Student Success in College Student Success in College and Technology and Technology

Michael SullivanMichael Sullivanmsulliva@jjc.edumsulliva@jjc.edu

www.jjc.edu/dept/math/sullivanwww.jjc.edu/dept/math/sullivanFebruary 7, 2008February 7, 2008

“Fortune favors the prepared mind.”-- Louis Pasteur

“The advancement and perfection of mathematics are intimately connected with the prosperity of the state.”-- Napoleon

“The Illiterate of the future will not be someone who cannot read, it will be someone who does not know how to learn.-- Alvin Toffler

The Learning PyramidThe Learning Pyramid

Lecture

Reading

Audio Visual

Demonstration

Discussion Group

Practice by Doing

Teach Others/Immediate Use

5%

10%

20%

30%

50%

75%

80%

Adapted from The Learning Triangle: National Training Laboratories, Bethel Maine©mindServegroup 2005

Advantages of Personal Response Advantages of Personal Response SystemsSystems

Increased attentionIncreased attention Increased attendanceIncreased attendance Increased retentionIncreased retention

Draper and BrownDraper and BrownStudents are twice as likely to attempt to Students are twice as likely to attempt to

construct an answer to a question using a construct an answer to a question using a PRS compared to a question that required PRS compared to a question that required them to raise their hand.them to raise their hand.

PRS TransmitterPRS Transmitter

True or False: True or False: I have used personal I have used personal response systems in my classroom.response systems in my classroom.

OutlineOutline

I.I. Why Do Students Need Postsecondary Why Do Students Need Postsecondary Education?Education?

II.II. Are Our Students Ready for Are Our Students Ready for Postsecondary Education?Postsecondary Education?

III.III. How Can We Help to Increase the How Can We Help to Increase the Proportion of Our Students Who Attain Proportion of Our Students Who Attain a Postsecondary Education?a Postsecondary Education?

I.I. Through CurriculumThrough CurriculumII.II. Through TechniquesThrough Techniques

Why Do Students Need Why Do Students Need Postsecondary Education?Postsecondary Education?

In 1950, 80% of jobs were classified as “unskilled”. Now, an estimated 85% of jobs are classified as “skilled,” requiring education beyond high school. At the same time, 60% of future jobs will require training that only 20% of today’s workers possess.

-- Business-Higher Education Forum

Source: Education Pays, The College Board

Put the following in order, from highest to lowest, as to which education level pays the most taxes.

(a) High School Diploma

(b) Master’s Degree

(c) Professional Degree

(d) Associate’s Degree

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2006). The Condition of Education 2006 (NCES 2006–071), Table 22-1.

Unemployment Rates by Level of Unemployment Rates by Level of EducationEducation

Percent of the Population Living in Poverty by Level of Education and Household Type

Percentage of the Population Aged 25 Years or Older Reporting Excellent or Good Health by Income and Level of

Education

Source: General Social Survey

Source: General Social Survey

High School Factors Related to High School Factors Related to Attaining a Bachelor’s DegreeAttaining a Bachelor’s Degree

Who’s Ready for College? Who’s Ready for College? 2007 ACT Scores Reflecting College Preparedness2007 ACT Scores Reflecting College Preparedness

Source: ACT High School Profile Report, 2007

Who’s Ready for College?Who’s Ready for College?

College Readiness by Gender Based on 2007 ACT Exam

Source: ACT High School Profile Report, 2007

ACT Core CurriculumACT Core Curriculum

ACT core curriculum is

• 4 years of English

• 3 years of Math

• 3 years of science

• 3 years of social science

Source: ACT, Crisis at the Core

Average ACT Mathematics Scores by Course Pattern, 2007

18.3 17.920.4 20.5

22.424.8

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Less than 3Years of Math

Alg 1, Alg 2, &Geom (Min Core)

Alg 1, Alg 2,Geom, & Other

Adv Math

Alg 1, Alg 2,Geom, & Trig

Alg 1, Alg 2,Geom, Trig, &

Other Adv Math

Alg 1, Alg 2,Geom, Trig, &

Calc

Course Pattern

Ave

rag

e A

CT

Mat

hem

atic

s S

core

Source: ACT, Crisis at the Core

ACT Science Score by Course Pattern

19.120.2

23.422.4

0

5

10

15

20

25

Less than 3 Years ofNatural Science

Gen Sci, Bio, Chem (MinCore)

Bio, Chem, Phys Gen Sci, Bio, Chem, &Phys

Course Pattern

Ave

rag

e A

CT

Sci

ence

Sco

re

Source: ACT, Crisis at the Core

Percent Meeting College Readiness Benchmark by Course Pattern, 2007

2115

38 40

58

75

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Less than 3Years of Math

Alg 1, Alg 2, &Geom (Min Core)

Alg 1, Alg 2,Geom, & Other

Adv Math

Alg 1, Alg 2,Geom, & Trig

Alg 1, Alg 2,Geom, Trig, &

Other Adv Math

Alg 1, Alg 2,Geom, Trig, &

Calc

Course Pattern

Per

cen

t M

eeti

ng

Ben

chm

ark

College Readiness in Mathematics means that there is a 75% probability the student will earn a C or better in College Algebra.

Source: ACT, Crisis at the Core

Percent Meeting College Readiness Benchmark by Course Pattern

15

20

48

40

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Less than 3 Years ofNatural Science

Gen Sci, Bio, Chem (MinCore)

Bio, Chem, Phys Gen Sci, Bio, Chem, &Phys

Course Pattern

Per

cen

t M

eeti

ng

Ben

chm

ark

College Readiness in Science means that there is a 75% probability the student will earn a C or better in College Biology.

Source: ACT, Crisis at the Core

Source: ACT, Crisis at the Core

Source: ACT, Crisis at the Core

Source: Adelman, The Toobox Revisited

Source: Adelman, The Toobox Revisited

According to data obtained from the General Social Survey, the odds of a man being at least pretty happy in his marriage is 40:1. The odds of a female being at least pretty happy in her marriage is 20:1. What is the odds ratio of males to females?

Adelman’s Recommendations

• 3.75 Carnegie Units in High School Math

• 2.5 Carnegie Units of science or more than 2.0 Carnegie Units of core laboratory science

Note: A Carnegie Unit is a full year (36 – 40 weeks) in a specific class meeting four or five times per week for 40 – 50 minutes per

class session.

Current High School Graduation Requirements in Math and Science

In the state of Illinois, the class of 2010 must take the following math courses to graduate:

(a) Algebra I, Geometry, and any other math

(b) Algebra I and Geometry only

(c) Three years of any math course

(d) Who needs math anyway!

Parent/Student Attitudes Parent/Student Attitudes Toward Math and ScienceToward Math and Science

Source: Reality Check

Percent of Students Who Feel the Following Are Essential Before They're Done with School

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Being able to write well

Personal finance

Honest and ethical

Punctual

Understanding math and science

Understanding current events

Computer skills

Understanding cultures and religions of other nations

Understanding and appreciating art and culture

Speaking a foreign language

Source: Reality Check

Source: Reality Check

I’d be really unhappy if I ended up in a job or career that required doing a lot of math or science.

Agree, 45%

Disagree, 53%

Don't Know, 2%

Factors Contributing to Attainment of Factors Contributing to Attainment of a Bachelor’s Degree While in a Bachelor’s Degree While in

CollegeCollege

First-year grades-dummy

variable (0 or 1). A 1

indicates the student’s

grades are in the top two quintiles.

Low credits first year. Did the student earn less than 20

credits in the first year?

A proxy for preparedness of high school

studentSocioeconomic status

A proxy for preparedness of high

school studentSocioeconomic status

First-year GPA

Whether one attends multiple schoolsNumber of credits

earned in summer school

Ever a part-time studentTotal number of college

math creditsWere grades rising, falling, or flat over timeDid student repeat or withdraw from more

than 20% of courses?

Enrolled continuously?

“You are not here merely to make a living. You are here to enable the world to live more

amply, with greater vision, and with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to

enrich the world. You impoverish yourself if you forget this

errand.”

--Woodrow Wilson, 28th president of the US

SourcesSources ACT High School Profile Report of the Graduating Class of 2007, ACT Adelman, Clifford. 2004. Principal Indicators of Student Academic Histories in

Postsecondary Education, 1972 – 2000. Washington D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences

Adelman, Clifford. 1999. Answers in the Tool Box: Academic Intensity, Attendance Patterns, and Bachelor’s Degree Attainment. Washington D.C.: U.S. Department of Education

Adelman, Clifford. The Toolbox Revisited: Paths to Degree Completion From High School Through College. Washingon D.C. U.S. Department of Education, 2006.

Cerrito, Patricia B.; Levi, Inessa. An Investigation of Student Habits in Mathematics Courses. College Student Journal. Dec. 1999, Vol. 33 Issue 4

Crisis at the Core: Preparing All Students for College and Work. ACT Dounay, Jennifer, Standard Graduation Requirements, Education Commission of

the States Draper, S. and Brown, M. (2004) Increasing interactivity in lectures using an

electronic voting system. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning 20, 81 – 84

SourcesSources Geiser, Saul and Santelices, Veronica, The Role of Advanced Placement and

Honors Courses in College Admissions, University of California, Berkeley, 2004 Gonzalez, Eugenio J., O’Connor, Kathleen M. and Miles, Julie A., How Well Do

Advanced Placement Students Perform on the TIMSS Advanced Mathematics and Physics Tests? International Study Center, Lynch School of Education, Boston College, June 2001

Treisman, Phillip Michael (Uri) (1985). A study of the mathematics performance of black students at the University of California, Berkeley. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of California, Berkeley.

U.S. Department of Education, A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education. Washington D.C., 2006

Wirt, J., Choy, S. Rooney, P. Provasnik, S., Sen, A., and Tobin, R. (2004). The Condition of Education 2004 (NCES 2004-077) U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington D.C. Government Printing Office

Zinth, Kyle and Dounay, Jennifer, Mathematics and Science Education in the States. Education Commision of the States, July, 2006