WHAT ARE WE DOING?Michael EurgubianSanta Rosa Junior College, Petaluma Campus

California Mathematics Council, Community CollegesDecember 10, 2011

meurgubian@santarosa.edu

WHAT I DID AT EACH SCHOOLContacted someone to make an appointment

Studied College Catalog, Website, Schedule of Classes

Snooped around the Campus

Chatted with Scheduled Department Chair or Dean

Peeked in on Assessment Center

Visited Every Tutorial Center (Math Labs, Campus Learning)

Sampled Cafeteria Fare

Drove Home or Crashed in Lonely Hotel Room

Four Week – Long Trips

Three 2 – 3 Day Trips

Many Day Trips

WHAT IT ENTAILED

Modesto CollegeColumbia College

City College of San FranciscoCollege of San MateoCanada College

College of AlamedaContra Costa College

Berkeley City CollegeMerritt CollegeLaney College

SCHOOLS VISITED

Lake Tahoe Community CollegeSierra CollegeSacramento City CollegeAmerican River College

Los Angeles West CollegeSanta Monica CollegeSanta Barbara City CollegeVentura CollegeTaft CollegeCollege of the CanyonsMount San Antonio CollegeChaffee CollegeSan Bernadino Valley CollegeRiverside CollegeBarstow CollegeCollege of the DesertCrafton Hills CollegeMendocino CollegeCollege of the RedwoodsShasta College

SCHOOLS VISITEDLos Angeles Valley CollegeLos Angeles Pierce CollegeMoorpark CollegeLos Angeles Mission CollegeFullerton CollegeSanta Ana CollegeGolden West CollegeCoastline CollegeLong Beach City CollegeLos Angeles Harbor CollegePasadena City CollegeGlendale CollegeYuba CollegeWoodlands College

Solano College

Las PositasDe Anza College

San Diego City CollegeSan Diego Mesa CollegeCuyamaca CollegeMt. San Jacinto CollegePalomar CollegeMira Costa CollegeSaddleback CollegeSouthwestern College

SCHOOLS VISITEDMerced CollegeReedley CollegeCollege of the SequoiasAntelope Valley CollegeCerro Coso CollegeBakersfield CollegePorterville CollegeFresno City CollegeWest Hills College

Butte CollegeFeather River CollegeCollege of MarinHartnell CollegeCabrillo CollegeMonterey Peninsula College

SCHOOLS YET TO BE VISITED

Mission CollegeWest Valley CollegeSan Jose City CollegeChabot College

Los Medanos CollegeNapa Valley CollegeDiablo Valley College

Santa Rosa Junior College

DISCLAIMERS

Not a Scientific Study or Census

Much is based on hearsay

Some schools yet to visit

Remainder of schools might paint a different picture

Talked to wrong person

Impediments

Layout

According to most, the perfect layout is one in which the Offices, Classrooms, and Math Lab are all in close proximity.

70% have this set – up

Exceptions and breeches I have seen

DIVISIONS

More than are mixed with Sciences 23

About 5 teach CS classes

About are mixed with other departments 16

About are lead by Deans rather that department chairs13

In three schools, Math is its own division

CLASS SIZEAbout 70% of the colleges keep a class size of about 35

About 20% are 40 – 45

The rest have variable class sized per course

Only two are outliers

CALCULUS SEQUENCE

5 – 5 – 5 30 %

4 – 4 – 4 25 %

Numerous cases of combination Differential Equations / Linear Algebra

Calculus Texts

TRANFER MAJOR / AA / AS

C1 – 2 – 3 DE – LA 35 %

C1 – C2 – C3 - Selection 45 %

Other 20 %

Plus Computer Science 20 %

WHO TEACHES WHATAt virtually every college, all teacher teach across the curriculum

De – Facto – More than 90% of the calculus sequence is taught by full - timers

In more that half cases, it extends to transfer level courses

For every one full time person at a campus there are one the average 2 – 3 Adjunct

ONLINE CLASSROOM AND HOMEWORK

Virtually every college’s math department offers online or hybrid classes

Among those schools who have sited instructors assigning online homework, 50 – 60% of the faculty does

Among those that do, MyMathLab 90% is the online program of choice

Overall, online / Hybrid offerings make up no more than 15% of the offerings

Exceptions

GRAPHING CALCULATORS AND COMPUTER SOFTWARE

Graphing calculators in the classroom have fallen off significantly in last 10 years

Integration in classroom activity has also significantly declined

Only about 20% of the schools make some kind of graphing calculator option

The TI 83 – 84 is most often used at all levels; the TI – 89 was rarely cited as a requirement

Mathematica is used more than MAPLE

TEXTBOOK ADOPTIONAbout 40% of the campuses have departmental adoptions on all texts (exceptions often for singletons)

About 40% of the campuses require adoptions on sequence courses only

Only a couple cited complete laissez - faire

SLOSMost mathematics departments found it easy to write course SLO’s and department SLO’s

Variety of opinions on how to assess them

Some departments have teachers imbed department problems in finals (approved)

About a dozen schools give departmental final exams

Most everyone is dead serious, not cynical

Almost all cited accreditation warnings

A few had aggressive longitudinal and diagnostic plans studies based on assessments

COMMUNICATION

Three noted collegial relationships (inter – district) between schools

San Diego County CollegesSouth Central ValleyNorth Central Valley

REPEATABILITY

Only two schools told me it has no impact, as they had already made the change

WHAT I DIDN’T DISCUSS BUT SHOULD HAVE

ASSESSMENTMost common assessment tool Accuplacer…….more than 60 %Followed by MDTP, about 20%Followed by Compass, just a coupleThree colleges cited their own placement testTwo colleges cited self – assessment, onlineThree colleges cited “affective” questions mixed into assessment processAll cited an appeal processSome cited a fall back / intervention programMore than 80% of the colleges said practice placement tests were available20% of the colleges are planning to have, or already have an active “MATHJAMS” type programThe (vast?) majority of our students place into developmental coursesVirtually all said the department actively reviews cut – off scores

TUTORIAL SERVICESNot counting MESA, DRD, almost every college has both a campus wide tutorial center and a Math lab (exceptions are mostly small campuses)

More than 75% of the colleges reported that instructors frequent tutorial centers

About 30% reported that full time instructors schedule office hours thereAbout 25% of the colleges allow instructors to get (lab) loadMost centers operate Monday through Friday, 8 colleges reported Saturday hoursVirtually all have sign – in requirementsChances that the campus tutorial director has math background – pretty slimA good Statistics tutor is hard to find

AA REQUIREMENT CHANGES IN CURRICULUM

Less than a fourth of the colleges have pondered or have already created an alternative course to meet the new AA requirements

A great proportion of them have failed the enrollment test!

A handful use Geometry as the option

Some use other discipline – based courses already in place to serve that cohort

SPLIT ALGEBRA

Less than 30% of the campuses reported split elementaryand / or intermediate algebra courses

Geometry

MATH FOR ELEMENTARY TEACHERS

About to of campuses reported a course for 13

12

PRECALCULUS

LIBERAL ARTS MATH

Robust at some schools, 1 – 2 at others

CONFLICTS WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS

Only one conflict was sited, over Statistics

CONDENSED CALENDAR

Overall, equally split 16, 17, 18

Imposed by district for a handful

(Original) Math / Science / FL Opposition

FOR ME……….THE MOST SURPRISING MOVEMENT…..

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

FAST – TRACKING !!!

All but a couple of schools I visited

Combination Basic Skills -- Pre – Algebra

Combination Elementary -- Intermediate Algebra

Combination Intermediate -- Pre - Calculus

“STATWAYS” Programs / Grants

In addition:

Curiosity or interest to infuse Geometry somewhere

OTHER TRIVIAL MATTERS AND PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS

MOST BEAUTIFUL CAMPUS

Cuyamaca College

MOST UNDER CONSTRUCTION COLLEGE

Los Angeles Harbor College

PARKING PRICES

Free…..Lake Tahoe, Redwoods, West Hills

To 50 cents

Most are $1 to $2

Only two were $3

Only one is $4

SINGLE BUILDING CAMPUSES

Berkeley City College

MOST TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED AND GREEN

Berkeley City College

IMPOSSIBLE TO GET TO CAMPUS

MOST ETHNICALLY UNIQUE

Glendale Community College

About Armenian students 23

BIGGEST PERCENTAGE OF ONLINE CLASSES

Coastline Community College

all but Basic Math and Pre - Algebra

COLLEGE WITH THE MOST SATILLITES TEACHING MATH

City College of San Francisco

PLACE I WOULD LIKE TO TEACH THE REST OF MY CAREER

Santa Rosa Junior College

BEST NAME FOR A TUTORIAL CENTER

The Hard Math Café

Yuba College

MOST APPEALING MATH COURSE LISTED ON A COLLEGE CATALOG

Mathematics of Poker

Lake Tahoe Community College

OTHER COMMENTS

The choices on the radio drastically change when you leave metropolitan regions

“Right down the street” means about two hours in Los Angeles

If a college is surrounded by four parking lots, remember where you parked your car

The vast majority of students, teachers, and support staff are very serious and committed

There’s a construction project of some kind ongoing at about half the colleges

WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DOFinish up templates for each school in coming months, following up with contacts questions

Have each department verify templates

Ask for input from other schools I did not visitCreate a grid for each “area of study” for all campuses, with demographics

(Ask questions to ponder, or better, create) a blog of FaceBook page where people can ask questions / post advice

Rest

Get back in the classroom