Developmental Math

Mission Statement

The Developmental Mathematics Program of Weber State University opens doors of opportunity by preparing students for success in college level mathematics courses. The program seeks to build confidence, promote learning skills, develop problem-solving skills, and teach mathematical concepts in a learner-centered environment.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Program Outcomes
  
  After completing their last course in this program (Math 0970 or Math 1010):
  
  SLO #1: Students will be able to demonstrate procedural knowledge of mathematics by competently performing algebraic operations.
  SLO #2: Students will demonstrate understanding of foundational concepts such as identity, inverse, and equivalence.
  SLO #3: Students will persist through difficulty and work through the entire semester.
  SLO #4: Students who complete one or more developmental math course will have the knowledge and skills needed to successfully complete a Quantitative Literacy course.
Curriculum Grid
Program and Contact Information

Developmental mathematics offers pre-college level math courses designed to prepare students for college level mathematics: Pre-algebra (Math 0950), Beginning Algebra (Math 0990), Pathway to Contemporary Mathematics (Math 0970), and Intermediate Algebra (Math 1010). The courses are available face-to-face, virtual, and online. It is the goal of the WSU Developmental Mathematics program to assist students in gaining the math skills they need for success in college level mathematics in as short a time as possible.

Contact Information:
Kathryn Van Wagoner
Weber State University
1415 Edvalson St
Ogden, UT 84408
(801) 626-7448

Measurable Learning Outcome	Method of Measurement	Threshold for Evidence of Student Learning
Learning Outcome 1: Students will be able to demonstrate procedural knowledge of mathematics by competently performing algebraic operations.	Measure 1: Specified procedural problems on the final exams of every course.	Measure 1: 80% of the specified questions will be answered 100% correctly.
Learning Outcome 2: Students will demonstrate understanding of foundational concepts such as identify, inverse, and equivalence.	Measure 1: Measured with 3 multiple choice questions on final exams, one for each concept.	Measure 1: Students who take the final exam will get 80% of the specified questions correct.
Learning Outcome 3: Students will persist through difficulty and work through the entire semester.	Measure 1: Course retention rates	Measure 1: 80% of students enrolled at 3^rdweek will persist through the end of the semester.
Learning Outcome 4: Students who complete one or more developmental math course will have the knowledge and skills needed to successfully complete a Quantitative Literacy course.	Measure 1: QL course pass rates of students who took dev math Measure 2: Comparison of the dev math cohort's QL pass rate with those students who placed directly into QL	Measure 1: Students who enrolled in one or more dev math classes will pass QL courses at a rate of 70% or better. Measure 2: The pass rate of the dev math cohort of students will be statistically similar to or better than the pass rate of students who placed directly into QL.

Assessment Report Submissions
- 2021-2022
  
  1)   Review and comment on the trend of minority students enrolling in your classes (particularly lower-division, GEN Ed) and in your programs.
  
  I don’t know where to get data to study this.
  
  2)   What support (from enrollment services, advising, first-year transition office, access & diversity, etc.) do you need to help you recruit and retain students?
  
  We need to do marketing to let students know we have a good math program that they don’t need to be afraid of
  
  3)   We have invited you to re-think your program assessment. What strategies are you considering? What support or help would you like?
  
  I honestly don’t know. We are doing so many new things, it is difficult to assess everything. We don’t have the human resources to do it.
  
  4)   Finally, we are supporting our Concurrent Enrollment accreditation process. Does your program offer concurrent enrollment classes? If so, have you been able to submit the information requested from the Concurrent Enrollment office?
  
  I believe we have.
  
  The full report is available fore viewing.
- 2019-2020
  1) First year student success is critical to WSU’s retention and graduation efforts. We are interested in finding out how departments support their first-year students. Do you have mechanisms and processes in place to identify, meet with, and support first-year students? Please provide a brief narrative focusing on your program’s support of new students:
  
  Any first-year students taking courses in your program(s):
  - Yes. We treat every student as a first year student should be treated because completion of our courses is required for all students whether they are enrolled in their first year or their last semester. We teach growth mindset and try to help students develop better study and learning skills.
  Students declared in your program(s), whether or not they are taking courses in your program(s):
  - n/a
  2) A key component of sound assessment practice is the process of ‘closing the loop’ – that is, following up on changes implemented as a response to your assessment findings, to determine the impact of those changes/innovations. It is also an aspect of assessment on which we need to improve, as suggested in our NWCCU mid-cycle report. Please describe the processes your program has in place to ‘close the loop’.
  - We are continually looking at outcomes data and making adjustments to improve outcomes. One example is the Math 0970 course was created to improve student preparation for Math 1030 and 1040. Data showed it was working for Math 1030, but not necessarily for Math 1040, so we will stop using it as a prereq to Math 1040 and will consider other options.
  The full report is available for viewing.
- 2017
- 2016
  1) Reflecting on this year’s assessment(s), how does the evidence of student learning impact your faculty’s confidence in the program being reviewed; how does that analysis change when compared with previous assessment evidence?
  - To answer this question, compare evidence from prior years to the evidence from the current year. Discuss trends of evidence that increases your confidence in the strengths of the program. Also discuss trends of concern (e.g. students struggling to achieve particular student outcomes).
  - With the continued trend in improved pass rates, the faculty have developed greater confidence in the program as a whole. The Pathway course continues to provide the greatest outcome and has spurred us into developing REAL 0950 and 1010 courses using similar methodologies.
  2) With whom did you share the results of the year’s assessment efforts?
  - Results have been discussed with full time and adjunct faculty, the dean of the College of Science, as well as the Developmental Mathematics Advisory committee and with the Associate Provost.
  3) Based on your program’s assessment findings, what subsequent action will your program take?
  - While TERM pass rates have improved, they continue to be significantly lower than our other course options. We have decided to completely eliminate the TERM program – meaning the computer-based courses that meet one hour a week in a classroom. Computer-based online and flipped courses will continue with some modifications. REAL 1010 was piloted this semester with success and makes it possible to offer students a choice of two paths to QL – the Tech Path and the R.E.A.L. Path.
  The full report is available for viewing.
- 2015
  1) Reflecting on this year’s assessment(s), how does the evidence of student learning impact your faculty’s confidence in the program being reviewed; how does that analysis change when compared with previous assessment evidence?
  - Overall department pass rates increased 6 percentage points each year for the past 3 years. Efforts over the 14-15 year focused on informing students of the choices they have when registering for a dev math class. The first full year of multiple sections of Pathway being offered each semester contributed significantly to improved pass rates, as the average pass rate in Pathway was 73%. Adding deadlines to the TERM program beginning Spring 2015 improved TERM pass rates significantly, from 47% (Fall 14) to 57% (Spr 15). We also piloted a R.E.A.L. Pre-algebra course that is taught similarly to Pathway. We are concerned with the rate of W and UW’s in our courses and are adding self-efficacy lessons to our curriculum.
  2) With whom did you share the results of the year’s assessment efforts?
  - Results have been discussed with full time and adjunct faculty, the dean of the College of Science, as well as the Developmental Mathematics Advisory committee and with the Associate Provost. A report of program changes and improvements over the past 3 years was shared with USHE Commissioner David Buhler and included in his public newsletter, as well as shared in a Board of Regents meeting.
  3) Based on your program’s assessment findings, what subsequent action will your program take?
  - The department continues to identify and provide pedagogies and course delivery methods that lead to greater student success. We continue to divert students from TERM, which has the lowest pass rate and is not the right fit for many students, to a course that is a better fit for their learning style, such as flipped and pathway courses. Moving forward, we are creating a pathway-style Math 1010 course.
- 2014
  1) Reflecting on this year’s assessment(s), how does the evidence of student learning impact your faculty’s confidence in the program being reviewed; how does that analysis change when compared with previous assessment evidence?
  - For the past two years departmental pass rates have improved significantly, and are trending upward. While pass rates in TERM have improved slightly, pass rates in the flipped classes are dramatically higher than TERM and contribute to the overall increase. We continue to direct greater proportions of students into flipped classes where they have a great chance of success. The pilot of the Pathway course was very encouraging and we are offering more sections of that course this next year.
  2) With whom did you share the results of the year’s assessment efforts?
  - Results have been discussed with full time and adjunct faculty, the dean of the College of Science, as well as the Developmental Mathematics Advisory committee and with the Associate Provost.
  3) Based on your program’s assessment findings, what subsequent action will your program take?
  - The department continues to identify and provide pedagogies and course delivery methods that lead to greater student success. We will continue to make changes to the TERM program, such as adding deadlines, while at the same time, diverting students from TERM to a course that is a better fit for their learning style, such as flipped and pathway courses.
  Select this link to view the full report
- 2013
Program Review

This information is part of the cyclical program review process. Details such as mission statements, learning outcomes, etc., are updated as part of the biennial assessment reporting process, an integral component of program review.