Technology Solutions for Developmental Math: An Overview of Current and Emerging Practices

Reviews current practices in and strategies for incorporating innovative technology into the teaching of remedial math at the college level. Outlines challenges, emerging trends, and ways to combine technology with new concepts of instructional strategy

MELEES - e-support or mayhem?

This paper reports on progress in developing a web-based environment to support non-specialist mathematics students taking University level Mathematics as a compulsory subject in their first and second years. The scale and diversity of the service teaching provision at Nottingham invites the use of a technology-based framework in order to make available the ‘good practice’ features developed both locally and elsewhere. Initially the two year development is focusing on: • establishing a supportive environment; • providing feedback to students, their lecturers and importantly to their home Schools; • identifying and supporting e-learning strategies; • improving student motivation. Current activities have been primarily directed to the first three bullet points

Issues of partial credit in mathematical assessment by computer

The CALM Project for Computer Aided Learning in Mathematics has operated at Heriot‐Watt University since 1985. From the beginning CALM has featured assessment in its programs (Beevers, Cherry, Foster and McGuire, 1991), and enabled both students and teachers to view progress in formative assessment The computer can play a role in at least four types of assessment: diagnostic, self‐test, continuous and grading assessment. The TLTP project Mathwise employs the computer in three of these roles. In 1994 CALM reported on an educational experiment in which the computer was used for the first time to grade, in part, the learning of a large class of service mathematics students (Beevers, McGuire, Stirling and Wild ,1995), using the Mathwise assessment template. At that time the main issues identified were those of ‘partial credit’ and communication between the student and the computer. These educational points were addressed in the next phase of the CALM Project in which the commercial testing program Interactive PastPapers was developed. The main aim of this paper is to describe how Interactive Past Papers has been able to incorporate some approaches to partial credit which has helped to alleviate student worries on these issues. Background information on other features in Interactive Past Papers is also included to provide context for the discussion

Virginia Earth Science Collaborative: Developing Highly Qualified Earth Science Teachers

A collaborative of seven institutes of higher education and two non-profit organizations developed and implemented five earth science courses totaling eighteen credits that enabled secondary teachers to acquire an add-on earth science endorsement: Geology 1: Physical Geology (4), Geology II: Geology of Virginia (4), Oceanography (4), Astronomy (Space Science for Teachers) (3), and Meteorology (3). These courses were collaboratively developed and included rigorous academic content, research-based instructional strategies, and intense field experiences. The thirty-three sections offered statewide served 499 participants. Three courses were offered to strengthen the skills of earth science teachers: Teaching Eath Science Topics to Special Education Students (3), Integrating New Technologies in the Earth Sciences (3). and GeoVirginia: Creating Virtual Field Trips (non-college credit). In these six sections, seventy-four people participated. Outcomes included an increased pool of endorsed earth science teachers and teachers with coursework in the earth sciences, a website with virtual field trips, and a statewide network. Partners included the College of William & Mary and its Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences, George Mason University, James Madison University, Longwood University, the MathScience Innovation Center (formerly the Mathematics & Science Center), Radford University. Science Museum of Virginia, University of Virginia Southwest Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, and eighty-three school divisions

The Promise of Faculty Inquiry for Teaching and Learning Basic Skills

Shares insights from the Strengthening Pre-collegiate Education in Community Colleges project on how teachers' systematic and collaborative analyses of new approaches and practices foster innovation and improvement in basic English and math instruction