Fall 2003
Developmental Math Report to the Department of Mathematics
A hearty welcome to all new and
returning members of the math department! I was pleased to see many of you at
the department meeting last week. I promised to send a follow-up of my brief
department report by e-mail so that everyone had the details. If you have new
instructors on your campus who may not have made it
onto the department e-mail list, please pass this message along for me.
(1) For those of you teaching
developmental courses (numbers below 100), you may want to review the course
guidelines on the developmental math website (http://rock.uwc.edu/galexand/devmath/instrres.htm).
It's not too late to compare the guidelines with your own syllabus. I am also
happy to answer any questions you may have.
(2) The online math lab for Mat 09x
(Elementary Algebra) is temporarily disabled to start the semester. This site
had been open to all enrolled students as in Blackboard, but the UWC did not
renew its license for the Academic.com materials that comprised most of the online
learning lab. I need to work on reconstructing a useful site for students this
semester. I would welcome any materials you care to share for this project:
print documents, computer files, web pages, useful URLs… I will find a way to
use most anything you have relevant to Elementary Algebra.
(3) I am still working on collecting
and finalizing the MAT 09x assessment data from the spring 2003 semester. I
gave some preliminary figures at the department meeting, but I also found that
I neglected to include about half of the assessment test results, so I am going
back to rework this now. I will send out a complete report as soon as it is
ready.
(4) On the topic of assessment, it
is my plan to make the MAT 09x assessment test available online again this
semester (once item 2 above is back in place). I need the help of individual
MAT 09x instructors to plan on having students complete the assessment test
later in the semester. The department and the UWC are mandating participation
with the assessment process this semester. Most math faculty will be assessing
students in MAT 105 and/or MAT 110 according to the department assessment plan.
Our assessment in developmental math courses is somewhat independent, but I
would still like to follow the general plan for the credit course assessment
plan in the UWC as we look at the developmental math program. I can provide the
pool of assessment questions and such, but I need you to get students to work.
One recommendation is to include the assessment test either as part of your
final exam grade or as a separate homework assignment. It seems that students
are more likely to participate and take the test seriously if they have a
concrete reason (i.e., points) to do so.
(5) I am beginning planning efforts
(with the developmental math committee) for the continuation of our annual
Developmental Math Workshop in January. We will need to work on in-house and
local issues this year (no outside speaker), but it seems that we have plenty
to think about. If you have ideas for issues or discussion topics, please share
them with the committee (mathdev@uwc.edu). I will need to get a funding request
in to Central by early October.
George Alexander
Developmental Math Coordinator
UW Rock County
2909 Kellogg Ave.
Janesville, WI 53546
(608) 758-6627