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Establishing Consistent Standards Across Campuses and Modalities

Establishing Consistent Standards Across Campuses and Modalities. AMATYC 33 rd Annual Conference Clark Brown, Mohave Community College Mark Marino, Erie Community College. Consistent Academic Standards. Essential to Retention in Mathematics Challenges to obtaining: Multi-campus environment

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Establishing Consistent Standards Across Campuses and Modalities

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  1. Establishing Consistent Standards Across Campuses and Modalities AMATYC 33rd Annual Conference Clark Brown, Mohave Community College Mark Marino, Erie Community College

  2. Consistent Academic Standards • Essential to Retention in Mathematics • Challenges to obtaining: • Multi-campus environment • Onground vs. Online courses • Heavy dependence upon adjunct faculty

  3. Consistent Academic Standards • In this presentation we will explore strategies implemented at Mohave Community College in Arizona to promote consistent standards among all faculty across campuses in both onground and online offerings.

  4. The Need For Consistent Standards At Mohave Community College • Rural Community College • 5th Largest County in U.S. • 13,500 sq. miles • 4 Main Campuses • Lake Havasu • Bullhead City • Kingman • Colorado City

  5. Lake Havasu Bullhead City Kingman Colorado City Service area is 1/3 larger than the state of Massachusetts

  6. The Need For Consistent Standards At Mohave Community College • Rapid Population Growth in County • Population has doubled in past 15 years • Diverse Population • 12.9% Hispanic • 4 Indian Reservations • 15.4% Below Poverty Level • Educational Level • 9.9% of population has a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with 24.4% of U.S. (2000 census)

  7. The Need For Consistent Standards At Mohave Community College • Heavily Dependent Upon Adjunct Faculty • 58.8% of onground math courses taught by adjunct faculty (spring 2007) • 91.7% of online math courses taught by adjunct faculty (spring 2007) • Rural area contributes to shortage of local adjunct faculty meeting minimum qualifications.

  8. The Need For Consistent Standards At Mohave Community College • Increasing demand for distance education • Make higher education accessible to rural constituents. • 15% of math sections offered online spring 2007.

  9. Establishing Consistent Standards • To promote consistent standards and enhance student retention the math faculty began standardizing curriculum: • Common Textbook • Common Topics to be covered • Specify for each course what sections from the textbook are required and which are optional.

  10. Establishing Consistent Standards • Common Final Exams and Exam Reviews • All online and any course taught by more than one instructor. • Use publisher’s test-generating software to easily update from semester to semester. • Common Grading Parameters • Common Graphing Calculator Requirement.

  11. Establishing Consistent Standards • Over time this information developed into a “Math Faculty Guidelines” document that also included: • Syllabus requirements • Information about exams • Grading standards • Calculator usage at different levels • Class preparation, delivery, organization and management

  12. Establishing Consistent Standards • These guidelines now folded into college wide standardized “Course Packages”. • Detailed course outline • Teachers guide to assist new and adjunct faculty • Common course materials • Common grading rubrics • Common Syllabus Template • Common Online Platform

  13. Institution Faculty Students Mohave Distance Education

  14. Background of Online Math Courses • Majority of mathematics courses are offered online • Courses are offered during the Fall, Spring and Summer terms • Primarily taught by adjunct faculty from around the United States • Consistent standards, policies and procedures ensure high levels of quality for online courses

  15. Online Mathematics Faculty Guidelines • Syllabi Information • Material to be covered • Information about Examinations • Grading Standards • Instructional Strategies/Techniques • Calculator Usage • Outcomes Assessment • Homework • Class preparation, delivery, management • Resource contact information

  16. Standard Grading Policy All online math courses use a standard grading policy: • On-Campus Proctored Final Exam (35%)* • On-Campus Proctored Midterm Exam (30%) • Online Objective Weekly Quizzes (15%) • Online Homework (15%) • Discussions (10%) *Students must score > 50% on the final exam in order to receive a satisfactory grade in the course

  17. On-Campus Exams • On-Campus Proctored Final Exam and Midterm are offered on all four campuses • 65% of the final grade is determined by the on-campus midterm and final exam • Maintains integrity of the course • Offered over two-days (Friday & Saturday) with 2-hour time slots • Photo-ID is required • Students living outside the Mohave service area must obtain an exam proctor in their area and seek approval from the DE Office

  18. Midterm and Final Exam Grading Procedures • Exams from all four campuses are collected at the DE office which sends them to the faculty • Exams are sent priority shipping with tracking • Students typically receive their grades 1-2 weeks after taking the exams • Graded Midterm exams may be returned to the students • Graded Final exams are mailed back to the DE office

  19. Collaboration Between Resident and Adjunct Faculty • Team environment between resident and adjunct faculty that promotes student success • Frequent communication on all aspects of the course • Midterm and Final Exam collaboratively developed • Adjunct faculty share unique perspectives which enhance the courses

  20. Support of the Distance Education Team • Outstanding Distance Education Office supports adjunct faculty in all aspects of online courses • Technical support • Pedagogical support • Student service support • Administrative support

  21. Portal of Support Materials A portal was developed with a great resources for online math instructors: • Standards • Policies • Procedures • Pedagogical • Course Materials

  22. Increasing Student Retention • Phone card provided to all faculty teaching online • Introductory phone call • During the semester phone calls • Distance Education Counselor • Early Academic Alert Program • Technical Support

  23. Early Academic Alert Program • Key to Retention = Early Intervention! • Student Success Form • Electronic Form that instructors submit after the first 3 weeks of the course • Student Results • Student Recommendation • Intervention suggestions • DE Counselor interventions

  24. Technical Support for Students • MCC offers 24/7 Technical Support! • Portal of technical help resources • Extensive distance education resources • RU Ready Assessment • Assessment to determine if a student has the technical skills, hardware, software and resources to be successful in an online mathematics course • Opens a dialogue up between the student and instructor

  25. Links • Mohave Community Collegehttp://www.mohave.edu • Distance Education Office http://www.mohave.edu/pages/150.asp • Course Packages http://www.mohave.edu/pages/438.asp

  26. Clark Brown Mohave CC Neal Campus - Kingman 1971 Jagerson Avenue Kingman, AZ 86401 (928) 692-3033 cbrown@mohave.edu Mark Marino Erie CC North Campus 6205 Main Street Williamsville, NY 14221 (716) 270-5967 marinom@ecc.edu Contact Information

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