Table I: Time line of Activities
| Date |
Activity |
Personnel |
Oct 05 –
Dec 05 |
Conduct interviews with instructors of targeted
courses to
de termine student weaknesses with regard to mathematical
skills. Gather data on past student success in targeted
courses. Determine what relevant tools may be available
from other sources. |
McShane
Mlsna |
Dec 05 –
Jan 06 |
Develop pre- and post-tests in consultation with
our
assessment expert. |
McShane
Mlsna |
| Jan 06 |
Administer pre-tests in targeted courses,
including EGR
186, EE 188, EE 110, and CENE 150. |
Mlsna
McShane |
Jan 06 –
Mar 06 |
Analyze pre-test results to fine tune list of
target topics for
software module development. |
Mlsna
McShane |
Apr 06 –
May 06 |
Identify graduate student in mathematics to work
on
project.
Identify student programmers to develop software modules. |
McShane
Mlsna |
Jun 06 -
Aug 06 |
Write modules. Develop schedule for Fall 2007
that will
include tutoring, recitation sessions, and web-based selfpaced
practice activities.
Program modules for web delivery. |
Mlsna
McShane
GTA
Student Workers |
| Aug 06 |
Administer pre-test in targeted courses. |
Mlsna |
Sept 06 –
Dec 06 |
Use of modules in targeted courses. |
Instructors of
targeted courses,
GTA |
| Dec 06 |
Administer post-test in targeted courses. |
McShane
Mlsna |
Dec 06 -
Jan 07 |
Evaluate the results of module use in targeted
course in Fall
2006 and adjust accordingly. Develop schedule for Spring
2007. |
McShane
Mlsna
GTA |
| Jan 07 |
Administer pre-test in targeted courses. |
Mlsna |
| Spring 07 |
Use of modules in targeted courses. |
Instructors of
targeted courses,
GTA |
| April 07 |
Report preliminary results at Mathematical
Association of
America, Southwest Sectional meeting. |
McShane |
| May 07 |
Administer post-tests in targeted courses. |
McShane
Mlsna |
| Jun 07 |
Compile results of module use in relation to
expected
results and outcomes. Plan for the future. |
McShane
Mlsna |
| Aug 07 |
Final Report. |
Mlsna |
Important Participants
• Assessment expert, to be identified
• NAU Learning Assistance Center, student tutors directed by Shane Pablo
• Mathematics graduate student, to be identified
• Student computer programmers
• NAU Hewlett Engineering Talent Pipeline, directed by Dr. Rand Decker and Fonda
Swimmer
• Various professors who teach lower - division engineering courses such as EGR
186, EE 188,
CENE 150, and EE 110.
Performance Measures and Expected Outcomes
There are five outcomes that we hope to accomplish with this project. They are:
(1) Better Student Performance in Targeted Courses
We hope that students will be more successful in the targeted courses. We will
measure this by
comparing the overall grade distribution of students participating in the TIMES
program to those
who do not. As a basis for comparison and measuring the success of the project,
we will also
evaluate students from the 05-06 academic year.
(2) Improvement of Student Skills
We are interested in students’ improvement of the targeted skills. Pre- and
post-test results from
the 05-06 academic year will be compared with the 06-07 academic year to see if
participation in
TIMES results in improved student skills.
(3) Better Retention
We will hope that by improving students’ intuition in math, they will be better
prepared to be
successful in their engineering program and hence are more likely to remain in
their chosen
engineering discipline. We will measure this by comparing retention rates for
students before and
after the TIMES project.
(4) Improved Instructor Satisfaction
Our hope is that by participating in the TIMES activities, students will perform
better in their
introductory courses and thus improve instructor satisfaction with students and
the course. We
will administer a survey to the instructors involved in the program to gain
their feedback.
(5) Improved Student Satisfaction
Students will also be surveyed to ascertain their perceived satisfaction with
how the TIMES
activities have helped them improve their math skills and hence have better
success in their
engineering courses. We will measure this by simply surveying the students
involved in the
program to find out how confident they feel about their chosen major, how much
fun they had,
and the appropriateness and usefulness of the TIMES activities that they
encountered.
Summary
This project aims to significantly improve students’ important math-related
skills, thus improving their
success and retention rates in their chosen engineering program. Once the
necessary materials are in
place, this project could easily be continued with minimal infusion of funds at
the department or college
level. Upon success of the project, funds to expand this idea to other science
disciplines (bio logy ,
chemistry, physics) will be pursued.
The PI’s will present the results of this project at numerous state and national
conferences in their areas
including FIE (Frontiers in Education), ASEE (American Society for Engineering
Education) and MAA
(Mathematical Association of America).
