Embedded Remediation Is Not Necessarily a Pathway for Equitable Access to Quantitative Literacy and College Algebra: Results from a Pilot Study

Abstract

Courses in developmental and introductory mathematics are changing. Because nearly all students need mathematics coursework to graduate from a postsecondary institution, yet institutions consistently struggle to ensure that students of all demographics succeed in credit-bearing mathematics courses, student success in such courses may be viewed as an issue of social justice. In particular, there is a need for institutions to provide pathways through college-level mathematics courses that meet the needs of students with a wide array of incoming mathematical knowledge and skills. In light of questions about pedagogy, pass rates, and effects on degree completion time, some institutions have moved away from requiring students to enroll in non-credit-bearing developmental mathematics courses. At Michigan State University, college-level courses in both Quantitative Literacy and College Algebra now directly enroll students who previously would have placed into Intermediate Algebra. Accompanying this shift in access are changes in course structure and content; during the 2017-2018 academic year, some course sections included an extra class meeting to help students bridge gaps in their requisite skills. While the corequisite model is an intuitive approach to supporting student learning, essentially increasing time on task and identifying needed requisite skills "just in time," these quantitative analyses show little evidence for these course sections improving students' course grades. In this context, the role and type of corequisite, supplemental instruction that best supports learning for a diverse group of students in introductory undergraduate mathematics courses remains in question. We discuss potential reasons for these results in light of existing reports on corequisite models and situate the results in the context of what social justice and equity might look like for corequisite models of introductory mathematics coursework.

Course Design and Academic Outcomes in Quantitative Literacy After Eliminating Required Remediation

“…Given the difference in context for QL courses, it is necessary to disaggregate this group of students to examine relevant student outcomes under remedial and corequisite structures. Matz and Tunstall (2019) published a pilot study which included two QL courses at Michigan State University. The pilot included embedded support in an additional weekly class meeting, termed "enhanced" courses.…”

“…The researchers found that students who had successfully completed a remedial course prior to taking enhanced QL earned significantly lower course grades than those who would have been required to take remediation, but instead participated in the enhanced QL course without additional remediation. The researchers conjectured that embedded remediation did not necessarily result in equitable outcomes for students given that students with additional prior remediation did not do as well as those without it (Matz and Tunstall 2019).…”

Alignment Between Learning Objectives and Assessments in a Quantitative Literacy Course

“…Laverty et al (2016) developed a protocol that characterizes the extent to which assessment tasks from college science courses can elicit evidence of student engagement with scientific practices, crosscutting concepts, and core disciplinary ideas (National Research Council 2012). A follow-up study evaluated change over time in the nature of assessments in introductory biology, chemistry, and physics courses with respect to these three dimensions (Matz et al 2018).…”

“…In the recitation sessions, students collaborated in groups of three or four peers to solve problems and then turned in their worksheets for grading. A subset of students in the course was enrolled in enhanced sections, meaning they additionally attended a recitation session on Wednesdays between the lecture and the laboratory sessions; an analysis of the efficacy of these enhanced sections is reported in Matz and Tunstall (2018).…”