Georgia State University
Course Title: College Algebra
Contact: Margo Alexander
Status: This project originated as part of NCAT's FIPSE-funded Roadmap to Redesign (R2R) program, 2003 – 2006, and was successfully completed
Project Plan:
As part of its plan to improve instruction in lower division courses, Georgia State University will redesign College Algebra, a core curriculum course taken by about half of the entering freshmen. Each year the course enrolls about 1500 students in 41 sections of about 37 students each. The course has traditionally been taught by a diverse group of graduate teaching assistants (GTAs), part-time instructors, visiting instructors, and regular faculty.
The department chooses textbooks, develops course outlines, and writes content standards for these courses. However, there are no consistent efforts to ensure uniformity of content presentation or assessment across all sections. The result is inconsistencies from section to section in both content and assessment, with unsuccessful students (grades of D, W or F) accounting for as much as 45% of the enrollment.
The planned redesign will follow the Replacement Model. Half of class time each week will be replaced by student-centered computer lab tutorials based on the successful experiences at Virginia Tech, the University of Alabama, and the University of Idaho. Their experience has shown that computer tutorials can provide effective instruction that allows students to focus on areas where they need more help. Retained class time will not be used for lecture presentations but rather for using problem-based-learning materials and conducting group activities, both of which are excellent compliments to computer-based tutorials. In the lab, both undergraduate and graduate lab assistants provided with special training by the lab and course coordinators will be available for one-on-one assistance.
In addition to the new computer lab, the department will provide for greater organization of the faculty teaching the courses. A course coordinator and a lab coordinator will be appointed to ensure greater consistency among the sections. All sections will share common syllabi, outlines, schedules, lab assignments, assessment instruments, class activities and a course web site. The common materials and the course coordinators will provide more uniform alignment of the individual sections with established content and assessment standards and ensure sound pedagogical practice in the labs and in the retained classroom time.
During the 2004-2005 academic year, data will be collected from both traditional and pilot sections, including performance on selected assessment items that will be included on all final examinations, attitude surveys, and scores on placement tests. Performance of students in the subsequent precalculus course will be tracked. Randomly selected students will be interviewed at the end of each semester to help redesign faculty get a deeper understanding of the students' feelings, likes, dislikes, and ideas for change as well as serve as a qualitative measure of their learning. Finally, retention data will be collected and compared to five-year averages in the traditional format.
Most of the savings result from substituting interactive tutorial software for a portion of the regular class meetings, thus replacing instructor time previously devoted to in-class instruction. Further reductions will be provided by substituting coordinated planning and development of the whole course for individual planning and development of each section. These changes enable Georgia State to assign two sections rather than one to instructors. The cost of adding lab assistance reduces the net savings, but the redesign project will produce an annual savings of $13,545 as a result of reducing the cost-per-student from $96 to $87.
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