ELearning

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E-Learning

• Presentation for CARL

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Maintaining Quality Education While Reducing
Costs Mathematics at Wayne State University
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McMaster

• Physics
• Mathematics
• Chemistry
• Biology
• Honors Science

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About Wayne State University

• Located in Detroit, Michigan.
• Large, Urban
• Doctoral/Research University - extensive
• Over 33,000 students (growing)

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Facing (familiar) Issues

• Rising enrollments
• Rising costs
• Reduced public funding
• Increased demands for accountability
• Changing expectations of students

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Other issues

• Tenured faculty not interested in teaching lower
  level course
• Students entering courses not prepared
• Lack of facilities (classrooms)
• Inconsistency in adjuncts
• Classroom management problems

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Question

• How do we
• accommodate growth
• improve student performance
• meet student expectations AND
• contain costs?

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Started with Mathematics 0993

• Why math?
• Annual costs of pre-algebra mathematics in the
  US 50 billion - most going to instructors
  salaries.
• Often required courses (retention)
• Taught by multiple adjunct faculty
• Multiple sections
• Have standard curriculum and
• Enroll large numbers of students.

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Math 0993 at WSU

• Annual enrollment near 2000 (lots of students)
• Taught primarily by adjuncts (lots of adjuncts)
• 50 sections of 40 students each (lots of
  classrooms)
• General education requirement
• Pass rate 35.5 (Retention issue)
• Clearly defined learning outcomes (real numbers,
  integers, basic geometry)
• Tenured faculty wanted nothing to do with it

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Roadmap to Redesign

• Mission provide expertise and support for
  academic institutions interested in the
  capabilities of information technology to
  transform their academic institutions
• focuses on the impact of projects on learning
  outcomes as well as increased course-completion
  rates, improved retention, student attitudes, and
  satisfaction as measures of success

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How does it do this?

• Systematic approach emphasizing
• whole course redesign,
• active learning
• individualized geared towards different learning
  preferences,
• time on task, and
• prompt feedback.

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What was our process? (ADDIE)

• Stage 1 Analysis (establish campus readiness)
• Stage 2 Design (participate in redesign
  workshop)
• Stage 3 Development (develop the plan)
• Stage 4 Implementation (implement the redesign)
• Stage 5 Evaluation (join a community of
  practice, share and assess)

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Stage 1 Analysis (are you ready?)

• Institutions must analyze their readiness to
  understake a radical tranformation
• Criteria include
• Faculty able and willing to incorporate existing
  materials?
• Faculty have experience with integrating
  computer-based instruction?
• Mature information technology (IT) organization?
• Is there a recognition on the campus that
  large-scale course redesign using information
  technology involves a partnership among faculty,
  IT staff and administrators in both planning and
  execution?

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Stage 1 Analysis (Budget)

• Course Prep
• Curriculum
• Materials
• Faculty
• Course Delivery
• Instruction
• Evaluation

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Stage 2 Design

• Participants attend a workshop. Workhop teaches
  participants how to redesign using a streamlined
  process focused on
• whole course redesign
• active learner-focused instruction
• use of instructional hardware and software
• mastery of specific learning objectives
• on-demand individualized assistance
• and alternate staffing models that incorporate
  peer mentors and course assistants as well as
  instructors.

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Stage 2 Design

• Mathematics
• Iowa State University
• Northern Arizona University
• Rio Salado College
• Riverside CC
• University of Alabama
• University of Idaho
• Virginia Tech

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Virginia Tech

• Mathematics grades have risen 17.4
• Failure rates have dropped 39
• Cost per student drops from 91 to 21

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Stage 3 Develop

• Models
• supplemental model supplements traditional
  lectures with computer-based resources
• replacement model, replaces some lectures with
  computer-mediated
• emporium model, computer lab-based model,
• fully-online model, web-based environment and
  
• buffet model, which gives the learner the
  option of choosing from any of the above, based
  on their individual learning style.

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Stage 3 Develop

• MyMathLab from Pearson Education, Inc.
• CourseCompass system (customized)
• Students pay a 35 lab fee which covers the cost.
  (less than their previous textbook)

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Stage 4 Implement
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Stage 5 Evaluation were we successful?
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Intermediate Algebra

• Added fall 2005.
• Same model as beginning algebra.
• About 300 students per year.

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Results
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Student Response

• Overall very positive.
• All like the flexibility it offers.
• Those who are able to finish the course early
  love it.
• The weakest students complain they want a
  teacher, but dont come to the extra sessions we
  offer.
• Older students with poor computer skills
  complain.

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Cost Savings

• Costs dropped from 185 per student to 105 per
  student.
• Reduced adjuncts
• Reduced graduate students
• Large growth in enrollment
• Can now offer new courses
• Reuse classrooms for other courses

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THANK YOU!

• ANY QUESTIONS???