Dr.Traveler
Mathematician
- Aug 31, 2009
- 3,948
- 652
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On a serious topic:
Remedial Math and English is a big deal currently on College campuses everywhere. Remedial Math and English doesn't just cater to students with weak high school backgrounds, but also to those that are returning after time in the work force and looking to get a degree.
Success rates in such courses are historically terrible. And by terrible, I mean really bad. I've talked to colleagues that have experienced 50% DFW (D, F, or Withdraw) rates. I myself had a class of 50 in such a class, straight out of Grad school, that had that very rate. I "lost" 20 students who just withdrew when they figured out they couldn't catch up. I had around 5 fail to get a passing grade. I've known folks that can quote 70% DFW rates.
Not only that, such courses account for an obscene amount of the departmental budget. Many schools offer 20+ sections of such courses a semester tying up valuable manpower and money.
Tightening budgets and a desire to better address student's needs have led to massive "Redesign" movements in many fields. Online homework systems, online classes, modular design, etc have led to substantial turn arounds in the success of these courses for reduced cost to run such courses.
This is of course not a perfect solution for everyone, but it is helping, and yes, at the college level we are trying. You might want to check out the NCAT's Redesign Alliance at NCAT: Increasing Success in Developmental Math Workshop This program addresses remedial courses in Math, English, Science, and even introductory foreign languages.
Remedial Math and English is a big deal currently on College campuses everywhere. Remedial Math and English doesn't just cater to students with weak high school backgrounds, but also to those that are returning after time in the work force and looking to get a degree.
Success rates in such courses are historically terrible. And by terrible, I mean really bad. I've talked to colleagues that have experienced 50% DFW (D, F, or Withdraw) rates. I myself had a class of 50 in such a class, straight out of Grad school, that had that very rate. I "lost" 20 students who just withdrew when they figured out they couldn't catch up. I had around 5 fail to get a passing grade. I've known folks that can quote 70% DFW rates.
Not only that, such courses account for an obscene amount of the departmental budget. Many schools offer 20+ sections of such courses a semester tying up valuable manpower and money.
Tightening budgets and a desire to better address student's needs have led to massive "Redesign" movements in many fields. Online homework systems, online classes, modular design, etc have led to substantial turn arounds in the success of these courses for reduced cost to run such courses.
This is of course not a perfect solution for everyone, but it is helping, and yes, at the college level we are trying. You might want to check out the NCAT's Redesign Alliance at NCAT: Increasing Success in Developmental Math Workshop This program addresses remedial courses in Math, English, Science, and even introductory foreign languages.