Year: 2010
Type: article
Abstract: In 2003, we conducted a research study comparing the success rates of students in “Arithmetic ” (MTH 02), “Algebra I ” (MTH 03), and “Algebra II ” (MTH 04) when they were offered at Southwest Virginia Community College (SWCC) for three credits versus five credits. The data included fifteen semesters from Fall 1993 to Summer 1998 when the courses were offered for three credits and fifteen semesters from Fall 1998 to Summer 2003 when the courses were offered for five credits. The results of the study were published in the Spring 2005 Inquiry article “Comparing Success Rates of Developmental Math Students. ” Our findings showed no significant differences in the success rates of students who were enrolled in the three-credit classes and the five-credit classes. Therefore, we concluded that three-credit courses are just as effective in training developmental math students as five-credit courses. As a result of the study, SWCC returned to offering the development math courses for three credits in Spring 2005. Following Up on the Data It had been three years since the developmental math classes have once again been offered at SWCC for three credits, so we decided to do a follow-up study. This time, we looked at nine semesters from Spring 2002 to Fall 2004 when the courses were offered for five credits, and nine semesters from Spring 2005 to Fall 2007 when the courses were offered for three credits. Again, we looked at the number of developmental students (on-campus and off-campus) who received grades of Satisfactory (S), Unsatisfactory(U)/Re-“ We recommend that developmental courses be offered for three credits instead of five. Advantages include lower costs to students, fewer scheduling problems, and possibly less burnout for students and teachers.”
Authors: Teresa Woodard, Sexton Burkett
Institution: Virginia Community College System
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W63692669