MATH 101: An Adaptive Remedial Course

Alberth Alvarado; Jose Portillo; Byron Linares Roman

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Conference: 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Start Date: June 26, 2022
End Date: June 29, 2022
Conference Session: Remediation and Curricular Changes to Improve Student Learning and Outcomes
Page Count: 20
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--40581
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/40581
Download Count: 765

Head of the Teaching Assistants Department and PhD Student at Universidad Galileo

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Byron Linares Roman

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Abstract

In Guatemala, the deficiencies in the area of mathematics shown by most high school students are shocking. According to the Guatemalan Ministry of Education, in 2019, only 1 out of 10 high school seniors obtained a satisfactory result in the standardized mathematics test administered by that institution [1]. As a result, some of the students willing to accomplish their dream of becoming engineers are part of that group. However, their lack of a strong background in mathematics is the first obstacle they face during their freshman year. This situation is not an exception in our institution, where we typically obtain low pass rates in the first mathematics course offered for engineering majors. Therefore, offering remedial mathematics courses for first-year engineering students is a must. [2]

Intending to solve the aforementioned problem, we introduce MATH 101, an innovative remedial mathematics course for first-year engineering students. The main objective of this course is to strengthen the student’s mathematical background while taking into account his particular strengths and areas of opportunity. To achieve this, MATH 101 has two key characteristics: it is virtual and adaptive, i.e., based upon a diagnostic test and constant assessment, it presents to each student virtual learning modules adapted to his own needs. Each virtual learning module is composed of short video lectures and a worksheet with problems and exercises. The video lectures are intended for presenting the theory and examples of the topic under discussion, while the worksheets constantly evaluate the student's progress.

MATH 101 was developed over our Learning Management System (LMS) called Galileo Education System (GES). It is worth emphasizing that MATH 101 has many available resources for the student. In particular, it has more than 70 virtual learning modules, more than 330 videos, a bank with over 2100 problems, and a discussion board where students can post questions related to the course material. Notice that, since all of these resources were designed and created by us, the course has the intended focus, and it exactly covers all the topics required by the students to succeed in our first engineering mathematics course. This is a key difference between our approach and proprietary platforms intended for the same use. Even better, there are no membership costs associated.

In this paper, we discuss all the details regarding the course content, structure, and implementation. Moreover, the nitty-gritty of the pedagogical aspects regarding the Learn by Doing teaching methodology [3] followed in this course is also addressed in the paper. We conclude the discussion by summarizing the future improvements to implement in MATH 101.

References:

[1] Dirección General de Evaluación e Investigación Educativa - Ministerio de Educación de Guatemala, " Comunicado de prensa Digeduca No. 5 – 2019. Ministerio de Educación presenta los resultados de la evaluación Graduandos 2019", 2019.

[2] S. Twombly and W. N. Grubb, “Honored but invisible: An inside look at teaching in community colleges”, J. Higher Educ., vol. 72, no. 3, p. 379, 2001, doi: 10.2307/2649341.

[3] H. W. Reese, “The learning-by-doing principle”, Behavioral Development Bulletin, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 1–19, 2011, doi: 10.1037/h0100597.

Citation
Format

Alvarado, A., & Portillo, J., & Linares Roman, B. (2022, August), MATH 101: An Adaptive Remedial Course Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--40581

TY - CPAPER
AB - In Guatemala, the deficiencies in the area of mathematics shown by most high school students are shocking. According to the Guatemalan Ministry of Education, in 2019, only 1 out of 10 high school seniors obtained a satisfactory result in the standardized mathematics test administered by that institution [1]. As a result, some of the students willing to accomplish their dream of becoming engineers are part of that group. However, their lack of a strong background in mathematics is the first obstacle they face during their freshman year. This situation is not an exception in our institution, where we typically obtain low pass rates in the first mathematics course offered for engineering majors. Therefore, offering remedial mathematics courses for first-year engineering students is a must. [2]

Intending to solve the aforementioned problem, we introduce MATH 101, an innovative remedial mathematics course for first-year engineering students. The main objective of this course is to strengthen the student’s mathematical background while taking into account his particular strengths and areas of opportunity. To achieve this, MATH 101 has two key characteristics: it is virtual and adaptive, i.e., based upon a diagnostic test and constant assessment, it presents to each student virtual learning modules adapted to his own needs. Each virtual learning module is composed of short video lectures and a worksheet with problems and exercises. The video lectures are intended for presenting the theory and examples of the topic under discussion, while the worksheets constantly evaluate the student's progress.

MATH 101 was developed over our Learning Management System (LMS) called Galileo Education System (GES). It is worth emphasizing that MATH 101 has many available resources for the student. In particular, it has more than 70 virtual learning modules, more than 330 videos, a bank with over 2100 problems, and a discussion board where students can post questions related to the course material. Notice that, since all of these resources were designed and created by us, the course has the intended focus, and it exactly covers all the topics required by the students to succeed in our first engineering mathematics course. This is a key difference between our approach and proprietary platforms intended for the same use. Even better, there are no membership costs associated.

In this paper, we discuss all the details regarding the course content, structure, and implementation. Moreover, the nitty-gritty of the pedagogical aspects regarding the Learn by Doing teaching methodology [3] followed in this course is also addressed in the paper. We conclude the discussion by summarizing the future improvements to implement in MATH 101.

References:

[1] Dirección General de Evaluación e Investigación Educativa - Ministerio de Educación de Guatemala, " Comunicado de prensa Digeduca No. 5 – 2019. Ministerio de Educación presenta los resultados de la evaluación Graduandos 2019", 2019.

[2] S. Twombly and W. N. Grubb, “Honored but invisible: An inside look at teaching in community colleges”, J. Higher Educ., vol. 72, no. 3, p. 379, 2001, doi: 10.2307/2649341.

[3] H. W. Reese, “The learning-by-doing principle”, Behavioral Development Bulletin, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 1–19, 2011, doi: 10.1037/h0100597.
AU - Alberth Alvarado
AU - Jose Portillo
AU - Byron Linares Roman
CY - Minneapolis, MN
DA - 2022/08/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - MATH 101: An Adaptive Remedial Course
UR - https://peer.asee.org/40581
DO - 10.18260/1-2--40581
ER -