundation, investigated whether the use of Khan Academy could increase community college student success in developmental math coursework, support embedded math content in technical courses, and prepare students to take or retake college placement tests. Khan Academy, an Open Educational Resource (OER), is a nonprofit organization that provides free online educational resources such as practice exercises, instructional videos and a personalized learning dashboard that empowers learners to study at their own pace in and out of the classroom. Pilot community colleges used Khan Academy’s math content as a supplement in various developmental education delivery models, including flipped, blended, self-paced, modular and traditional developmental education classrooms, as well as in some career and technical courses. A… Continue Reading