Examining the Effect of Changing College Algebra Curriculum on Underprepared Engineering Students

Gretchen Scroggin; Heath Aren Schluterman

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Conference: 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Publication Date: June 22, 2025
Start Date: June 22, 2025
End Date: August 15, 2025
Conference Session: First-Year Programs Division (FPD) Technical Session 12: Bridging the Gap - Strategies to Support Diverse Learners in Early Engineering Courses
Tagged Division: First-Year Programs Division (FPD)
Page Count: 12
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/56470

Paper Authors

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Gretchen Scroggin University of Arkansas

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An Instructor in the First-Year Engineering Program at the University of Arkansas. I teach courses such as Fundamentals of Successes in Engineering Study and Introduction to Engineering I/II.

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Heath Aren Schluterman University of Arkansas

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Dr. Heath Schluterman is a Teaching Associate Professor and the Coordinator for the First-Year Engineering Program at the University of Arkansas. Dr. Schluterman completed his B.S. and Ph.D in Chemical Engineering at the University of

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Abstract

This Evidence-based Practice paper will describe the effects of changing college algebra curriculum on underprepared first-year engineering students and their subsequent courses. The College of Engineering at a land grant, public university offers open enrollment, allowing any student who meets the university’s admission criteria to join the engineering program. The Department of Mathematics determines the initial math placement of these students using a variety of standardized tests, including ACT/SAT Math scores, an optional ALEKS math placement exam, and recently factoring in their high school GPA. Currently 20% of our incoming engineering students begin in College Algebra (two math classes behind where they optimality would start) and are considered underprepared. At our university there are currently three tiers of college algebra embedded with different levels of remediation that have 3, 4, or 5 contact hours a week with an instructor (and worth 3, 4 and 5-credit hours respectively). Typically, students who enrolled in the 5-credit hour college algebra scored below a 19 on the ACT, students who enrolled in the 4-credit hour course scored 19-21 on the ACT, and students in the 3-credit hour course have a 22-25 on the ACT. These courses share the same objectives, but before Fall 2023, the way the topics were presented to students differed. The 4- and 5-credit hour courses utilized ALEKS system by McGraw Hill while the 3-credit hour course utilized MyLab Math (MLM) by Pearson. In Fall of 2023, the Department of Mathematics transitioned the 3-credit hour course to ALEKS to improve coordination between the three tiers of College Algebra. MyLab Math by Pearson is a digital platform that enables instructors to create online assessments and assignments. It provides a variety of data to help instructors customize their courses and tailor the content to meet the needs of specific student groups. Exercises and problems in MyLab Math reflect the approach and learning style of a textbook, and regenerate problems algorithmically to give students unlimited opportunity for practice and mastery. [1] Similarly, ALEKS by McGraw Hill is another digital platform that allows instructors to build assessments and track student performance. However, the key difference between the two is that ALEKS uses an adaptive learning approach, requiring students to demonstrate mastery of a topic before progressing to the next. The aim of this paper is to examine how the transition to ALEKS in Fall 2023 impacted the progression of first-year engineering students that are required to take college algebra compared to the previous two years. We will compare the 3-credit hour College Algebra pass rates and the GPA’s. Preliminary results show that engineering students passed the ALEKS course at a 4.39% higher rate than the previous year (up from 84.4%). While all students taking College Algebra passed at a 7.05% higher rate (up from 81.6%). We also examined the pass rates and grade distributions of our students who continued to Precalculus and University Chemistry I in the following semester to see if a different algebra foundation helped them through these critical courses. Initial results indicate no significant difference in pass rates for students who completed the 3-credit hour College Algebra course, whether using MyLab Math or ALEKS, in their subsequent courses.

1. Students, Learn About MyLab Math (pearsoncmg.com)

Citation
Format

Scroggin, G., & Schluterman, H. A. (2025, June), Examining the Effect of Changing College Algebra Curriculum on Underprepared Engineering Students Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Montreal, Quebec, Canada . https://peer.asee.org/56470

TY - CPAPER
AB - This Evidence-based Practice paper will describe the effects of changing college algebra curriculum on underprepared first-year engineering students and their subsequent courses.
The College of Engineering at a land grant, public university offers open enrollment, allowing any student who meets the university’s admission criteria to join the engineering program. The Department of Mathematics determines the initial math placement of these students using a variety of standardized tests, including ACT/SAT Math scores, an optional ALEKS math placement exam, and recently factoring in their high school GPA. Currently 20% of our incoming engineering students begin in College Algebra (two math classes behind where they optimality would start) and are considered underprepared. At our university there are currently three tiers of college algebra embedded with different levels of remediation that have 3, 4, or 5 contact hours a week with an instructor (and worth 3, 4 and 5-credit hours respectively). Typically, students who enrolled in the 5-credit hour college algebra scored below a 19 on the ACT, students who enrolled in the 4-credit hour course scored 19-21 on the ACT, and students in the 3-credit hour course have a 22-25 on the ACT. These courses share the same objectives, but before Fall 2023, the way the topics were presented to students differed. The 4- and 5-credit hour courses utilized ALEKS system by McGraw Hill while the 3-credit hour course utilized MyLab Math (MLM) by Pearson. In Fall of 2023, the Department of Mathematics transitioned the 3-credit hour course to ALEKS to improve coordination between the three tiers of College Algebra.
MyLab Math by Pearson is a digital platform that enables instructors to create online assessments and assignments. It provides a variety of data to help instructors customize their courses and tailor the content to meet the needs of specific student groups. Exercises and problems in MyLab Math reflect the approach and learning style of a textbook, and regenerate problems algorithmically to give students unlimited opportunity for practice and mastery. [1] Similarly, ALEKS by McGraw Hill is another digital platform that allows instructors to build assessments and track student performance. However, the key difference between the two is that ALEKS uses an adaptive learning approach, requiring students to demonstrate mastery of a topic before progressing to the next.
The aim of this paper is to examine how the transition to ALEKS in Fall 2023 impacted the progression of first-year engineering students that are required to take college algebra compared to the previous two years. We will compare the 3-credit hour College Algebra pass rates and the GPA’s. Preliminary results show that engineering students passed the ALEKS course at a 4.39% higher rate than the previous year (up from 84.4%). While all students taking College Algebra passed at a 7.05% higher rate (up from 81.6%). We also examined the pass rates and grade distributions of our students who continued to Precalculus and University Chemistry I in the following semester to see if a different algebra foundation helped them through these critical courses. Initial results indicate no significant difference in pass rates for students who completed the 3-credit hour College Algebra course, whether using MyLab Math or ALEKS, in their subsequent courses.

1. Students, Learn About MyLab Math (pearsoncmg.com)
AU - Gretchen Scroggin
AU - Heath Aren Schluterman
CY - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
DA - 2025/06/22
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Examining the Effect of Changing College Algebra Curriculum on Underprepared Engineering Students
UR - https://peer.asee.org/56470
ER -