Taking a College Algebra Course: An Approach That Increased Students' Success Rate

Abstract

Florida Atlantic University implemented a number of changes in the College Algebra course in an attempt to improve student success. We summarize these changes, and how they have affected the course. We also discuss possibilities for future improvements.

Explaining Gender Gaps in English Composition and College Algebra in College: The Mediating Role of Psychosocial Factors

“…The data contained students nested within institutions, a clustering effect that is appropriately analyzed with a two-level hierarchical linear model (Goldstein, 2003;Raudenbush & Bryk, 2002) to account for variation in success across institutions. Success was coded "1" and failure was coded "0," and logistic regression was used to model the probability of success.…”

“…Poor performance in these foundational courses is known to contribute to delayed degree completion or even dropout (Theil, Peterman, & Brown, 2008), among other related impacts. It has been reported that English Composition I (hereinafter, referred to as English Composition) and College Algebra played an integral role in enrollment, persistence, graduation, and success in college (González-Muñiz, Klingler, Moosai, & Raviv, 2012; Tannous & Moore, 2013; Volpe, 2011). Thus, for many freshmen students, success in these baseline courses is critical for the development of higher order critical thinking, future academic attainment, career goals, and labor market success (Adelman, 2006; Johnson & Krase, 2012; Sibulkin & Butler, 2008).…”

Modeling the Determinants of College Readiness for Historically Underrepresented Students at 4-Year Colleges and Universities

“…One study based on state-level data in Florida found that college readiness for math is associated with the highest math course taken in high school, explaining 28% to 35% of racialized gaps in readiness (Long, Iatarola, & Conger, 2009). Similarly, Gonzalez-Muniz, Klingler, Moosai, and Raviv (2012) discussed how students' numeracy skills developed through a rigorous algebra course, thereby improving their likelihood for college success. Still, these studies have consistently noted sizeable differences in content knowledge and readiness among students who are low income, first generation, Hispanic, and Black.…”