Bridging Student Successand Retention through Open Educational Learning Tools:

The Bridge to Success Project

David Lascu, MBA

Project Manager – Next Generation Grant

Anne Arundel Community College

4th Annual Conference on Acceleration in Developmental Education

Friday, June 8, 2012

60% of first-year college students need at least one developmental course 25% of community college students in a developmental course earn a

certificate or degree within 8 years Provide a bridge to underserved populations who may not otherwise

pursue a college degree Impact of Internet & online access on education Strengthen relationship between educators, learners, & course content Acquiring skills to counteract barriers to student success Become an agent for change integrating models for vocational, career, and

educational opportunities

Why the B2S Project?

Expand the range, depth, & access to college readiness content Ensure all materials are open, discoverable, & standards-based Increase awareness & impact of Open Educational Resources

(OERs) to support teaching & learning Conversion of Open University content

Learning to Learn (L2L) Succeed with Math (SWiM)

Pilot exposure to 750+ students Content exposure to 6000 students Sustainability & impact of OERs

Goals

Open Educational Resources (OERs) are available for all to use and share on the Internet Since 2001, a wide variety of materials have been available:

Massachusetts's Institute of Technology’s Open Courseware granting access to all of their courses

Carnegie Mellon University’s Open Learning Initiative providing access to multi-media courses

Creative Commons offering access to creative and scholarly works Open University’s OpenLearn Website provides hundreds of units of course material for a

global audience To be freely used for education To accommodate any learning management system or educational environment To remix for new contexts Available through common licenses that offer permission in advance, while not relinquishing

copyright

Open Educational Resources

Added value learning opportunities that Instructors can utilize Supplemental learning opportunities linked to online, on ground and

blended courses Added value to lower income, underserved populations Course content designed for broad audiences at all levels of educational

ability Content and curriculum pedagogically related Learners identify learning needs and gain skills to advance resources Cost savings in textbooks, classroom supplemental activities and copyright

access Partnering opportunities with researched approaches to teaching and

learning for vocational, career and higher education programs.

Values of OERs

Consideration of possible choices & making plans for the future

Increase awareness of individual qualities, knowledge, & skills

Understand the learning cycle Develop personal action plans to

impact personal change Develop essential life skills of

communication, problem solving, and self-management

Learning to Learn

Unit 1 –what the course involves and outlines the skills that the course focuses on – everyday and academic skills. “Thinking about your own learning.”

Unit 2 – what “learning” includes and why it is important – self evaluation of qualities and skills – case studies and mind mapping.

Unit 3 – achieving personal goals for change and development – considering the value of academic ideas for learning.

Unit 4 – sequence of steps to enable user to think about the future – starting with a person vision – basis for setting personal goals and planning for learning

Unit 5 – looking back over user’s accomplishments and what was learned as a result of this course – WHAT WILL THE USER DO IN THE FUTURE TO BECOME A LIFELONG LEARNER?

http://labspace.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=7442

Activities encouraging reflection, critical analysis, & written response

Video Presentations & transcripts of interviews with three students Reveal Comment: Hints & other discussion points after each video

or activity Case Studies Figures and Diagrams References to further supplement the content are available at the

end of each unit. Length of Time estimates are included for each activity.

http://labspace.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=7442

Build confidence in using math for home, work, or in other settings Reduce fear of math & math anxiety Improve basic mathematical skills & understand how to use

resources (e.g., using a calculator effectively) Develop problem-solving strategies Practice general study skills to become an effective learner Strategize math challenges Build math skills with real-world application

Succeed with Math

Unit 1 – Math and You builds math confidence, develops problem-solving strategies, and explores study skills to be successful in mathematics.

Unit 2 – Getting Down to the Basics addresses the history of numbers, using numbers, lines, decimals, rounding, estimating, basic operations, and the order of operations, and using knowledge in real world scenarios.

Unit 3 – Numbers Everywhere investigates units of measurement, signed numbers, and reading and writing mathematics.

Unit 4 – Parts of the Whole focuses on writing and using fractions and reinforces strategies for what to do when stuck on a problem.

Unit 5 – Relationships Among Numbers addresses how numbers are used in daily life, and connections between fractions, percentages and ratios.

Unit 6 – Exploring Patterns and Formulas instructs students on visualizing problems using pictures and diagrams, interpreting and using notation for inequalities, and interpreting word formulas to solve problems.

Unit 7 – Investigating Geometric Shapes and Sizes prepares students in understanding the key properties of geometry, and in interpreting and drawing scale diagrams.

Unit 8 – Communicating with Data, Charts and Graphs teaches how to calculate means, medians, and ranges for data sets, and how to interpret and construct tables.

Activities with hints and solutions Video clips, articles, or math games from the Web Audio clips provide background information. Transcripts are

available. Self-check problems and quizzes available at the beginning & end

of each unit. Pencasts are short audio graphic/audio clips – the online

equivalent of ‘chalk and talk’ classroom sessions. Calculator access is provided throughout the course content.

ADA Compliance and Accessibility Learning Management System Integrations Institutional Aggregate Data Tracking – Customization Remixing and Wrapping B2S Content Professional Development and Training

Additional Components

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

140%

120%

Percent of Pilot Insti-tutions

(Goal: 10 Current: 12)

0.00%

20.00%

40.00%

60.00%

80.00%

100.00%

120.00%

103.60%

Percent of Pilot Par-ticipants (Goal: 750

Current: 777)

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

100.00%

41.92%

Percent of Unique Visitors (Goal: 6000

Current: 2515)

Face-to-face, online, or blended Resource for high school students, returning adult learners, first-

time students, or prospective college students Workforce Development Training Program Courses GED/ABE Courses Standalone, integrated into current curriculum, assignments,

homework, resource material, etc.

Pilots and Implementation

For further information contact:

David Lascu

Project Manager – Next Generation Grant

dmlascu@aacc.edu

410-777-7078