Jump Start Your Students with a Summer Bridge Program

1. Jump Start Your Students with a Summer Bridge Program Dr. Anne E. Edlin aedlin@cecil.edu Patty Voigt pvoigt@cecil.edu Cecil College, MD

2. Background Cecil College is a small rural community college located in the upper eastern shore of Maryland We serve more than 2,800 credit students and 6,500 continuing education students We offer more than 100 degrees and certificates

3. Cecil’s Math Sequence • As per Maryland’s requirements students must pass Intermediate Algebra before entering a college-level math class • Developmental Math is broken into 3 levels • Math 91 – Basic Mathematics • Math 92 – Introductory Algebra • Math 93 – Intermediate Algebra

4. Math Placement • All students are required to take a Skills Assessment in Math and English unless they have alternate credit such as AP scores, CLEP, Dantes or transfer credit • Some students chose not to take the test and just start in the lowest level of developmental math • In 2009 of the students who took the Skills Assessment • 9% placed in college-level math • 15% placed in our highest level of developmental math • 42% placed in our mid-level developmental math • 34% placed in the lowest level of math

5. Problem Within 3 semesters only 43% of students who attempted math 91 had passed For math 92 we were at 35% For math 93 we were at 59% In addition some students avoid taking any math class for as long as they possibly can Basically we needed to improve participation and our pass rates, or they would never get out of here

6. First Step to Solution - NCAT In Fall 2010 we obtained a grant from National Center for Academic Transformation (NCAT) to implement an Emporium Model redesign on our Developmental Math Sequence All courses were moved to a semi-self paced modular system using MyMathLab Students could start a course where they left off, or complete more than one course in a semester

7. Redesign implementation All three levels are together in the same computer classroom Each of the three courses is broken down into 4 modules There is a recommended schedule for completion, but students may work through the material at their own pace (slower or faster) Instructors and tutors are on hand to provide help

8. What we saw Students were able to go faster through material they were comfortable with. It became clear that many students really did just need a quick review to get them back up to speed After seeing several presentations at AMATYC 2011 on Math Boot Camps and other summer intervention programs we were inspired to create our own

9. Summer Bridge We presented the idea of a Math Boot camp to our fellow faculty in December of 2011 We were invited to work with our English faculty on their plans for a Summer Bridge Program The program would include Study Skills and a choice of a Math or English track, both at the developmental level

10. Solution Part 2 - MHEC Cecil College obtained a grant from the Maryland Higher Education Committee to create and implement our Summer Bridge Program The program wasfree to eligible students and itallowed them to receive credit for our College Success Seminar The first week dealt with study skills and the second week would be concentrated on either Math or English

11. Math Boot Camp Students were given a packet containing formulas and examples of key concepts In addition, after completing the program, they could retake the Skills Assessment and hopefully improve their placement Our colleague, Joe Kupresanin, created a Pep Talk video with interviews of students who had successfully completed their developmental math sequence

12. Success for Math 17 % of Students were moved up one or modules in their current developmental math course 28 % of students moved up one course 11 % of students in the Math track moved up 2 courses after Summer Bridge Overall 56% of students reduced the amount of math they had to take to graduate

13. Keeping the program moving In January we decided to offer an abbreviated version of our Summer Bridge Math Program Math Jump Start was born This two day (8 hours total) program provided students with math specific study skills, mini math lectures and additional time to work on their course materials Day and evening sections were offered

14. Math Jump Start The program was open to all developmental math students both new and continuing Those who had been unsuccessful in the Fall semester were especially encouraged to attend Students were given a copy of Math Study Skills by Alan Bass (courtesy of our MHEC grant) We also updated and expanded on our handouts from Summer Bridge

15. How Summer Bridge and Jump Start Differed Jump Start Two days with 1 hour of study skills and 3 hours of math each day We used MyMathLab so students could complete work for their specific course Summer Bridge • One week of study skills followed by one week of mathematics for 4 hours a day • We used MyMathTest to allow students to evaluate where they were and then focus on problem areas

16. Crazy Analogy Time • During Math Jump Start we used the analogy of a road trip • We talked about • Getting organized for your trip • Starting off on the right road • Traffic jams, detours and flat tires • What to do when a cop pulls you over (Test time) • Our handouts became the Comprehensive Algebra Review (CAR).

17. Comprehensive Algebra Review The following slides are samples from the CAR.

18. The Metric System

19. Greatest Common Divisor Method 2: The Ladder Method We look for each prime factor of the numbers and divide it out, if possible. If a factor does not divide evenly into a number then it remains unchanged. We circle any number that goes into all the numbers. We repeat until the value in all the columns is 1. Finally we take the product of all the circled factors when we are done. GCD=2×2×3=12

20. Interval Notation • When the solution to an inequality is a set of numbers we often give the answer in the form of interval notation. All the examples to the right show the same sets described with an inequality and with interval notation.

21. CAR goes far • The Comprehensive Algebra Review is now used in most of our classes • They are handed out in all Developmental Math Courses • Most Pre-calculus instructors give their students a copy • My Calculus I students almost all wanted a copy when offered • The Continuing Education Division is now also using the CAR as a supplement in their classes

22. Teaching Study Skills The following slides are from our the study skills portion of our Jump Start materials

23. Meeting the time requirement Prioritize your Life To succeed in college, studying often must be a top priority. You must schedule study time Use a Day Planner or Organizer

24. Getting organized for your trip Where will you write out your work for problems? How will you label it so you can find it again easily? Are you using the resources you will be allowed on tests? Set yourself a goal (1 hour a day is generally better than 1 unit a day)

25. Traffic jams, detours, flat tires… When things don’t go as planned

26. The Challenge “I have never been good at math” “Math has never been a subject I have really excelled at” “Math is my worst subject”

27. The Solution • I am no good at basketball • I’ve played one game my whole life • And that was 20 years ago • How could I get good (not brilliant, just good) • Set up a hoop in my back yard • Find someone who is willing to play with a beginner • Practice every day Persistence is key

28. The Challenge “I procrastinate” “I fall behind” “Math is such a challenge I don’t feel like dealing with it”

29. The Solution Mentally commit, in your head, to pass your math classes – that means doing what it take to sufficiently learn the material Take your math courses when you’re most focused – early, mid, or late in the day Block out time in your weekly schedule to work on math – 1 to 2 hour chunks, that’s it Work on math every (almost) day

30. Math Test Anxiety A learned behavior from the expectations of parents, teachers, others An association of grades with your own self-worth Fear of being alienated by parents, friends due to poor grades Lack of control or an inability to change your life situation Being embarrassed by the teacher or others when trying to do math Timed tests & not being able to finish Being put into math courses above your level

31. Myths Students are born with math anxiety Math anxiety is a mental illness Math anxiety cannot be reduced Any level of anxiety is a problem Students with math anxiety cannot learn math Very intelligent students do not have math anxiety Doing nothing about math anxiety will make it go away

32. “I wasn’t doing anything wrong officer.” A cop just pulled you over

33. Test Taking Skills Homework and Quizzes Brain Pencil and eraser Textbook Notes Help me solve this View an example Instructor Tutor Calculator Formula Sheet Comprehensive Algebra Review handout Your friends/class mates Instant feedback for homework Test Brain Pencil and eraser Calculator Formula Sheet

34. Results from January 2013 Jump Start

35. Jump Start Success 13% of students went up one course or more 6% of students moved up two courses

36. Our bump in the road We applied for an MHEC grant again for Summer Bridge 2013, but sadly did not receive one As we wished to keep the program free to students we could not afford the full program without a grant We decided to run another session of Math Jump Start instead Cecil College Academic Programs agreed to fund our two day program

37. Jump Start Round 2 We found that 4 hours was too long, so we cut the program down to 3 hours each day We ran a day and evening session We switched from Monday/Wednesday to Tuesday/Thursday so it was easier to remind students they had signed up Still free to students

38. Improvements to Our Courses • During this time we have continued to improve and refine our developmental sequence • One big change was adding Diagnostic Tests to each Module • Topics successfully completed in the diagnostic were eliminated from the required homework • Students who did well on a diagnostic were encouraged to test out of the corresponding Module

39. Math Lectures Each day we gave two math lectures one aimed at the lower levels of Dev. Ed. and one for our more advanced students The topics were based on the most common trouble spots for students Students could pick which one to attend

40. Lecture topics • Day 1 • Solving Linear equations and words to symbols • Equation of a Line • Day 2 • Fractions, decimals and percentages • Systems of equations

41. Data from Aug 2013 • 7% moved up from Math 92 to College Level • 13% moved up from Math 91 to Math 92 • 20% of students moved up one or more courses • One of our Jump Start Students completed their entire Math 91 course in under 1 month

42. Student’s view of the program 43% feel less anxious about math 71% feel more confident in their math ability 85% felt they had a head start on their Fall 2013 math class 86% felt their study skills had improved

43. Lessons learned A little help goes a long way Free isn’t always a good thing The weather is a pain in the neck

44. Jump Start Round 3 • Our plans for January 2014’s Jump Start Program • Charge the students a small fee to attend • Students who complete the program receive a voucher for the book store in the amount of the fee that was charged • Continue with 3 hours per day for two days • Make the study skills more interactive so the students connect more with each other

45. Thanks NCAT MHEC Cecil College Joe Kupresanin (fellow instructor) Shawn Berkeridge (tutor) Math Department English Department Academic Advising

46. Contact Information Dr. Anne E. Edlin aedlin@cecil.edu Patty Voigt pvoigt@cecil.edu