Easing the Transition: Building Better Bridges between Developmental and College-Level Math.

This article reports research involving collaboration between a studies department and a mathematics department in an effort to increase the academic success of students who transition into college-level math. Three separate projects were conducted with former math students currently enrolled in an introductory math course. Their performance was compared with peers who had not taken math, and problematic content areas were identified. These projects included analyses of pre-course assessments, analyses of exams and final grades, and analyses of student surveys. This collaborative effort provides an example of how studies departments and other academic departments can together to serve students who require remedial education. Introduction Students who apply for college but are unprepared for college-level courses quickly encounter a gulf that separates them from their educational aspirations. Higher education has sought to bridge this gulf with remedial or education programs, in the hope that remedial instruction will help students cross this gulf. For many students this strategy works, but for many other students education in its current form is not enough to bridge the gap. For these students, a bridge is needed. But how does the higher education community go about constructing this better bridge? Careful consideration of this question led faculty from the Developmental Studies and Mathematics Departments at Sinclair Community College, in conjunction with Sinclair's Office of Research, Analytics, and Reporting to propose a trio of research projects aimed at uncovering areas where Developmental Studies could prepare students for college level math and where the Mathematics Department could more effectively facilitate student success. Tackling the issue with a variety of research approaches, several key findings emerged, leading to changes that will hopefully improve the alignment between math and college level math - in effect building a better bridge. Background While higher education has traditionally focused on educating students at a post-secondary level, increasingly colleges and universities need to focus on the issue of remedial education. College-level courses are beyond the skill level of many entering freshmen, and in these cases remedial is required to bring students' skill levels up to the point where they can succeed academically at college-level work. Remediation can be defined as offered at a postsecondary institution (either community college or four-year) that is below college-level work. Other terms that are used to describe remedial include developmental education, basic-skills training, or nontraditional coursework (Education Commission of the States, 2003). Jenkins and Boswell (2002) defined remedial education as those courses in reading, writing or mathematics offered to students lacking the necessary academic skills to perform college-level work (p.2) . Remedial education is based on the idea that most academically deficient students do not lack talent. They lack (McCabe 2003, p.7). Thus, preparation for college level must be provided. Sinclair Community College is a large, urban, open-admission institution with a Fall enrollment of over 22,000 students. At Sinclair, remedial courses are typically referred to as courses. While some researchers draw a distinction between remedial and courses (see Boylan, 1995, for an example of where this distinction is made), these terms are often used interchangeably in the literature (Education Commission of the States, 2003). The terminology adopted in the current research reflects the use of these terms by the Ohio Board of Regents ([OBOR] 2003, 2005). According to the Ohio Board of Regents (2005) , approximately 40 percent of traditional recent high school graduates who were enrolled in community colleges in the state of Ohio were enrolled in math courses in fiscal year 2003. …