S R E E P + Y T L U C FA = Y G O L O N H C E +T
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math experience e th s rm fo s n a tr FIU By Ayleen Barbel Fattal | abarbel@fiu.edu rowing up in Jamaica, Garfield Jugar was never a “math person.” Actually, he hated math. Tired of his mother always taking his radio away as punishment for his bad grades, Jugar buckled down and tried to teach himself. Jugar would wait for his family to go to sleep late at night and turn off the television. He would then talk through the process to solve the problems. Over time, the self-teaching method produced results and math stopped being a problem. Actually, Jugar started to enjoy it. By the time he was ready for college, he decided to major in it and enrolled at FIU. The autodidactic student became a Learning Assistant (LA) in FIU’s Mastery Math Lab, a high-tech, high-touch approach to improving student performance through evidence-based teaching techniques including peer mentoring. The Mastery Math Lab, where students attend weekly problem-solving sessions, is designed for students in Intermediate and College Algebra courses. It is predominantly staffed by Learning Assistants, like Jugar, who are there to help their peers navigate the rigors of math. This approach is an alternative to traditional lecture learning and, 10 | Arts & Sciences 2014-2015
for many, makes classwork more relatable. It’s also one of several transformative interventions the college has implemented in recent years to better engage students in the classroom. Throughout higher education, math courses traditionally have some of the highest failure rates nationwide. Even though math is a skill nearly every person uses on a daily basis, it has become a significant impediment to degree completion. FIU is not immune to this reality. It is what led to the creation of the Mastery Math Program, and has since led to other projects that are reversing course on this trend. Last year, new approaches to teaching were implemented in onsite and online versions of introductory math courses including Finite Math, Social Choice Math and Pre-Calculus Algebra. Faculty engagement was a key component in these transformations. A team approach was devised, allowing for cross-collaborations on common issues and challenges. Special workshops were offered to arm the professors with new, evidence-based teaching methods. In just a few short months, test scores were on the rise. By the end of
the academic year, nearly 900 students who were at-risk of failing were able to successfully complete their lower division math courses. “The Department of Mathematics and Statistics has done an incredible job improving the success of our students while maintaining the rigor of the curriculum,” said College of Arts & Sciences Dean Mike Heithaus. “There is more work to do, but to have made such large gains so quickly is inspiring.” Pass rates experienced double-digit increases college-wide. This is in addition to more than 1,300 students who successfully completed College Algebra — but would have likely failed using previous teaching methods — since the inception of the Mastery Math Program. “With full implementation, this transformation has the potential to positively impact the nearly 12,000 students who take undergraduate math courses each year at FIU,” said Leanne Wells, director of the FIU Mastery Math Program. In addition to new teaching methods and peer learning, technology is also playing a role in the success of FIU’s efforts in math. High-tech components include personal response devices,
such as iClickers, which provide real-time feedback for students and instructors. But ultimately, the success is tied to the relationships between students and the course content. In addition, an important component to the changes being implemented in FIU’s math classes is the use of Learning Assistants. The Learning Assistant program was pioneered in Physics during a time when enrollment numbers were steadily dropping for physics majors. Today, the peer-mentoring program is being implemented at a much greater scale. In addition to physics and math, FIU has deployed LAs in chemistry, earth sciences and biological sciences with plans to expand to other areas. FIU currently has the largest LA program in the country, with 178 Learning Assistants supporting more than 6,700 enrollments in 110 sections of STEM courses in nine disciplines. For students like Garfield Jugar, his time as a Learning Assistant allowed him to teach others, while honing his skills as a mathematician and teacher. Now a teacher in Broward County, the student who once couldn’t pass a math test has since become the educator. n
Lower Division Math Pass Rates Onsite classes at Modesto A. Maidique Campus Before intervention
After intervention
80 Mastery Math Program (full implementation)
Introductory math course transformation
70
60
50 % Pass Rate
G
40
30
20
10
0
College Algebra
Finite Math
Social Choice Math
Pre-Calculus Algebra
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