A majority of College Algebra sections, MAT151, assigned an exam covering 4 major topics of the course. The exam was scheduled the week of November 12.
The 4 topics in MAT151, Polynomial, Rational, Exponential, and Logarithmic functions, are very rigorous for students, so additional academic support was needed to help students succeed.
The ASC created 12 exam review sessions, about 2 hours long, spanning two weeks before MAT151 students took their exam. Each session had a different focus on each core topic of the exam. In the sessions, students pulled up their study exam and homework problems through MOER, completed a KWL chart to assess what the student knows, wants more help with, and what additional help or strategies they learned in the session.
At the end of each session, a survey was conducted to assess students' levels of understanding.
- 100% agree the session was very helpful.
- 80.6% didn't understand, confused, or lost in the class prior to attending a session.
- 90.3% had a better understanding after attending a session.
- 48.4% felt confident about the next class or the exam, 41.9% were neutral about the next class or exam.
The Academic Success Center (ASC) provides drop-in person tutoring services for mathematics courses at Estrella. On occassion, the ASC holds study sessions for students in nearby classrooms for a more focused, enclosed tutoring session to support students with rigorous topics or upcoming exam reviews. Starting this semester, the sections of College Algebra decided to conduct two major exams and a final based on the course curriculum of MAT151. To help support this endeavor, the tutors of the ASC were prepared to assist students with these major exams.
The KWL (Know, Want, Learn) chart is a tool students can use to assess what they know, want to know, and what they learn in the process of the review session. This helps students priortize the content they need to focus on and get more help. The chart helps students identify the gaps in processing, assess their strengths, and allows them to reflect their understanding of the content.
Special thanks to the College Algebra tutors of the ASC!
| Attachment | Size |
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| mat151-college-algebra-exam-review-data.xlsx | 11.25 KB |