for Retention in Engineering · The final project strategy involves evaluation of the other three...
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Toys ‘n MORE Toys & Mathematical Options for Retention in Engineering Award # 0756992 Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (STEP) Funding Period: July 15, 2008 - June 30, 2011 The Pennsylvania State University Dr. Dhushy Sathianathan (PI), [email protected] (Engineering) Dr. Amy Freeman, [email protected] (Engineering Diversity Programs) Professor Janice Margle, [email protected] (Engineering) Dr. Javier Gomez-Calderon, [email protected] (Mathematics) Dr. Jill Lane, [email protected] (Assessment) Ms. Suzanne Cross, [email protected] (Statistician) Mr. Yu-Chang Hsu, [email protected] (Assessment) Ms. Christina Rager, [email protected] (Staff) 2.0 STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE RETENTION The objective of the TOYS ’n MORE program is to increase the retention of students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) by leveling the playing field through success in mathematics. The initiative involves four strategies: Strategy I: Math Tutoring The Math Success through Tutoring program proposes to increase retention of students in mathematics course sequences leading to calculus courses by combining instructor intervention and supplemental instruction (tutoring) with personalized online tutorials. Coalition mathematics faculty will develop tutorials and the peer tutors, through the Learning Centers located at the coalition campuses, will host the tutoring sessions. Strategy II: Toy FUN-damentals Toy FUN-damentals is a 1-credit or equivalent toy design course highly successful in engaging students in engineering design and prototyping. This course has proven to increase retention of women in the College of Engineering. A modified version of the course is implemented at the 15 coalition campus locations to meet the needs of local STEM fields. This course is open to all STEM field students. Strategy III: Campus College Connection This is a multi-step program designed to assist underrepresented minority students in transitioning from high school to college. This project supports the creation of locally customized summer bridge programs to be established at the 15 coalition schools. Strategy IV: Assessment & Evaluation The research component is fundamental to determining the success of the change efforts of TOYS ’n MORE and to validate the process for wide dissemination. A combination of surveys, interviews, and analyses of a longitudinal database will address: 1) the extent to which TOYS ’n MORE improves students’ development of key mathematical competencies needed by STEM majors and 2) the extent to which the changes impact the retention rates of engineering and, in particular, the underrepresented students at the various locations. Table 1: Assessment instrument selection based on course and project strategy Assessment Instrument Courses Project Strategy MATH 22 MATH 26 MATH 140 Math Program Toy FUN- damentals Campus College Connection Demographic Info √ √ √ √ √ √ Longitudinal Retention Tracking √ √ √ √ √ √ Concept Inventory √ √ √ Student Learning Gains √ √ Scoring Rubrics √ Student Focus Groups √ √ √ Faculty Survey √ ABSTRACT This project is implementing proven retention strategies across a statewide system in order to increase the number of STEM graduates, primarily in engineering. The first strategy involves combining instructor intervention and supplemental instruction to improve student success in introductory math courses. The supplemental instruction leverages a previously developed online tutorial system coupled with personalized tutoring. Through the second strategy, a proven course from the main campus known as Toy FUN-damentals, is being implemented among the statewide feeder campuses. The Toy FUN-damentals course has been shown to increase student interest in engineering, especially among women and underrepresented minorities. The third strategy is implementing programs aimed at assisting underrepresented minority students in making the transition from high school to college. The components of the transition program include a summer bridge program, peer mentoring, campus visits, student leadership conferences, college of engineering visitation, and a sophomore transition tour. The final project strategy involves evaluation of the other three strategies for continuous improvement. The evaluation plan uses a mixed-method, quasi-experimental design to assess the effects of each strategy and the overall success of the project. The results from the project are being disseminated broadly among the engineering education community. 1.0 VISION & SCOPE This is a collaborative proposal among a coalition of 14 Penn State University campuses throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the College of Engineering at University Park. It seeks to increase retention of all students pursuing STEM degree programs, particularly those in engineering. The proposed strategies involve 1) providing individual attention and supplementary tutoring to students in introductory mathematics courses, 2) engaging students in the applications of science and mathematics by designing functional toys to be judged by primary or middle school students, and 3) supporting under-prepared students, minorities, and women through academic, social, and cultural activities. 1.1 The Coalition of 15 Penn State Campuses This project is being launched in collaboration with 15 Penn State campuses (see map) and the College of Engineering at the University Park campus in State College, PA. With over 16,000 students at widely dispersed geographical locations throughout the state of Pennsylvania, the coalition campuses are an integral part of the Penn State system. The campuses are located in communities as diverse as their settings with a mixture of ethnic backgrounds, educational levels, and socio-economic strata. Several campuses are situated in regions economically devastated by continued loss of jobs in manufacturing and mining. Consequently, programs offered at the 14 coalition campuses are important to economic development across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Collectively, the coalition campuses offer more than 16 different baccalaureate degrees and 14 associate degrees, including 9 programs in engineering and engineering technology and many more in various STEM fields. The coalition campuses also serve as feeder campuses for more than 100 STEM baccalaureate degree programs offered at University Park. As feeder campuses, they provide, in any one year, instruction for more than 1,900 students in introductory mathematics courses, of which more than 600 students will declare engineering as their preferred major. 1.2 The Retention Challenge The coalition campuses, like many universities, have a significant percentage of students experiencing difficulty achieving success in mandated mathematics courses. In the pre-calculus courses (MATH 22 & 26), courses more relevant to the STEM students, the average pass rate (C or better) is 61 percent. This translates into 744 of the 1908 students in pre-calculus (Table 1) earning a grade lower than acceptable to pursue the calculus sequence. This project is targeted at improving the student performance in introductory pre-calculus mathematics courses (MATH 22 & 26), which lead to the first calculus course (MATH 140) so as to enhance retention of students in various STEM fields. 1.2.1 Retention in First Two Years of Engineering Program As illustrated in the map, the coalition campuses steadily attract a total of more than 600 first-year students who declare engineering as their preferred major. Figure 1 illustrates the enrollment patterns of these students two years later. On the average, 30 percent of the students continue to head towards a baccalaureate engineering degree and another 30 percent pursue other STEM fields at various locations in the system. On the other hand, approximately 35 percent of the first-year students who declare engineering as their preferred major dropout of the college altogether without pursuing other STEM fields. Examining the data over a period of three years, the total retention in engineering and other STEM fields is at a steady decline (70 percent in 2000 to 60 percent in 2003). Figure 1: Retention in STEM fields two years after enrollment 1.2.2 Retention Among Underrepresented Engineering Students Presently, 140 to 160 incoming engineering first-year students are African American, Native or Hispanic. Over half begin their engineering degree at one of the 15 coalition campus locations. In 2001, the retention rate for these students after two years was approximately 13 percent. As a result, about 87 percent of these students were not completing degrees in any of the available STEM fields at Penn State. Barriers that contribute to attrition are complex. This proposal includes further enhancement of the retention of underrepresented engineering students within STEM fields by engaging administrators and faculty from the 15 coalition campuses in the Academic Summer Enhancement (ASE) Program. Pittsburgh Harrisburg University Park Philadelphia Penn State Beaver 2008/09 Campus Enrollment 731 Pre-Calculus Enrollment 129 Target Engineering Students 57 Mathematics Faculty Dr. Chris Wu Learning Center Faculty Ms. Angela Fishman Engineering Faculty Professor James Hendrickson Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009 Toy FUN-damentals Program WILL START FALL 2009 Penn State Abington 2008/09 Campus Enrollment 3,141 Pre-Calculus Enrollment 372 Target Engineering Students 108 Mathematics Faculty Dr. Kenneth Johnson Learning Center Faculty Ms. Anne Prior Engineering Faculty Dr. Robert Avanzato Math Tutorial Program NOT STARTED Toy FUN-damentals Program NOT STARTED Penn State Brandywine 2008/09 Campus Enrollment 1,631 Pre-Calculus Enrollment 142 Target Engineering Students 98 Mathematics Faculty Dr. Charles Helou Learning Center Faculty Ms. Janeen Madison Engineering Faculty Dr. Asad Azemi & Dr. Ivan Esparragoza Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009 Toy FUN-damentals Program WILL START FALL 2009 Penn State DuBois 2008/09 Campus Enrollment 811 Pre-Calculus Enrollment 69 Target Engineering Students 14 Mathematics Faculty Dr. Richard Brazier Learning Center Faculty Ms. Jackie Atkins Engineering Faculty Dr. Craig Stringer Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009 Toy FUN-damentals Program WILL START FALL 2009 Penn State Fayette 2008/09 Campus Enrollment 1,057 Pre-Calculus Enrollment 68 Target Engineering Students 19 Mathematics Faculty Dr. Kevin Maxwell Learning Center Faculty Ms. Mary Walters Engineering Faculty Professor Nathaniel Bohna Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009 Toy FUN-damentals Program WILL START FALL 2009 Penn State Greater Allegheny 2008/09 Campus Enrollment 761 Pre-Calculus Enrollment 111 Target Engineering Students 38 Mathematics Faculty Dr. Kristen Kokal Learning Center Faculty Ms. Dinah Marcinik Engineering Faculty Dr. Eric Lipsky Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009 Toy FUN-damentals Program WILL START FALL 2009 Penn State Lehigh Valley 2008/09 Campus Enrollment 758 Pre-Calculus Enrollment 102 Target Engineering Students 56 Mathematics Faculty Dr. Todd Retzlaff Learning Center Faculty Ms. Linda Rumfield Engineering Faculty Dr. Robert Sentz & Dr. Kevin McFall Math Tutorial Program NOT STARTED Toy FUN-damentals Program NOT STARTED Penn State Hazleton 2008/09 Campus Enrollment 1,143 Pre-Calculus Enrollment 209 Target Engineering Students 79 Mathematics Faculty Dr. Marlene Guers Learning Center Faculty Ms. Jane Waitkus Engineering Faculty Dr. Shaobiao Cai & Dr. Wes Grebski Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009 Toy FUN-damentals Program WILL START FALL 2009 Penn State Mont Alto 2008/09 Campus Enrollment 1,032 Pre-Calculus Enrollment 129 Target Engineering Students 45 Mathematics Faculty Dr. Deborah Mirdamadi Learning Center Faculty Mr. Jack Ebersole Engineering Faculty Dr. Siegfried Herzog Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009 Toy FUN-damentals Program NOT STARTED Penn State New Kensington 2008/09 Campus Enrollment 856 Pre-Calculus Enrollment 97 Target Engineering Students 35 Mathematics Faculty Dr. Javier Gomez-Calderon Learning Center Faculty Mr. Laurie Kamenic Engineering Faculty Professor Ron Land Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009 Toy FUN-damentals Program NOT STARTED Penn State York 2008/09 Campus Enrollment 1,672 Pre-Calculus Enrollment 119 Target Engineering Students 50 Mathematics Faculty Dr. Terry Allison Learning Center Faculty Ms. Cora Dzubak Engineering Faculty Dr. Charles Gaston Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009 Toy FUN-damentals Program NOT STARTED Penn State Schuylkill 2008/09 Campus Enrollment 911 Pre-Calculus Enrollment 111 Target Engineering Students 25 Mathematics Faculty Dr. Ping Wang Learning Center Faculty Ms. Joyce Zajac Engineering Faculty Professor Thomas Cleary Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009 Toy FUN-damentals Program NOT STARTED Penn State Shenango 2008/09 Campus Enrollment 893 Pre-Calculus Enrollment 44 Target Engineering Students 7 Mathematics Faculty Dr. Suguna Selvarj Learning Center Faculty Ms. Julie Padaimas Engineering Faculty Professor Daniel Styduhar Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009 Toy FUN-damentals Program WILL START FALL 2009 Penn State Wilkes-Barre 2008/09 Campus Enrollment 728 Pre-Calculus Enrollment 97 Target Engineering Students 39 Mathematics Faculty Dr. Daniel Blessner Learning Center Faculty Ms. Walteen Truly Engineering Faculty Dr. Jon Carson Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009 Toy FUN-damentals Program WILL START FALL 2009 Penn State Worthington-Scranton 2008/09 Campus Enrollment 1,294 Pre-Calculus Enrollment 177 Target Engineering Students 46 Mathematics Faculty Dr. Bagisa Mukherjee Learning Center Faculty Ms. Marissa Curtin Engineering Faculty Professor Tina Merli Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009 Toy FUN-damentals Program NOT STARTED 3.0 IMPLEMENTATION PROGRESS Project Teams at 15 campuses has been established (see map) √ Math Tutoring Program has been established at 13 of the 15 campuses for Spring √ 2009 (see map) A total of 1,502 students in pre-calculus courses are impacted by this effort • Toy FUN-damentals course will be established at 8 of the 15 campuses for Fall 2009 √ (see map) Internal Advisory Board has been established √ External Advisory Board has been established √ Ford Motor Company • Lockheed Martin • Trammell Crow Co. • Northrop Grumman • 4.0 CHALLENGES ■ Targeting STEM students: A large majority of the students in College Algebra (Math 22) are non-STEM students as indicated by line 2 on Tables 2 & 3. During 2005-08 approximately 4409 non-STEM students were enrolled in this course, compared to 952 STEM students. Any effort to improve performance in Math 22 broadly impacts both groups of students. Hence, optimizing funding resources to STEM students alone is a challenge. Table 2: Math Course Sequence for Students EVER¹ in a STEM major (2005-08) Sequence of Mathematics Courses Frequency Percent MATH 140 1822 34.73 MATH 022 952 18.15 MATH 022, MATH 026, MATH 140 659 12.56 MATH 022, MATH 026 609 11.61 MATH 140, MATH 140 183 3.49 MATH 026 138 2.63 Table 3: Math Course Sequence for Students NEVER² in a STEM major (2005-08) Sequence of Mathematics Courses Frequency Percent MATH 140 667 9.85 MATH 022 4409 65.08 MATH 022, MATH 026, MATH 140 192 2.83 MATH 022, MATH 026 482 7.11 MATH 140, MATH 140 35 0.52 MATH 026 168 2.48 ¹EVER denotes students who have at some time been in a STEM program ²NEVER denotes students who have never been in a STEM program ■ Uniform Grade Distribution: The grade distribution for STEM students in the pre- calculus courses (Math 22 & 26) is shown in Table 4. Approximately 900 of the 2800 students (one third) taking College Algebra receive a grade of D or lower on their first attempt. This is a key performance factor that will be used for tracking improvements in student performance. However, considering that the grade is assigned by over 30 faculty at 15 campuses, the consistency of the grade among the campuses is not clear. In order to standardize the student performance among the 15 campuses, uniform pre and post-tests are being piloted. Hence, implementing uniform standardized pre and post-tests among the 15 campuses will be a challenging task. Table 4: Grade Distribution for Students EVER¹ in a STEM major (2005-08) Student Grades in First Math Course A, A- B+, B, B- C, C- D, F, WF Withdrew No Grade All N %N N %N N %N N %N N %N N %N N First Math Course in Sequence MATH 022 655 23.09 705 24.85 570 20.09 699 24.64 206 7.26 2 0.07 2837 MATH 026 59 23.23 73 28.74 40 15.75 63 24.80 18 7.09 1 0.39 254 MATH 140 599 29.64 556 27.51 383 18.95 308 15.24 169 8.36 6 0.30 2021 ¹EVER denotes students who have at some time been in a STEM program ■ Faculty Buy-in: Over 45 faculty and staff among 15 campuses across the state of Pennsylvania (see map) are involved in this ambitious effort. Seeking broad buy-in from all campuses to implement a consistent retention strategy is of significant value. This requires consistent and open communication among the coalition members, and broad pro-active participation by all involved. We have made significant progress during the first 9 months of this project (2008-2009). Sustaining this momentum will be a top priority in the coming years. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 PERCENT OF STUDENTS CAMPUS No Longer Enrolled at Campus Enrolled in STM Fields Enrolled in BS Engineering Enrolled in Pre- Engineering Enrolled in Associate Degrees STEP Grantees Meeting, March 11, 2009 New York Ohio Maryland New Jersey Pennsylvania West Virginia
Transcript of for Retention in Engineering · The final project strategy involves evaluation of the other three...
Toys ‘n MORE
Toys & Mathematical Options for Retention in Engineering
Award # 0756992Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (STEP)Funding Period: July 15, 2008 - June 30, 2011The Pennsylvania State University
Dr. Dhushy Sathianathan (PI), [email protected] (Engineering)Dr. Amy Freeman, [email protected] (Engineering Diversity Programs)Professor Janice Margle, [email protected] (Engineering)Dr. Javier Gomez-Calderon, [email protected] (Mathematics)Dr. Jill Lane, [email protected] (Assessment)Ms. Suzanne Cross, [email protected] (Statistician)Mr. Yu-Chang Hsu, [email protected] (Assessment)Ms. Christina Rager, [email protected] (Staff)
2.0 STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE RETENTION
The objective of the TOYS ’n MORE program is to increase the retention of students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) by leveling the playing field through success in mathematics. The initiative involves four strategies:
Strategy I: Math TutoringThe Math Success through Tutoring program proposes to increase retention of students in mathematics course sequences leading to calculus courses by combining instructor intervention and supplemental instruction (tutoring) with personalized online tutorials. Coalition mathematics faculty will develop tutorials and the peer tutors, through the Learning Centers located at the coalition campuses, will host the tutoring sessions.
Strategy II: Toy FUN-damentalsToy FUN-damentals is a 1-credit or equivalent toy design course highly successful in engaging students in engineering design and prototyping. This course has proven to increase retention of women in the College of Engineering. A modified version of the course is implemented at the 15 coalition campus locations to meet the needs of local STEM fields. This course is open to all STEM field students.
Strategy III: Campus College ConnectionThis is a multi-step program designed to assist underrepresented minority students in transitioning from high school to college. This project supports the creation of locally customized summer bridge programs to be established at the 15 coalition schools.Strategy IV: Assessment & EvaluationThe research component is fundamental to determining the success of the change efforts of TOYS ’n MORE and to validate the process for wide dissemination. A combination of surveys, interviews, and analyses of a longitudinal database will address: 1) the extent to which TOYS ’n MORE improves students’ development of key mathematical competencies needed by STEM majors and 2) the extent to which the changes impact the retention rates of engineering and, in particular, the underrepresented students at the various locations.Table 1: Assessment instrument selection based on course and project strategy
Assessment Instrument Courses Project StrategyMATH
22MATH
26MATH
140Math
ProgramToy FUN-damentals
Campus College Connection
Demographic Info √ √ √ √ √ √Longitudinal Retention Tracking √ √ √ √ √ √Concept Inventory √ √ √Student Learning Gains √ √Scoring Rubrics √Student Focus Groups √ √ √Faculty Survey √
ABSTRACTThis project is implementing proven retention strategies across a statewide system in order to increase the number of STEM graduates, primarily in engineering. The first strategy involves combining instructor intervention and supplemental instruction to improve student success in introductory math courses. The supplemental instruction leverages a previously developed online tutorial system coupled with personalized tutoring. Through the second strategy, a proven course from the main campus known as Toy FUN-damentals, is being implemented among the statewide feeder campuses. The Toy FUN-damentals course has been shown to increase student interest in engineering, especially among women and underrepresented minorities. The third strategy is implementing programs aimed at assisting underrepresented minority students in making the transition from high school to college. The components of the transition program include a summer bridge program, peer mentoring, campus visits, student leadership conferences, college of engineering visitation, and a sophomore transition tour. The final project strategy involves evaluation of the other three strategies for continuous improvement. The evaluation plan uses a mixed-method, quasi-experimental design to assess the effects of each strategy and the overall success of the project. The results from the project are being disseminated broadly among the engineering education community. 1.0 VISION & SCOPEThis is a collaborative proposal among a coalition of 14 Penn State University campuses throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the College of Engineering at University Park. It seeks to increase retention of all students pursuing STEM degree programs, particularly those in engineering. The proposed strategies involve
1) providing individual attention and supplementary tutoring to students in introductory mathematics courses, 2) engaging students in the applications of science and mathematics by designing functional toys to be judged by primary or middle school students, and 3) supporting under-prepared students, minorities, and women through academic, social, and cultural activities.
1.1 The Coalition of 15 Penn State CampusesThis project is being launched in collaboration with 15 Penn State campuses (see map) and the College of Engineering at the University Park campus in State College, PA. With over 16,000 students at widely dispersed geographical locations throughout the state of Pennsylvania, the coalition campuses are an integral part of the Penn State system.The campuses are located in communities as diverse as their settings with a mixture of ethnic backgrounds, educational levels, and socio-economic strata. Several campuses are situated in regions economically devastated by continued loss of jobs in manufacturing and mining. Consequently, programs offered at the 14 coalition campuses are important to economic development across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.Collectively, the coalition campuses offer more than 16 different baccalaureate degrees and 14 associate degrees, including 9 programs in engineering and engineering technology and many more in various STEM fields. The coalition campuses also serve as feeder campuses for more than 100 STEM baccalaureate degree programs offered at University Park. As feeder campuses, they provide, in any one year, instruction for more than 1,900 students in introductory mathematics courses, of which more than 600 students will declare engineering as their preferred major.1.2 The Retention ChallengeThe coalition campuses, like many universities, have a significant percentage of students experiencing difficulty achieving success in mandated mathematics courses. In the pre-calculus courses (MATH 22 & 26), courses more relevant to the STEM students, the average pass rate (C or better) is 61 percent. This translates into 744 of the 1908 students in pre-calculus (Table 1) earning a grade lower than acceptable to pursue the calculus sequence. This project is targeted at improving the student performance in introductory pre-calculus mathematics courses (MATH 22 & 26), which lead to the first calculus course (MATH 140) so as to enhance retention of students in various STEM fields.1.2.1 Retention in First Two Years of Engineering ProgramAs illustrated in the map, the coalition campuses steadily attract a total of more than 600 first-year students who declare engineering as their preferred major. Figure 1 illustrates the enrollment patterns of these students two years later. On the average, 30 percent of the students continue to head towards a baccalaureate engineering degree and another 30 percent pursue other STEM fields at various locations in the system. On the other hand, approximately 35 percent of the first-year students who declare engineering as their preferred major dropout of the college altogether without pursuing other STEM fields. Examining the data over a period of three years, the total retention in engineering and other STEM fields is at a steady decline (70 percent in 2000 to 60 percent in 2003).
Figure 1: Retention in STEM fields two years after enrollment
1.2.2 Retention Among Underrepresented Engineering StudentsPresently, 140 to 160 incoming engineering first-year students are African American, Native or Hispanic. Over half begin their engineering degree at one of the 15 coalition campus locations. In 2001, the retention rate for these students after two years was approximately 13 percent. As a result, about 87 percent of these students were not completing degrees in any of the available STEM fields at Penn State. Barriers that contribute to attrition are complex. This proposal includes further enhancement of the retention of underrepresented engineering students within STEM fields by engaging administrators and faculty from the 15 coalition campuses in the Academic Summer Enhancement (ASE) Program.
PittsburghHarrisburg
University Park
Philadelphia
Penn State Beaver
2008/09 Campus Enrollment 731
Pre-Calculus Enrollment 129
Target Engineering Students 57
Mathematics Faculty Dr. Chris Wu
Learning Center Faculty Ms. Angela Fishman
Engineering Faculty Professor James Hendrickson
Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009
Toy FUN-damentals Program WILL START FALL 2009
Penn State Abington
2008/09 Campus Enrollment 3,141
Pre-Calculus Enrollment 372
Target Engineering Students 108
Mathematics Faculty Dr. Kenneth Johnson
Learning Center Faculty Ms. Anne Prior
Engineering Faculty Dr. Robert Avanzato
Math Tutorial Program NOT STARTED
Toy FUN-damentals Program NOT STARTEDPenn State Brandywine
2008/09 Campus Enrollment 1,631
Pre-Calculus Enrollment 142
Target Engineering Students 98
Mathematics Faculty Dr. Charles Helou
Learning Center Faculty Ms. Janeen Madison
Engineering Faculty Dr. Asad Azemi & Dr. Ivan Esparragoza
Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009
Toy FUN-damentals Program WILL START FALL 2009
Penn State DuBois
2008/09 Campus Enrollment 811
Pre-Calculus Enrollment 69
Target Engineering Students 14
Mathematics Faculty Dr. Richard Brazier
Learning Center Faculty Ms. Jackie Atkins
Engineering Faculty Dr. Craig Stringer
Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009
Toy FUN-damentals Program WILL START FALL 2009
Penn State Fayette
2008/09 Campus Enrollment 1,057
Pre-Calculus Enrollment 68
Target Engineering Students 19
Mathematics Faculty Dr. Kevin Maxwell
Learning Center Faculty Ms. Mary Walters
Engineering Faculty Professor Nathaniel Bohna
Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009
Toy FUN-damentals Program WILL START FALL 2009
Penn State Greater Allegheny
2008/09 Campus Enrollment 761
Pre-Calculus Enrollment 111
Target Engineering Students 38
Mathematics Faculty Dr. Kristen Kokal
Learning Center Faculty Ms. Dinah Marcinik
Engineering Faculty Dr. Eric Lipsky
Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009
Toy FUN-damentals Program WILL START FALL 2009
Penn State Lehigh Valley
2008/09 Campus Enrollment 758
Pre-Calculus Enrollment 102
Target Engineering Students 56
Mathematics Faculty Dr. Todd Retzlaff
Learning Center Faculty Ms. Linda Rumfield
Engineering Faculty Dr. Robert Sentz & Dr. Kevin McFall
Math Tutorial Program NOT STARTED
Toy FUN-damentals Program NOT STARTED
Penn State Hazleton
2008/09 Campus Enrollment 1,143
Pre-Calculus Enrollment 209
Target Engineering Students 79
Mathematics Faculty Dr. Marlene Guers
Learning Center Faculty Ms. Jane Waitkus
Engineering Faculty Dr. Shaobiao Cai & Dr. Wes Grebski
Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009
Toy FUN-damentals Program WILL START FALL 2009
Penn State Mont Alto
2008/09 Campus Enrollment 1,032
Pre-Calculus Enrollment 129
Target Engineering Students 45
Mathematics Faculty Dr. Deborah Mirdamadi
Learning Center Faculty Mr. Jack Ebersole
Engineering Faculty Dr. Siegfried Herzog
Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009
Toy FUN-damentals Program NOT STARTED
Penn State New Kensington
2008/09 Campus Enrollment 856
Pre-Calculus Enrollment 97
Target Engineering Students 35
Mathematics Faculty Dr. Javier Gomez-Calderon
Learning Center Faculty Mr. Laurie Kamenic
Engineering Faculty Professor Ron Land
Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009
Toy FUN-damentals Program NOT STARTED
Penn State York
2008/09 Campus Enrollment 1,672
Pre-Calculus Enrollment 119
Target Engineering Students 50
Mathematics Faculty Dr. Terry Allison
Learning Center Faculty Ms. Cora Dzubak
Engineering Faculty Dr. Charles Gaston
Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009
Toy FUN-damentals Program NOT STARTED
Penn State Schuylkill
2008/09 Campus Enrollment 911
Pre-Calculus Enrollment 111
Target Engineering Students 25
Mathematics Faculty Dr. Ping Wang
Learning Center Faculty Ms. Joyce Zajac
Engineering Faculty Professor Thomas Cleary
Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009
Toy FUN-damentals Program NOT STARTED
Penn State Shenango
2008/09 Campus Enrollment 893
Pre-Calculus Enrollment 44
Target Engineering Students 7
Mathematics Faculty Dr. Suguna Selvarj
Learning Center Faculty Ms. Julie Padaimas
Engineering Faculty Professor Daniel Styduhar
Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009
Toy FUN-damentals Program WILL START FALL 2009
Penn State Wilkes-Barre
2008/09 Campus Enrollment 728
Pre-Calculus Enrollment 97
Target Engineering Students 39
Mathematics Faculty Dr. Daniel Blessner
Learning Center Faculty Ms. Walteen Truly
Engineering Faculty Dr. Jon Carson
Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009
Toy FUN-damentals Program WILL START FALL 2009
Penn State Worthington-Scranton
2008/09 Campus Enrollment 1,294
Pre-Calculus Enrollment 177
Target Engineering Students 46
Mathematics Faculty Dr. Bagisa Mukherjee
Learning Center Faculty Ms. Marissa Curtin
Engineering Faculty Professor Tina Merli
Math Tutorial Program STARTED SPRING 2009
Toy FUN-damentals Program NOT STARTED
3.0 IMPLEMENTATION PROGRESS
Project Teams at 15 campuses has been established (see map) √Math Tutoring Program has been established at 13 of the 15 campuses for Spring √2009 (see map)
A total of 1,502 students in pre-calculus courses are impacted by this effort• Toy FUN-damentals course will be established at 8 of the 15 campuses for Fall 2009 √(see map)Internal Advisory Board has been established √External Advisory Board has been established √
Ford Motor Company• Lockheed Martin• Trammell Crow Co.• Northrop Grumman•
4.0 CHALLENGES
■ Targeting STEM students: A large majority of the students in College Algebra (Math 22) are non-STEM students as indicated by line 2 on Tables 2 & 3. During 2005-08 approximately 4409 non-STEM students were enrolled in this course, compared to 952 STEM students. Any effort to improve performance in Math 22 broadly impacts both groups of students. Hence, optimizing funding resources to STEM students alone is a challenge.Table 2: Math Course Sequence for Students EVER¹ in a STEM major (2005-08)
Sequence of Mathematics Courses Frequency PercentMATH 140 1822 34.73MATH 022 952 18.15MATH 022, MATH 026, MATH 140 659 12.56MATH 022, MATH 026 609 11.61MATH 140, MATH 140 183 3.49MATH 026 138 2.63
Table 3: Math Course Sequence for Students NEVER² in a STEM major (2005-08)
Sequence of Mathematics Courses Frequency PercentMATH 140 667 9.85MATH 022 4409 65.08
MATH 022, MATH 026, MATH 140 192 2.83
MATH 022, MATH 026 482 7.11MATH 140, MATH 140 35 0.52MATH 026 168 2.48
¹EVER denotes students who have at some time been in a STEM program
²NEVER denotes students who have never been in a STEM program
■ Uniform Grade Distribution: The grade distribution for STEM students in the pre-calculus courses (Math 22 & 26) is shown in Table 4. Approximately 900 of the 2800 students (one third) taking College Algebra receive a grade of D or lower on their first attempt. This is a key performance factor that will be used for tracking improvements in student performance. However, considering that the grade is assigned by over 30 faculty at 15 campuses, the consistency of the grade among the campuses is not clear. In order to standardize the student performance among the 15 campuses, uniform pre and post-tests are being piloted. Hence, implementing uniform standardized pre and post-tests among the 15 campuses will be a challenging task. Table 4: Grade Distribution for Students EVER¹ in a STEM major (2005-08)
Student Grades in First Math CourseA, A- B+, B, B- C, C- D, F, WF Withdrew No Grade AllN %N N %N N %N N %N N %N N %N N
First Math Course in SequenceMATH 022 655 23.09 705 24.85 570 20.09 699 24.64 206 7.26 2 0.07 2837MATH 026 59 23.23 73 28.74 40 15.75 63 24.80 18 7.09 1 0.39 254MATH 140 599 29.64 556 27.51 383 18.95 308 15.24 169 8.36 6 0.30 2021
¹EVER denotes students who have at some time been in a STEM program
■ Faculty Buy-in: Over 45 faculty and staff among 15 campuses across the state of Pennsylvania (see map) are involved in this ambitious effort. Seeking broad buy-in from all campuses to implement a consistent retention strategy is of significant value. This requires consistent and open communication among the coalition members, and broad pro-active participation by all involved. We have made significant progress during the first 9 months of this project (2008-2009). Sustaining this momentum will be a top priority in the coming years.
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STEP Grantees Meeting, March 11, 2009
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