TEXAS STATE TECHNICAL COLLEGE HARLINGEN

Transcription

T E X A S S TAT E T E C H N I C A L C O L L E G E H A R L I N G E N
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Quality Enhancement Plan
Texas State Technical College Harlingen
2
Table of Contents
I.
Executive Summary
4
II. Institutional and Regional Profile
7
III. Process Used to Develop the QEP
9
IV. Identification of the Topic and QEP Development
15
V. Desired Student Learning Outcomes
24
VI. Literature Review and Best Practices
26
VII. Actions to be Implemented
28
VIII.Timeline
32
IX. Organizational Structure
36
X.Resources
38
XI.Assessment
44
XII. Appendices
58
Appendix A: Focus Group Reports
59
Appendix B: Topic Selection Committee Minutes--Sample
70
Appendix C: QEP Development and Workgroup Minutes—Sample
72
Resources
82
XIII. Addendum 83
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I. Executive Summary
Texas State Technical College (TSTC) Harlingen’s
proposed Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), entitled,
Math: It All Adds Up to Success, strives to enhance
student learning and success in developmental
mathematics through programming that combines
proven curricula and learning strategies with
innovative enrichment activities to help TSTC
Harlingen students succeed in developmental
mathematics.
with a focus on smaller class sizes and a restructured
course schedule to a block system creating more
concentrated and flexible units of time for each class.
This new system will be supplemented by mandatory
student advisement with course instructors and
reserved time with Supplemental Instruction Tutors
for cooperative learning, instruction in developmental
math-specific content, lab-time where students can
use educational software to reinforce concepts, and
specialized tutoring services. This new environment
will allow more opportunities for variety of teaching
techniques, as well as more time for interaction
-- both between students and student-to-teacher.
The proposed redesign process retained its focus
on student learning needs and best practices in
developmental education.
The process of selecting the QEP theme was
designed to be open and include all college
stakeholders, with a continued focus on ensuring
the topic was aligned to TSTC Harlingen’s mission
and connected to its strategic plan. After months of
campus-wide meetings and review of institutional
research related to student learning and performance
outcomes, the QEP planning team identified the
topic of most relevance and need to improve student
learning and overall achievement. Institutional
data and performance trends highly informed this
decision. In fall 2013, for instance, 30 percent of
first-time college students entering TSTC were placed
in developmental mathematics. Furthermore, when
compared to peers in developmental reading and
writing in Fall 2013 and Spring 2014, data revealed
that 1) more students in both terms across all course
sections were placed in developmental mathematics;
2) overall, passing rates for students in developmental
reading and writing were higher than passing rates
for developmental math students across all sections
and terms; and 3) students in developmental math
withdrew at a higher rate each term across all
sections than peers in developmental reading and
writing.
In addition to this proposed transformative course
design, the QEP will also build upon existing,
innovative initiatives piloted within the last two
years that allow students to accelerate through the
developmental math sequence faster. The MAMBO
and Emporium course designs will be built upon and
scaled to give developmental math students more
options and support for exiting remedial studies faster,
but also, to earn college credit in the process.
The proposed QEP initiative is grounded in TSTC
Harlingen’s mission and intimately connected to our
strategic plan, as highlighted below in a section of the
defined, expanded vision of TSTC Harlingen:
“TSTC Harlingen is committed to preparing students
for the 21st century by providing holistic personal and
professional development through a combination of
technical and academic delivery, relevant student
services, talent development organizations, and other
career building activities.”
The proposed QEP initiatives are designed to support
this high area of need while building upon existing
and new initiatives proposed in the plan to improve
success and learning for developmental mathematics
students. It features a transformed course design
The TSTC Harlingen strategic plan is also making a
strong commitment to enhance the value of a college
education and experience by making it more studentfocused. The proposed QEP is intentionally designed
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to meet the needs of developmental math students
and move them successfully through remediation
not only faster, but prepared to succeed in collegelevel coursework as capable and confident college
students. TSTC Harlingen’s strategic plan includes
goals, objectives and action steps to help reach those
goals. Highlighted below are components of the
strategic plan’s goals and objectives that are aligned
to our proposed QEP initiative:
approved assessment).
Objective 3: Increase the number of students
who enroll in and successfully complete the
Emporium and/or MAMBO courses (as measured
by earning a grade of “C” or better in DMTH 0300 or
MAMBO course or achieving passing score on TSI
assessment).
Objective 4: Ensure 70 percent of students
demonstrate mastery of developmental mathematics
student learning outcomes.
Objective 5: Reduce the percentage of students
who express math anxiety from pre to post test in
DMTH 0100 (Introductory Algebra) course.
Goal 1: Quality learning experience
Objective 1.2 Use innovative instructional
methodologies, learning environments,
and delivery options.
Objective 1.4 Increase persistence, retention,
transfer, and graduation rates.
Objective 1.5 Continuously improve academic
achievement and student satisfaction.
TSTC expects that through the QEP, students will
demonstrate improved success rates, improved
developmental mathematics competencies, being
confident in their math ability, experiencing math in
a positive way, and acting in ways to support their
math development and success. Instruments will
be designed to collect this type of quantitative and
qualitative data as a means to demonstrate this type
of transformative change in students.
Goal 2: Fulfilling college experience
Objective 2.2 Provide student support services that is
accessible, effective and efficient.
The plan is guided by the following five primary
objectives designed to achieve the overarching goal
of the project: To improve student learning and
success in developmental mathematics.
As the project is implemented over the five-year
period, it will be modified according to the results
of both formative and summative assessments.
The project is poised to transform student learning
and the College culture by improving success in
developmental mathematics and beyond.
Objective 1: Increase success rates of students in
Developmental Mathematics DMTH 0200 capstone
course (as evidenced by grades of “C” or better or
passing score on the Texas Success Initiative (TSI)
approved assessments).
Objective 2: Increase the percentage of First-TimeIn-College (FTIC) students placed in developmental
mathematics who successfully complete the program
capstone course (DMTH 0200) within two years
(as measured by earning a grade of “C” or better
in the highest level course in the developmental
math sequence or achieving passing score on TSI
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II. Institutional and
Regional Profile
Texas State Technical College (TSTC) was
established in 1965 as the James Connally Technical
Institute (JCTI) of Texas A & M University to meet
the state’s evolving workforce needs. This College
was located in Central Texas at the former James
Connally Air Force Base in Waco.
specific to the Harlingen campus. The legislated
mission that serves the entire System can be found
at www.tstc.edu/harlingenfooter/mission and in the
Texas Education Code, Section 135.01. The TSTC
Harlingen-specific Expanded Purpose Statement can
also be found at http://www.tstc.edu/harlingenfooter/
mission.
In 1967, JCTI expanded to include a South Texas
campus in Harlingen. In 1969, the Colleges
separated from Texas A&M University and became
an independent state system, with the name Texas
State Technical Institute (TSTI) and its own Board of
Regents. In 1991, TSTI was renamed Texas State
Technical College (TSTC). Today, the Texas State
Technical College System includes four colleges
including Harlingen. Since opening in 1967, TSTC
Harlingen has grown from two technical programs
and 40 students to five (5) Associate of Science
degree programs, 28 Associate of Applied Science
degree programs, 32 certificate-award programs,
and the Academic Core Curriculum, serving 5,951
students in the Fall 2013 Semester.
As part of the TSTC System with a statewide
mission, TSTC Harlingen serves students from all of
the State of Texas, but primarily the southern region
of Texas. TSTC Harlingen is located in Cameron
County within a four-county region known as the
Rio Grande Valley, which is bordered by the Gulf of
Mexico to the east, Mexico to the south, and sparsely
populated ranchlands for hundreds of miles to the
north and west. The primary service area for TSTC
Harlingen are the four Rio Grande Valley counties
(Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy, and Starr) at the
southernmost geography of Texas, from which the
college drew 98 percent of its enrollment for the Fall
2013 Semester.
TSTC Harlingen is guided by two Statements of
Purpose: 1) the system’s legislated mission which
serves the entire TSTC System and 2) TSTC
Harlingen’s Expanded Statement of Purpose
The Rio Grande Valley is designated as an
economically distressed area with low wages,
high unemployment, substandard housing, and
low educational attainment. Table 1 profiles key
Table 1:
Population, Socio-Economic and Educational Attainment Data Comparison
County,
State &
Nation
Population
Educational Attainment
Population
% Hispanic
Per Capita
Income
% Below
Poverty
% Less
than HS
% HS
Diploma
% Bachelor’s
Degree
Cameron
417,276
88.5
$14,405
34.9
38.6
63.0
14.9
Hidalgo
815,996
91.0
$14,126
35.0
41.5
61.2
15.6
Starr
61,963
95.7
$11,537
39.9
54.5
44.9
8.5
Willacy
21,921
87.4
$11,895
37.7
46.4
60.8
8.4
Texas
26,448,193
38.4
$25,809
17.4
21.7
80.8
26.3
US
316,128,839
17.1
$28,051
14.9
16.4
85.7
28.5
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Quick Facts, 2013
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demographic characteristics of the College’s primary
services area. Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, and Willacy
Counties are considered among the poorest counties
of their size in the United States in terms of per capita
income (Dietz, Texas Politics-Poverty in Texas, 2009).
Hispanics made up the highest percentage of enrolled
students by ethnicity in Fall 2013 at 88.8 percent;
Whites made up 7.8 percent; and about 3.4 percent
were either African American, other or did not report
their ethnicity. Approximately 51.8 percent of the Fall
2013 student population was female and 48.2 percent
was male. The average age of the student population
was 23 years of age, with 26 percent 18 years of
age or younger, reflecting a strong dual enrollment
population. Thirty-nine percent of the students were
full-time and 61 percent part-time.
Rio Grande Valley residents had an average per
capita income of only $12,990.75 – perpetuating a
substantial incongruence in economic and financial
equity between the primary service area region and
the rest of the state and nation. This disparity is
further exemplified by the socio-economic conditions
of the area. Low educational attainment amongst
the counties adult population is considered a major
contributor to the high prevalence of poverty, such
as in Starr County where almost 40 percent of adults
25 years and older live in poverty compared to 17
percent in Texas and 15 percent in the U.S. Data
also reveals a sharp disparity among Bachelor’s level
educated adults in the target region and the rest of the
nation. The greatest gap in educational attainment,
however, is in the percentage of adults with less
than a high school diploma, with the highest rate
at 54.5 percent in Starr County compared to 21.7
percent for Texas and 16.4 percent for the nation.
In 2005, Texas State Technical College Harlingen
was, and continues to be, the only campus in the
TSTC System granted permission to participate in
the statewide core curriculum requirements by the
Commissioner of Higher Education at the Texas
Higher Education Coordinating Board. In 2009 TSTC
Harlingen was, and continues to be, the only campus
in the TSTC System granted approval by the Texas
legislature to offer the Associate of Science degrees.
Texas State Technical College Harlingen is an open
admissions public technical college; however, due to
the large number of applicants, some programs have
additional selective admission requirements. Among
TSTC’s strengths are its emphasis on “learning by
thinking and doing,” strong relationships with business
and industry, state- of-the-art laboratories, residential
campuses, and a student-centered philosophy:
The demographics of the region are oftentimes
key indicators for high academic, financial, and
personal/social need. The reality for many students
in our region is that many have not followed a lifepath to be ready to enter and succeed in college.
Lack of parental familiarity with the college-going
process, limited English proficiency, and high poverty
rates often create familial barriers to educational
attainment.
“We believe in people. We believe people desire to
be responsible and productive citizens. We believe
technology is a force to be explored and channeled
by people in a productive and responsible manner for
the benefit of all humankind. Therefore, we believe
all people should be provided with the educational
opportunity to learn the skills necessary to perform
meaningful work and, thereby, pursue their goals as
responsible citizens contributing to the welfare and
success of their families, communities, state, nation,
and world.”
The demographics of the region also reflect the
student body profile of TSTC Harlingen students.
In Fall 2013, TSTC Harlingen served 5,951 credit
students, of which, 1145 (19 percent) were dual
credit students. A total of 93 percent of first-time,
full-time students in fall 2012 (most recent data
reported in IPEDS) received some form of financial
assistance (loans, scholarships, grants, waivers,
etc.) to attend college and 86 percent received needbased financial aid or Pell grant funding (economically
disadvantaged).
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III. Process Used to
Develop the QEP
Initial Topic Selection Committee Meeting
The process to select the QEP spanned from 2012
through 2013. It began with a call by the TSTC
Harlingen President to various college constituencies.
The first meeting to explain both the SACSCOC
reaffirmation process and the development of the
QEP was held in July of 2012. From this initial
meeting, two separate committees were formed, one
to develop the QEP and the other to work on SACS
reaffirmation. Some individuals served on both
committees. The Initial Topic Selection Committee
included broad based participation from across the
campus:
• Nicki Cone, Division Director, Faculty, Education and
Humanities
• Javier De Leon, AVP of College Readiness
The initial meeting of the Topic Selection Committee
was informative in nature as members were
presented information on the purpose of a Quality
Enhancement Plan, the respective SACSCOC
compliance standards, and the recommended
process for selecting a topic. At this meeting, various
subcommittees were also formed. These included the
following:
• Cathy Maples, VP of Student Development
• Focus Groups/Liz Silva Chair (Responses are in
Appendix B)
• Teri Zamora, VP of Financial Services
- Students/Liz Silva
• Adam Hutchison, VP of Student Learning
• Each instructional division, with the assistance of the
registrar derived a random sampling of ten percent
of their students.
• Lisa Cavazos, AVP of Institutional Effectiveness and
Research
• The students were invited, via email or letters, to
participate in the focus groups.
• Barbara Bennett, AVP of Student Learning
• Dr. Edna Q. Claus, Division Director, Faculty,
Computer Information Systems
• Liz Silva and the respective Division Directors met
with the students to solicit possible topics
• Fernando Figueroa, Division Director, Faculty,
Engineering
- Staff/Cindy Mata
• Staff Senate, with the assistance of the Human
Organizational Development, selected people
from various departments to participate in a Focus
Group.
• Mirna Garcia, Faculty Senate President
• Juan Garza, Grants Department
• Dr. Regina Garza-Mitchell, AVP of Student Learning
- Faculty/Mirna Garcia
• Adan Gutierrez, Division Director, Faculty, Industrial
and Manufacturing
• Information was gathered from the faculty via the
Faculty Senate.
• Jean Lashbrook, Division Director, Faculty, Allied
Health
• Faculty Senators were tasked with attending
department meetings in their divisions and asking
for suggestions about possible topics.
• Cindy Mata, Staff Senate President
• Liz Silva, Director of Counseling
• Institutional Research/National and Statewide
Trends/Teri Zamora Chair
• Dr. Cesar Maldonado, President
• Mary Adams, AVP of Enrollment Management
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-This committee was tasked with researching
various trends and issues throughout the state and
country. The committee was turned over to Adam
Huchison, since he was the chief academic officer.
• Web Suggestion Box/Cathy Maples (Appendix B)
- A suggestion box was created and put on the
TSTC Harlingen homepage.
- Interested individuals could click on the box and
recommend possible topics.
During the topic exploration stage of the QEP project,
focus groups were gathered made up of students
among the five educational divisions at the institution
as well as faculty and staff senate representatives,
to better understand needs and potential issues
impacting student success. Table 2 reveals common
themes that emerged amongst these constituencies.
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Table 2: Focus Group Results during QEP Topic Exploration, October – November, 2012
Question
Student Response
Themes
Faculty Senate
Response Themes
Staff Senate
Response Themes
“In your experience,
what do TSTC
Harlingen students
struggle with most that
negatively impacts
learning?”
• High price of
textbooks
• Better use of
technology
• Not enough time with
instructors
• Timely feedback –
“get grades sooner”
and “know where we
stand in class”
• Assistants and/or
tutors teaching in
class and available
after class
• Students afraid of
asking questions and
high test anxiety
• Procrastination and
time management
• High rates of noncollege ready
students
• Current remediation
system no designed
for a positive learning
environment
• High rates of students
not attending class
• Transportation issues
• Lack of industry
involvement with
programs
• Literacy and
vocabulary issues
among students
• Lack of foundational
and fundamental
math skills
• Financial
responsibilities
• Childcare issues
• Too many remedial
courses to take
• Students not being
advised appropriately
into right course –
no connection to
program/academic
advisors
• Lack of confidence
• Need for hands on
training
“What do you think
TSTC can do to
address this struggle
and improve student
learning?”
• Use of e-books
• Use of media
to supplement
technology; update
software in computer
labs and libraries
• Meet with advisors
and teachers on a
regular basis
• Increase hours of
knowledgeable
lab assistants and
tutors; make tutoring
available after hours
• Instructors take more
time to encourage
questions being
asked; more training
in respect and
customer training
• Teach time
management in class
• Students could start
in gateway courses
with built-in support
systems
• Redesign first-year
courses with just-intime tutoring and early
support systems
• Math and English 101
courses can meet 5
days a week instead
of 3 days a week
• Offer student
incentives to
use Valley Metro
transportation
services
• More funding for
faculty professional
development
• Update equipment
and technology in
classrooms and labs
to promote instruction
in accordance
with latest industry
demands
• Offer students for
opportunities for
scholarships/grants
• Collaborate with local
Headstart programs
to increase space
availability for children
of TSTC students
• More options for
shorter courses such
as combined courses
• Connect with advisors
on a regular basis
• Utilize TSTC
for clinicals and
practicum, such as
Physical Plant for ACT
or BCT
11
The subcommittees worked to gather data from October 2012 to January 2013. The timeline that follows
summarizes the work of these QEP Topic Selection sub-committees:
9-28-12
Initial Topic Selection Committee Meeting
• Subcommittees Formed
- Focus Groups/Liz Silva Chair
• Faculty
• Staff
• Students
- Institutional Research/National and Statewide
Trends/Teri Zamora Chair
- Surveys/Lisa Cavazos Chair
- Web Suggestion Box/Cathy Maples
10/12 to 12/12
Focus Groups formed
Faculty/Staff/ Student Focus groups—led by Liz Silva
and Cathy Maples
• Faculty
- Faculty Senators met with faculty in their divisions
• Staff
- Cindy Mata met with various staff focus groups
• Students
- Focus groups held in all five divisions
- Led by Liz Silva and Division Directors
10/12 to 1/13
Research Conducted on National and Statewide
Trends
10/12 to 1/13
Surveys conducted
• Lisa Cavazos attended Standing Committee
meetings and surveyed committee members about
possible QEP topics
10/19/12
Launched QEP Suggestion Box on TSTC Harlingen
website
1/25/13
QEP Topic Selection Committee reconvenes and
topics are narrowed to three areas of interest.
Possible topics:
• First Year Experience Course
• Developmental Math
• Developmental English
8/16/13
QEP Committee Meeting
• Institutional Research/ National Statewide Trends
(now chaired by Adam Huchison) recommends that
topic be narrowed to Developmental Math
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QEP Topic Selection Committee Meeting
Reconvenes to Narrow the Topic
The QEP Topic Selection Committee reconvened in
January 2013 to discuss the findings of the various
subcommittees. Based on the information gathered
by the subcommittees, the following three topics
emerged as priority areas of need:
First Year Experience Course
Developmental English
Developmental Math
The Institutional Research/National and Statewide
Trends committee was asked to research the three
possible areas and bring back their recommendation
at the next meeting. Their task was to gather and
interpret empirical data so that an informed decision
could be made on the direction and final topic of the
QEP. Key findings are summarized below:
First Year Experience Course
• TSTC used to have a HRPO (Human Relations)
course which was only required for students who
were enrolled in technical programs. In addition to
learning about human relations in the workplace,
students were also taught about skills that have
proven to be important for successful college
students such as time management, listening
and note taking, library and research skills, and
preparing for examinations. The skills that make
for a successful college student were thought to be
so valuable that all students, regardless of declared
major, needed to be exposed to them.
Developmental Math
- In Fall 2012, 31 percent of FTIC students were
placed in Developmental Mathematics courses.
- Collectively, students in these courses had an
average 43 percent passing rate
While historical, institutional data was gathered dating
back to FY 2009 to evaluate trends, the committee
decided to base recommendations on a more
current Fall 2012 term. To this end, they analyzed
and compared course performance outcomes for
developmental mathematics, reading and writing
courses. The table on the following page profiles the
results of this analysis, including several key areas
of need: 1) more students in this term across all
three course sections were placed in developmental
mathematics; 2) overall, passing rates for students
in developmental reading and writing were higher
than passing rates for developmental math students
across all sections and terms; and 3) students in
developmental math withdrew at a higher rate this
term across all sections than peers in developmental
reading and writing.
• The TSTC 1101, College Success, course made its
debut in Fall of 2013, and as such was believed to
be ineligible as a QEP topic.
Developmental English
• Fall 2012
• In Fall of 2012, 25 percent of FTIC students were
placed in Developmental Reading courses and
23 percent were placed in Developmental Writing
courses.
• Collectively, students in these course had a 60
percent average passing rate
13
Table: Passing Rate Comparison for Developmental Math, Reading & Writing for all sections, Fall 2012
Fall 2012
Total Students
Enrolled
Number (%) Passing
(Grade A-C)
Number (%) Failing
(Grade D-F)
Number (%)
Withdrawn
DMTH 0050 (Math)
239
114 (48%)
89 (37%)
36 (15%)
READ 0050
(Reading)
55
33 (60%)
21 (38%)
1 (2%)
WRIT 0050
(Writing)
54
34 (63%)
17 (31%)
3 (6%)
Total Students
Enrolled
Number (%) Passing
(Grade A – C)
Number (%) Failing
(Grade D-F)
Number (%)
Withdrawn
DMTH 0100 (Math)
285
127 (45%)
117 (41%)
41 (14%)
READ 0100
(Reading)
226
140 (62%)
72 (32%)
14 (6%)
WRIT 0100
(Writing)
224
138 (62%)
67 (30%)
18 (8%)
Total Students
Enrolled
Number (%) Passing
(Grade A – C)
Number (%) Failing
(Grade D-F)
Number (%)
Withdrawn
DMTH 0200 (Math)
184
97 (53%)
62 (34%)
25 (14%)
READ 0200
(Reading)
148
101 (68%)
34 (23%)
14 (9%)
WRIT 0200
(Writing)
107
81 (76%)
23 (21%)
3 (3%)
Source: TSTC-Harlingen Office of Institutional Effectiveness & Research, 2014
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IV. Identification of the Topic and
QEP Development
Topic Selected
The topic selection committee convened for the
last time in August of 2013 and a recommendation
was made that the QEP topic be focused on
developmental mathematics, as the need was
strongly supported by institutional data. From the
collective work of this committee, a new committee
was formed, the QEP Development Committee.
The QEP Development Committee consisted of the
following group of people who were chosen for their
expertise in areas related developmental studies,
student support services, student learning, and
research and assessment.
• Kyumars Ardalani, Math Department Faculty
• Nicki Cone, Division Director, Faculty, Education and
Humanities
• Dr. Regina Garza-Mitchell, AVP of Student Learning
• Lynda Lopez, Director of Marketing
• Norma Salazar, Director of Student Success
• Christine Stuart-Carruthers, Director of Advisement
• Billie Becker, Developmental English Department
Chair
• Mirna Garcia, Developmental English Faculty
• Dr. Mehrdad Hosseinpour, Math Department Faculty
• Michael Murphy, Math Department Chair
• Celina Solis-Hernandez, Institutional Effectiveness &
Research Specialist
• Dr. Stella Garcia (ex-officio), VP of Institutional
Effectiveness & Research
• Maria Magana (ex-officio), Administrative Assistant,
Institutional Effectiveness & Research
The QEP Development Committee was charged
with assessing the current placement mechanisms,
course structures and student outcomes in TSTC
developmental mathematics courses. Teams were
formulated to plan, select and/or develop tools
and resources that could be used to enable faculty
to easily and effectively redesign and/or scale
developmental mathematics courses at the campus.
The committee selected the program goal, objectives,
outcomes and targets and worked to determine what
strategies and tools could be used to achieve the goal.
Additionally, it incorporated the ideas and suggestions
formulated by a series of QEP Workshops which were
open to the college community at large. Students,
staff, and faculty from all disciplines were invited to
participate in these workshops at their discretion.
Through this process, the committee collaborated with
the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Research
to produce mature data for further substantiating need
for the project, but also inform the overall program
goal, objectives and outcomes and to establish
corresponding baseline rates from which success
would be measured.
Institutional Empiral Data
The QEP Development Committee utilized current
institutional and empirical data to guide their
efforts. In doing so, they discovered that about
30 percent of first-time-in-college students were
placed in a developmental mathematics class in Fall
2013. The TSTC Testing Office also reported high
rates of students not testing at a proficiency level
to be considered college-ready. Table 3 profiles
Fall 2013 and Spring 2014 students who took the
Accuplacer test at our campus to determine skill
level for placement in mathematics, reading and
writing. Results were calculated from the highest
score for multiple test takers. Of the three areas
of developmental, a higher rate of students who
took the Accuplacer test on our campus placed in
developmental mathematics for both terms.
15
Table 3: Percentage of Students Placed in Developmental Education as per Accuplacer Test Scores
Fall 2013
Total TSTC Students Tested
# (%) Placed in Developmental*
Developmental Math
36
24 (67%)
Developmental Reading
33
9 (27%)
Developmental Writing
44
11 (25%)
Spring 2014
Total TSTC Students Tested
# (%) Placed in Developmental*
Developmental Math
29
10 (35%)
Developmental Reading
24
5 (21%)
Developmental Writing
35
2 (6%)
*Number of students may be duplicated in developmental areas; Source: TSTC-Harlingen Office of Institutional
Effectiveness & Research, 2014 and TSTC Testing Office.
Further analysis of data revealed low success rates for students in developmental mathematics compared to
peers in developmental reading and writing courses. Tables 4 through 6 reveal passing rates of students by
order of the three course level sequences for developmental math, reading and writing:
Table 4: Passing Rate Comparison for Developmental Math, Reading & Writing 0050 Section
Fall 2013
Total Students
Enrolled
Number (%) Passing
(Grade A – C)
Number (%) Failing
(Grade D-F)
Number (%)
Withdrawn
203
97 (48%)
69 (34%)
37 (18%)
READ 0050 (Reading) 47
30 (64%)
14 (30%)
3 (6%)
WRIT 0050 (Writing)
29 (62%)
15 (32%)
3 (6%)
DMTH 0050 (Math)
47
Spring 2014
Total Students
Enrolled
Number (%) Passing
(Grade A-C)
Number (%) Failing
(Grade D-F)
Number (%)
Withdrawn
157
78 (50%)
50 (32%)
29 (18%)
15 (54%)
11 (39%)
2 (7%)
WRIT 0050 (Writing)
22 (73%)
5 (17%)
3 (10%)
DMTH 0050 (Math)
30
16
Fall 2013
Total Students
Enrolled
Number (%) Passing
(Grade A-C)
Number (%) Failing
(Grade D-F)
Number (%)
Withdrawn
312
133 (43%)
129 (41%)
50 (16%)
120 (58%)
72 (35%)
14 (7%)
WRIT 0100 (Writing)
105 (57%)
59 (32%)
20 (11%)
DMTH 0100 (Math)
184
Spring 2014
Total Students
Enrolled
Total Students
Enrolled
Number (%) Passing
(Grade A – C)
Number (%) Failing
(Grade D-F)
Number (%)
Withdrawn
DMTH 0100 (Math)
160
70 (44%)
59 (37%)
31 (19%)
47 (44%)
43 (40%)
17 (16%)
WRIT 0100 (Writing)
37 (39%)
42 (44%)
16 (17%)
95
Fall 2013
Total Students
Enrolled
DMTH 0200 (Math)
Number (%) Passing
(Grade A-C)
Number (%) Failing
(Grade D-F)
Number (%)
Withdrawn
213
98 (46%)
79 (37%)
36 (17%)
79 (72%)
26 (24%)
4 (4%)
WRIT 0200 (Writing)
45 (60%)
19 (25%)
11 (15%)
75
Spring 2014
Total Students
Enrolled
Number (%) Passing
(Grade A-C)
Number (%) Failing
(Grade D-F)
Number (%)
Withdrawn
180
95 (53%)
49 (27%)
36 (20%)
48 (65%)
17 (23%)
9 (12%)
WRIT 0200 (Writing)
42 (58%)
21 (29%)
10 (14%)
DMTH 0200 (Math)
73
Overall, Fall 2013 and Spring 2014 data were consistent with Fall 2012 results, namely that students in both
terms across all three course sections were placed in developmental mathematics; passing rates for students
in developmental reading and writing were higher than passing rates for developmental math students across
all sections and terms; and students in developmental math withdrew at a higher rate each term across all
sections than peers in developmental reading and writing.
A high rate of students requiring developmental math are also lost to attrition. Of the 318 students placed
in a Developmental Math section in Fall 2012, more than half did not return for continued studies at TSTC
Harlingen in Fall 2013.
17
Table 7: Fall-to-Fall Retention for Developmental Math (DM) Students
Total Fall 2012 FTIC
# (%) Placed in DM
# (%) Returned SP 2013
# (%) Returned FA 2013
906
318 (35.1%)
240 (75.5%)
143 (45.0%)
This is highly concerning as success in the first-year has been found to be a key correlate of student
persistence and reduced time to graduation. In addition, studies have shown that moving students out of
developmental studies faster correlates with more successful student outcomes, such as retention, course/
credit completion, graduation, lesser loan debt, etc. (Edgecombe, 2011). At TSTC Harlingen, most FTIC
students taking one or more sections of developmental education were still enrolled in remedial coursework
two years later (see Table 8). Of these, developmental mathematics students represented the highest rate of
continued enrollment in developmental studies after two years.
Table 8: Percentage of Fall 2011 FTIC Developmental Students Completing Program within 2 Years
# (%) Passed Highest Level by
Fall 2013
Total Fall 2011 FTIC
894
-
# (%) Dev Math
354 (40%)
94 (27%)
# (%) Dev Reading
249 (28%)
95 (38%)
# (%) Dev Writing
220 (25%)
83 (38%)
The data shows that about 73 percent of FTIC developmental mathematics students who began their
coursework in Fall 2011 were still enrolled in developmental math studies or did not return to TSTC by Fall
2013 – compared to 62 percent for peers in developmental reading and writing.
Giving students more non-course based math options (NCBM) and/or combination course options to
either bypass or decrease time in developmental studies has shown varying results. TSTC Harlingen’s
Developmental Math Department currently offers courses through the traditional three-level course sequence
(DMTH 0050, DMTH 0100 and DMTH 0200). Additionally, the department offers several accelerated options,
including the Quick Review (NCBM 0050), a course customized to each student’s specific deficiencies in
math and self-paced; through the Developmental Math Emporium Course (DMTH 0300), this course allows a
student to complete DMTH 0100 and DMTH 0200 in one semester through computer based modules tailored
to the student’s weaknesses; and through the MAMBO course option, designed to help struggling students
succeed in college level mathematics. Students take DMTH 0200 and MATH 1314 or MATH 1332 (College
Algebra) in the same semester. Table 9 compares the success rates of students in these course options:
18
Table 9: Success Rates of Students Taking NCBM 0050; DMTH 0200; DMTH 0300; and MAMBO
Fall 2013
NCBM 0050
#Enrolled
# (%) Passing
(Grade A-C)
# (%) Failing
(Grade D-F)
# (%) Withdrawn
19
18 (95%)
1 (5%)
0%
DMTH 0200
212
97 (46%)
79 (37%)
36 (17%)
DMTH 0300
23
10 (43%)
9 (39%)
4 (17%)
MAMBO
29
25(86%)
3 (10%)
1 (3.4%)
Spring 2014
# Enrolled
# (%)# Passing
(Grade A-C)
# (%) Failing (Grade
D-F)
# (%) Withdrawn
NCBM 0050
11
11 (100%)
0 (0%)
0 (0%)
DMTH 0200
180
95 (53%)
49 (27%)
36 (20%)
DMTH 0300
40
19 (48%)
17 (43%)
4 (10%)
MAMBO
25
21 (84%)
3 (12%)
1 (4%)
Source: TSTC-Harlingen Office of Institutional Effectiveness & Research (2014); Office of Developmental Mathematics (2014)
Success rates across these course options show varying results. The most successful of them included
the NCBM 0050 course (95 percent) as well as the MAMBO course options (86 percent). Success rates in
the traditional capstone DMTH 0200 course averaged 49.5 percent. The Emporium course (DMTH 0300)
accepted its first cohort in Fall 2013 and success rates through Spring 2014 have steadily improved.
In evaluating data for establishing quantifiable objectives, the QEP Development committee also wanted to
determine the success rates of students who have exited developmental mathematics in subsequent math
courses. Data was run to compare the success rates of Fall 2013 students enrolled in MATH 1314 (College
Algebra) with no prior history of taking developmental math courses to students enrolled in the course who had
completed the highest level of developmental mathematics (DMTH 0200), see Table 10:
Table 10: Success Rate Comparison of College-Ready vs. Former DevEd Math Students in College Algebra
(MATH 1314), Fall 2013
Total Students
Passing
(Grade A-C)
# (%) Failing
(Grade D-F)
# (%) Withdrawn
Students enrolled
with no history of
developmental math
774
425 (55%)
164 (21%)
185 (24%)
Students enrolled
with prior DMTH 0200
course
124
73 (59%)
27 (22%)
24 (19%)
Source: TSTC-Harlingen Office of Institutional Effectiveness & Research (2014).
The data reveals that a higher rate of students who were formerly enrolled in developmental math 0200
successfully completed the course compared to students enrolled with no history of developmental math, 59
percent compared to 55 percent, respectively. While the failure was fairly consistent, prior developmental math
students had a lower withdrawal rate compared to their college-ready peers.
19
Student Learning Outcomes
Student learning outcomes assessment is also
regularly evaluated to determine the level or extent
of knowledge or skill students have achieved upon
completion of a program or course. Learning
outcomes for the developmental math program
are defined by the Texas Higher Education Board
(THECB) Academic Course Guide Manual (ACGM).
At TSTC, educational programs are required to
annually report results and improvement initiatives
implemented from analysis of those results –
specifically, areas where students demonstrated
less than desired proficiency levels in specific
areas of learning. Table 11 on page 46 profiles
student learning outcomes results over the 2013-14
assessment cycle for developmental math capstone
students (DMTH 0200) as well as for MATH 1314
(College-Algebra).
The need for the Math: It All Adds Up To Success
Quality Enhancement Plan is strongly supported by
the data presented in this section. QEP initiatives
are intentionally designed to improve student learning
and overall student success in developmental
mathematics.
QEP Development
The QEP Development Committee worked through
the Fall of 2013 and Spring of 2014 to formulate
the QEP and proposed the following project name
and overarching goal: The aim of the Math: It All
Adds Up to Success Quality Enhancement Plan
is to improve student learning and success in
developmental mathematics. The primary work
of the QEP Development Committee spanned from
Fall 2013 through Summer 2014; however, the group
will continue to meet and work on the logistical and
programming component details of the QEP through
the submission process. This group will evolve into
the QEP Implementation Committee (samples of
minutes from the Development Committee and the
Workgroup are in Appendix C). The implementation
committee will meet at least once a month and will
be charged with collaborative oversight of the QEP
implementation; will address problems/opportunities
that have arisen throughout the implementation
process; and will review assessment data to
determine effective recalibration strategies and
develop improvement initiatives to meet the stated
goals and objectives of the overall project and student
learning proficiency.
20
21
Marketing the QEP
The entire four-phase plan is complimented along
the way with an online Social Media component that
mirrors the artwork and messaging in all four phases.
The graphics for this plan have been created to be
very visual, colorful and attention-getting; designed
to reinforce the idea that math can be a fun and
approachable subject – one that can be mastered.
The Math-in-Action Phase will introduce interactive,
hands-on math games to students on campus. The
entire plan has the support from administrators, math
instructors, and even volunteer students who will be
QEP Ambassadors aptly named Prime Numbers.
Members of the community will also be called upon
to take part in a Math Speaker Series in which the
person can speak to how math has influenced his/her
work or career. For example, a speaker might be the
policeman who investigates car accidents and has
to use algebra to figure out who is at fault or when a
driver hit the brakes.
Texas State Technical College Harlingen’s QEP
Development Committee collaborated with the
Marketing Department worked to come up with
a creative marketing plan that will: 1) educate
students, faculty and staff of the designated Quality
Enhancement Plan to make improvements in
outcomes for students in Development Math classes;
2) promote the idea that math can be fun; and 3)
help students to understand that math is a relevant
and applicable skill that will be used throughout their
daily lives. To that end, the designated plan has been
rolled out in four phases.
Phase 1: The first phase is the “Teaser Phase” was
designed to get students curious about QEP and math
messaging.
Phase 2: The second phase is the “Answer Phase”
which revises teasing messaging to include more
specific information on the QEP project. This phase
is designed to help students make the connection that
TSTC’s Quality Enhancement Plan is math-related.
Phase 3: The third phase is the “Math-in-Action
Phase” which will reinforce the discovery that our
QEP is math-related with math- inspired activities and
games on the quad and in math classrooms.
Phase 4: The fourth phase is the “QEP
Implementation Phase” and will continue throughout
the life of the project. Projects include but are limited
to the following:
• QEP Themed Related Website
• QEP pamphlet and postcard showcasing QEP project,
programming and course offerings
• Highlight QEP project on TSTC local media
• QEP project events during incoming student
orientations
• Fall State of the College with faculty and staff
• College-wide professional development days
• Publication of yearly QEP project progress and results
report for distribution to campus community and on
QEP website
22
QUALIT Y ENHANCEMENT PLAN
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23
V. Desired Learning
Outcomes
The Developmental Math program offers support
to technical and academic programs in improving
students’ mathematical skills and preparing them for
the work-place and/or college-level math and science
courses.
7. Connect and use multiple strands of
mathematics in situations and problems, as well as
in the study of other disciplines.
Due to the unique course design of the MAMBO
course option, student learning outcomes have
been identified and will be measured at the courselevel. Since the MAMBO design includes both the
DMTH 0200 course combined with a College Algebra
course, the learning outcomes include both the above
referenced program/capstone (or DMTH 0200 course)
outcomes and the outcomes for MATH 1314 specified
by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
and published in the Academic Course Guide Manual
(Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, 2014).
In determining the student learning outcomes for
the QEP initiative, the QEP Development team
considered the unique and diverse course offerings
that allow students to complete the traditional threecourse sequence (DMTH 0050, DMTH 0100, and
DMTH 0200); a two-course sequence (DMTH 0050
and DMTH 0300 Emporium); and a combined, creditbearing developmental math capstone (DMTH 0200)
and college-algebra course (MATH 1314 or MATH
1332 -MAMBO).
Upon successful completion of the DMTH 0200 of the
MAMBO course, students will be able to:
For the traditional three and the accelerated twocourse sequences, the following Developmental Math
Program Student Learning Outcomes have been
identified:
1. Solve problems involving operations with real and
complex numbers.
2. Recognize, understand and analyze features
related to a function.
Upon successful completion of the Developmental
Math capstone DMTH 0200 course, students will be
able to:
3. Use the proper concept and procedures to evaluate
absolute value, polynomial, radical and rational
expressions.
1. Solve problems involving operations with real and
complex numbers.
4. Identify and solve equations involving absolute
value, polynomial, radical and rational.
2. Recognize, understand and analyze features
related to a function.
5. Solve problems involving absolute and linear
inequalities.
3. Use the proper concept and procedures to evaluate
absolute value, polynomial, radical and rational
expressions.
6. Interpret and justify mathematical ideas and
concepts using multiple representations.
4. Identify and solve equations involving absolute
value, polynomial, radical and rational.
7. Connect and use multiple strands of mathematics
in situations and problems, as well as in the study
of other disciplines.
5. Solve problems involving absolute and linear
inequalities.
Upon successful completion of the MATH 1314
(College Algebra) section of the MAMBO course,
students will be able to:
6. Interpret and justify mathematical ideas and
concepts using multiple representations.
24
1. Demonstrate and apply knowledge of properties of
functions, including domain and range, operations,
compositions, and inverses.
2. Recognize and apply polynomial, rational, radical,
exponential and logarithmic functions and solve
related equations.
3. Apply graphing techniques.
4. Evaluate all roots of higher degree polynomial and
rational functions.
5. Recognize, solve and apply systems of linear
equations using matrices
25
VI. Literature Review
and Best Practices
As part of the process to develop the QEP, a variety of
documents and reports were consulted. “Refocusing
Developmental Education” by Thomas Brothen
and Cathrine A. Wambach reviews research and
present information that suggests developmental
educators should redefine core principles and key
concepts to reinvigorate theory and practice in the
field. One of the issues discussed is the idea that all
who desire a postsecondary education should have
access to it, while also having a selective admission
process. Developmental education helps with the
first idea, especially when students are found to have
deficiencies in college readiness in multiple areas.
Although the second idea is something that is more
common at the four year college level, the state of
Texas has also made it clear that it wants for more
students to move through developmental education
more quickly, and has also identified a class of student
who may be considered a high school graduate
or equivalent, but not at the level of traditional
developmental education. This student, then, would
face something very much like a selective admissions
process and would not be allowed to register for
developmental coursework, but would instead have to
enter an ABE program.
One of the acknowledged experts in the field of
Developmental Education, Hunter R. Boylan, along
with Leonard B. Bliss, and Barbara S. Bonham
wrote the article “Program Components and Their
Relationship to Student Performance” (1997). In
this article, the following paragraph directly relates
to actions that are being implemented as part of the
Math: It All Adds Up to Success QEP
Although the presence of a tutoring program coupled
with a tutor training component was strongly related to
student success, training in all areas was also related
to student success. The study also found that the
association of advising and counseling as well as the
association of remedial courses to student success
was strengthened whenever training was added to
the component. Although the relationship was most
pronounced for tutor training programs, those students
participating in programs where faculty and staff
development was a general priority tended to be more
successful than those participating in programs where
it was not a priority. The provision of training for faculty
and staff, therefore, appears to be a critical component
of successful developmental education programs
(pg. 8)
In addition to the Boylan document, a study conducted
at Valencia Community College in Orlando Florida on
supplemental learning supports the inclusion of the
Supplemental Instruction tutors in the Developmental
Math courses and reports that “average success rates
were higher for SL sections, and average unsuccess
and withdrawal rates were lower for SL sections”
although “[t]he statistical significance of the results
varied based upon term, course, and ethnicity of
student” (pg. 9). In the Qualitative Discussions with
Students Appendix of the report, one particularly telling
comment was that “students felt the SL leaders could
explain the subject matter better than the teacher
because they were able to describe the class topics
simply and from a student’s perspective”(pg. 25).
“Best Practices in Developmental Math Programs”
from the Illinois Mathematics Association of
Community Colleges is a compilation of best practices
from existing sources. In addition to suggesting
Best Practices, the source material can be reviewed
for further study. In this document it is suggested
that class sizes be reduced in developmental math
sections, that institutions should strive to meet
individual learning needs of students, and that
supplemental instruction, tutoring, or study groups
should be offered. These are all things that have been
incorporated into TSTC Harlingen’s QEP.
A paper by Lipika Deka and Joanne Lieberman (2013),
“An Effective Model for Teaching Developmental
26
Mathematics”, “describes a highly effective model
for teaching developmental mathematics courses at
California State University, Monterey Bay”
(pg. 48). One of the components described is
the block period which consists of “[e]ach section
meets twice per week for 110 minutes. There is one
instructor and two Instructional Student Assistants
assigned for each section…” TSTC Harlingen has
modified this by having one instructor and one
Supplemental Instruction (SI) tutor assigned for each
section, with the SI tutor taking over at the 90 minute
mark to assist students with their assignments.
This paper also describes:
In addition, instructors use an early alert system to
track each student’s performance on a weekly basis.
An on-line grade book is updated weekly and provides
feedback directly to students to help them improve
before it is too late. This is done in many steps. ISAs
take attendance at the beginning of each class and
record it into the class grade-book on the course’s
Learning ManagementSystem (iLearn) website. In
addition, the class grade book is kept up-to-date on
iLearn every week so that the instructor and student
know how the student is doing. This means the daily
quizzes and homework are graded and entered into
the grade-book right away. The instructor looks at
the grade-book at the end of each week and sends a
friendly e-mail to students who have missed one class
or homework assignment. A sample e-mail might say,
“We missed you in class today. Is everything okay?”
The instructor then follows up with the student in class
by asking them to stay after class to talk or by saying
something like, “Oh, are you feeling better?” This
personalization sends the message to students that
the instructor notices when they are absent and cares
about them (pg. 53).
characteristics…” (Brown, Bonham, Saxon, & Boylan,
2008). They go on to state that “affective assessment
be added to the range of measures used in evaluating
students for participation in college.” As a measure of
the success of the QEP, affective assessment either
from a commercial source or locally developed will be
utilized.
In the area of professional development, the article
“Principles for Effective Teaching” (Smittle, 2003),
identifies “six principles for effective developmental
education teaching…[and] are the product of
integrating research findings from successful
developmental education programs and general
principles for effective teaching in undergraduate
education.” The principles are:
• Commit to teaching underprepared students
• Demonstrate good command of the subject matter
and the ability to teach a diverse student population
• Address non-cognitive issues that affect learning
• Provide open and responsive learning environments
• Communicate high standards
• Engage in ongoing evaluation and professional
development
These principles are essential as a matter
of professional development for not only the
Developmental Math faculty, but also for any faculty
who work with Developmental Education students.
The QEP Actions to be Implemented describe a
system very similar to the one described above in
which the myMathLab online resource will be utilized
track student performance.
In the article, “Affective Assessment for
Developmental Students”, Part I, the authors state
“that the affective characteristics of developmental
students represent an important component of
success. Nevertheless, those professionals who work
with developmental students seldom measure these
27
VII. Actions to be
Implemented
TSTC Harlingen’s Quality Enhancement Plan focuses
on enhancing student learning and success in
developmental mathematics. To achieve this goal,
actions must be implemented in each of the three
primary strategy areas: Curriculum and Instruction,
Academic Support and Student Support Services; and
Professional Development.
embedding intensive support mechanisms to help
students maximize their potential for success. The
following summarizes the diverse course offerings
at TSTC Harlingen that will be enhances with the
curriculum redesign and support strategies highlighted
in this plan:
Courses which already exist, but will be enhanced:
• MAMBO (Math Combo course) which includes:
- DMTH 0200 (Intermediate Algebra)
CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
Diverse Course Offerings
The Developmental Math Department offers courses
through a traditional three-course sequence in
Basic Mathematics (DMTH 0050), Introductory
Algebra (DMTH 0100), and Intermediate Algebra
(DMTH 0200). Additionally, the department offers an
accelerated model of course sequence completion
through the Developmental Math Emporium Course
(DMTH 0300) and through the MAMBO course option.
The Emporium course allows students to complete
DMTH 0100 and DMTH 0200 in one semester through
computer based modules tailored to the student’s
weaknesses. The MAMBO course is a program
designed to help struggling students succeed in
college level mathematics. Students take DMTH 0200
and MATH 1314 or MATH 1332 (College Algebra) in
the same semester. This program is intensive and
requires students to adhere to high standards.
- College Algebra
- This course is a six hour a week course and lets
students complete both DMTH 0200 and College
Algebra in one semester.
- The Developmental Math Instructor is present
during the College Algebra instruction to provide
support and the College Algebra instructor is
present during the Developmental Math class for
the same purpose.
• NCBO (Non Course Based Option) 0050
- Quick Review Course
- This course is currently offered during semester
breaks.
- This is a week long course that lasts five hours
a day. Students taking this course can exit
developmental math or move up one or two
courses, depending on their TSI score at the end.
For the Math: It All Add Up to Success QEP, TSTC
Harlingen will enhance existing courses through
curricula re-design and support strategies and will
scale the innovative, accelerated course models
to make them available to more students while
Figure 1: MAMBO
translates to being
College Math complete
- May be offered more than once a semester in the
future.
MAMBO
• DMTH 0200
• MATH 1314
College Math
Complete
28
Figure 2: Different Outcomes for
students taking the Quick Review
College Ready
Advance to
DMTH 0200
Test into
DMTH 0100
Stay in
DMTH 0100
Quick Review
College Ready
Test into
DMTH 0200
Stay in
DMTH 0200
• DMTH 0300
- This is a self-paced course that is almost all
computer based with an instructor on hand during
scheduled class time.
• Additional NCBO
- 15 week 1 hour review course
- This course will be for those students who are
otherwise TSI complete and able to take a full load
of college courses, but need a refresher course of
Mathematics
- Students may work ahead and finish as quickly as
possible.
- This course may be taken by students who have
been placed in either DMTH 0100 or DMTH 0200.
If students successfully complete the course, they
will have exited developmental math.
• DMTH 0200-traditional semester long course
- This is a traditional course that meets for three
hours a week.
- Students who successfully complete the course
will have exited developmental math.
Through the QEP, the Developmental Math
department will add additional NCBO course
options to help students accelerate through the
developmental math sequence.
Of these diverse course offerings, the MAMBO has
been shown to have best results. Since it includes
both Developmental Math and College Algebra,
students who are successful in this course will earn
college credits. As a result, getting the DMTH 0100
(Intermediate Algebra) students prepared to take the
MAMBO course is one way to achieve the goal of the
QEP. Consequently, it is hoped that the curriculum
redesign will have a positive impact on the DMTH
0100 courses as well.
29
Curriculum Redesign
• The last thirty minutes will be taken over by a tutor
who will help them start their homework exercises.
There will be five main areas of curriculum redesign.
As a part of the literature review used to determine
best practices in developmental studies, it was
found that, on average, smaller classes led to better
completion rates. Consequently, it has been decided
that Developmental Math courses of all levels and
types will be capped at 20 students.
• During the QEP Development meetings, many
people felt that the students needed help starting
their homework exercises, which is what reinforces
the concepts that have been presented in class.
• Numerous studies have shown that peer tutoring
by tutors who are versed in the material that
is presented in the classroom and have the
appropriate tutor training have a positive impact
on the students understanding and retention of
information, which impacts the passing rate.
The second area will be a redesign of the class
schedules to a two-hour block system:
• Students will attend class twice a week for two
hours each day.
• Supplemental Instruction already exists. It would be
scaled up.
• The first hour and a half will be with their instructor.
Sample Schedule
Time
8-9:25 a.m.
9:30-10 a.m.
Monday/Wednesday
Instruction-Faculty
Supplemental Instruction-Tutor
Fridays will be used to conduct conferences with
students, to have department meetings, and to pursue
professional development.
Tuesday/Thursday
Instruction-Faculty
Supplemental Instruction-Tutor
the LMS’s gradebook function to facilitate this process.
The fourth area will be unique to the DMTH 0100 level
course. As part of the requirements to register for the
MAMBO course, students must fill out an application.
Currently students must fill out this application on
their own initiative and turn it in to a specific advisor.
Starting in Fall, 2014, DMTH 0100 students will fill out
this application at the end of the semester as one of
the exit requirements. Their instructors will be asked
to provide recommendations as to whether or not
they believe the students are good candidates for the
intensive course. This will help build more MAMBO
courses in which students can be successful.
The third area will be increased interaction
with students on an individual level through the
implementation of mandatory conferences with
students and an early alert system. The students
will be required to meet with their instructors at least
once a semester. This mandatory meeting will be
scheduled the first week of class and should take place
within the first three weeks of the course. Students
who are found to be at risk of failing the course will
be required to meet with their instructor more often.
Either the college’s learning management system
(LMS), or a publisher supplied product will be used
as an early alert system. Students and instructors
will have daily access to their performance records,
so that early interventions can take place. Although
some instructors are already using these mechanisms
to inform students that they are at risk of failing the
course, it will become part of the entire departments’
course syllabi to implement these strategies. Those
instructors who do not use the textbook publisher’s
product or who may be using a gradebook without
web access will be provided with training through the
Organizational Development Office as to how to use
An additional change will be the elimination of the
“trial” option of the myMathLab software for students.
The Financial Services Division is embedding the
myMathLab software cost into the tuition statement
through a Digital Materials fee. This would address
the issue of students not purchasing the necessary
materials.
The test out option of Developmental Mathematics,
where students are given information about taking the
TSI during the semester and allowed to leave the class
upon successful completion will be further discussed,
especially in the Emporium (DMTH 300) class.
30
ACADEMIC SUPPORT AND STUDENT
SUPPORT SERVICES
Tutoring and Supplemental Instruction
The Math: It All Adds Up to Success project will embed
direct support into the enhances developmental
mathematics courses through the addition of
Supplemental Instruction Tutors in every math course
taught. The tutors will be present during the initial hour
and a half class so that they will be able to fully assist
the students in beginning their homework assignments.
Tutoring will also be enhanced through the addition of
more tutors scheduled at more times. Tutoring will also
be offered online and the number of tutorial videos will
increase. These and other online resources will be
marketed and publicized to the college at large.
Starting Students at the Appropriate Level
During the topic exploration stage of the QEP
process, it was suggested that some students were
inappropriately placed in Developmental Math courses
that were too advanced or occasionally not advanced
enough. Also, some students were placed in the wrong
type of course. Consequently, there will be a larger
focus on placing students in the appropriate level of
Developmental Math and in the type of course that is
the best fit for them. This will be done by extensively
training the advisors both in the Advisement Center
where students are initially placed and provided with
a Developmental Plan and also with the Program of
Study advisors.
TSTC 1101 Support
Recognizing that many incoming developmental
students are required to take TSTC 1101 (College
Success), the 1101 Department Chair will communicate
and collaborate on a regular basis with the
Developmental Education department chairs regarding
curriculum alignment and course content. The 1101
syllabus and course schedule will be forwarded to
the Developmental Mathematics faculty so that they
can make references to material covered in the 1101
course.
A course requirement for TSTC 1101 is that all students
must participate in three campus life activities. For
those students who are also in Developmental Math,
the compulsory conference with their Developmental
Math instructor will be credited as being one of those
activities. This will allow students to fulfill requirements
for both classes.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Faculty Professional Development
Faculty will participate in multiple types of professional
development, including subject specific and student
engagement strategies. The subject specific will
include attending conference which include Academic
Math and Developmental Math components and inviting
experts to provide workshops for the department as a
whole. Student engagement strategies will be provided
by the Office of Organizational Development.
Developmental Mathematics faculty will attend all
five Instructional Division meetings to explain and
answer questions about course content and offerings
to department chairs. Both sets of advisors will be
provided with comprehensive, yet simple “cheat
sheets” that explain the course offerings and the type
of student who would most benefit from the different
course options.
Tutoring Professional Development
Both Teaching Lab Assistants and student tutors will
be provided professional development through the
Office of Organizational Development. Teaching
Lab Assistants will be required to attend on campus
workshops that are provided to the entire department.
Student tutors will participate in workshops provided by
the Office of Student Success.
In addition to placing the students at the appropriate
level, the students will be made aware of the rigor and
responsibility required by each course. It is hoped that
this will help students decide which course is more
suited to their needs based on their personal and
professional time constraints. This will be reinforced by
the instructors on the first class day.
Advisor Professional Development
Advisement Center advisors will be provided with
Professional Development through the Organizational
Development Office as well as workshops provided by
the Developmental Math faculty in order to familiarize
the advisors with the diverse course offerings and
target students for such offerings. 31
VIII. Timeline
TSTC Harlingen’s QEP: Math: It All Adds Up to
Success will be implemented fully in Fall 2015. Prior
to full implementation, many of the initiatives will be
piloted in the Fall, Spring, and Summer of 2014-2015.
The QEP timeline detailed below identifies planned
activities for each project year grouped under three
categories. These categories include:
Curriculum and Instruction
Professional Development
• Math Department Faculty will begin visiting Program
Department Chair meetings to create awareness of
Math Department course offerings (Summer 2014)
• Faculty and tutors will begin identifying areas of
needed professional development (Fall 2014)
• Faculty and tutors will begin searching for resources
to address professional development needs (Fall
2014)
Academic Support and Support Services
• Faculty and tutors will begin professional
development activities (Fall 2014)
2014-2015: Year One
• Marketing for QEP begins (See Appendix E)
(Summer 2014)
2015-2016: Year Two
• QEP Committee meets at least once a semester for
updates and consideration. (ongoing)
• QEP Coordinator is hired (Fall 2014)
updates and consideration. (Fall 2014)
• QEP Coordinator will communicate with all relevant
constituencies and coordinate all activities relevant
to QEP implementation (ongoing)
to QEP implementation (Spring 2015)
Curriculum and Instruction:
• Developmental Math Department will assess results
of piloted activities and make adjustments as
necessary (Fall 2015)
• Developmental Math Department will pilot the:
• If TSTC 1101 support is deemed to be successful, it
will continue. Areas of further collaboration will be
explored. (Fall 2015)
- MAMBO applications
(Fall 2014—prior to beginning of
Spring registration)
• New course(s), if developed, will be piloted (Spring
2016)
- Block Schedule (Spring 2015)
- Mandatory Conferences (Spring 2015)
Academic Support and Student Support Services:
• The impact of Supplemental Instruction tutors will
be assessed and if deemed beneficial will continue.
(Fall 2015)
• New course creation feasibility will be examined (Fall
2014)
• TSTC 1101 support begins (introduced Fall 2014)
(fully implemented Spring 2015)
• Digital Materials fee for myMathLab code continues.
(ongoing)
• Supplemental Instruction tutors are hired (Fall 2014)
• Supplemental Instruction begins (Spring 2015)
• Digital Materials fee for myMathLab code
implemented (Spring 2015)
32
33
• Faculty and tutors will continue identifying areas of
needed professional development (ongoing)
• Faculty and tutors will continue searching for
resources to address professional development
needs (ongoing)
needs (ongoing)
• Faculty and tutors will continue professional
development activities. (ongoing)
development activities (ongoing)
• Math Department Faculty will continue visiting
Program Department Chair meetings to create
awareness of Math Department course offerings.
(ongoing)
awareness of Math Department course offerings
(ongoing)
2016-2017: Year Three
2017-2018: Year Four
• Developmental Math Department will continue
assessing results of piloted activities and make
adjustments as necessary (ongoing)
• Any new courses that have been piloted will be
assessed and adjustments made based on results
of the assessments (ongoing)
explored (ongoing)
explored (ongoing)
be assessed and if deemed beneficial will continue
(ongoing)
(ongoing)
• Digital Materials fee for myMathLab code continues
(ongoing)
(ongoing)
34
needs (ongoing)
(ongoing)
2018-2019: Year Five
(ongoing)
(ongoing)
resources to address professional development needs
(ongoing)
(ongoing)
explored (ongoing)
35
IX. Organizational Structure
The President of TSTC Harlingen has the overall
responsibility for the implementation and success
of the QEP. The President reports progress to the
Chancellor. The President has given oversight
of the QEP initiative to the Vice President
for Student Learning. A QEP Coordinator
will be hired to provide key functions in the
administration and day-to-day operations for the
implementation of the college’s QEP.
President
Vice President of
Student Learning
The QEP Coordinator will report directly to the VP
of Student Learning, and the coordinator’s duties
will include:
• Managing the QEP and providing (or arranging
for) applicable professional development or
information workshops to faculty, staff, and
students (i.e., tutors)
QEP Coordinator
Associate Vice
President of
Student Learning
Division
Director of
Education/
Humanities
• Coordinating with developmental math and math
faculty, organizational development, advising,
tutoring, and other applicable faculty and staff to
ensure successful implementation of the QEP
• Managing the QEP budget, timeline, learning
outcomes, administration outcomes
Developmental
Mathematics
Faculty
• Providing communications to the campus
community and other stakeholders regarding
the progress of the QEP
Developmental
Mathematics
Chair
Figure 3—Reporting structure
for QEP Coordinator
• Conducting analysis on assessment data for
monitoring progress of the plan in relation to
QEP goals
• Convening and serving as the chair the QEP
Committee
36
Figure 4 - The QEP Coordinator will be responsible for communicating with and gathering
data from the following constituents:
Advisement
Developmental
Math
Department
QEP Committee
QEP
Coordinator
Math
Department
Office of
Student Success
Institutional
Effectiveness
and Research
Department
Office of
Organizational
Development
37
X.Resources
Expenses
to Date
Year 1
FY15
Year 2:
FY16
Year 3:
FY17
Year 4:
FY18
Year 5:
FY19
Total
Planning
QEP
Coordinator
Search
Promotion
$230
-
-
-
-
-
$230
QEP Update
Two-Day
Meeting
$338
-
-
-
-
-
$338
QEP
Workshops
$172
-
-
-
-
-
$172
QEP Writer
Stipend
$5,000
-
-
-
-
-
$5,000
Subtotal:
$5,740
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$5,740
Promotional
Items
$6,368
$6,000
$6,000
$6,000
$6,000
$6,000
$36,368
Subtotal:
$6,368
$6,000
$6,000
$6,000
$6,000
$6,000
$36,368
Marketing
Personnel Salary and Wages
QEP
Coordinator
Salary
-
$65,000
$65,000
$65,000
$65,000
$65,000
$325,000
Student
Tutors (10)
-
$69,000
$69,000
$69,000
$69,000
$65,000
$345,000
Subtotal:
0
$134,000
$134,000
$134,000
$134,000
$134,000
$670,000
Office Equipment
Computer/
Phone
-
$2,500
-
-
-
-
$2,500
Copier/
Printer/Fax
-
$3,200
$3,200
$3,200
$3,200
-
$16,000
Other Items
-
$30,000
$10,000
$10,000
$5,000
$5,000
$60,000
Subtotal:
$0
$35,700
$13,200
$13,200
$8,200
$8,200
$78,500
Office Furniture
Desk
-
$2,000
-
-
-
-
$2,000
Table/Chairs
-
$4,000
-
-
-
-
$4,000
Credenza
-
$1,000
-
-
-
-
$1,000
Bookshelf/
Cabinets
-
$2,000
-
-
-
-
$2,000
Subtotal
$0
$9,000
$0
$0
$0
$0
$9,000
38
Office Supplies
Bond Paper
(3)
$120
$300
$300
$300
$300
$300
$1,620
Printer Ink
(4)
$464
$600
$600
$600
$600
$600
$3,464
Misc. Items
$100
$2,100
$2,100
$2,100
$2,100
$2,100
$10,600
Subtotal:
$684
$3,000
$3,000
$3,000
$3,000
$3,000
$15,684
Visiting
Consultant
-
$4,000
-
-
-
-
$4,000
Conference
Fees
$5,250
$8,000
$2,800
$2,800
$2,800
$2,800
$24,450
Travel
Expenses
$7,000
$11,000
$11,000
$11,000
$11,000
$11,000
$62,000
Subtotal:
$12,250
$23,000
$13,800
$13,800
$13,800
$13,800
$90,450
Survey
-
$200
$200
$200
$200
$200
$1,000
Subtotal:
$0
$200
$200
$200
$200
$200
$1,000
Assessment
Total:
$25,042
$210,900
$170,200
$170,200
$165,200
$165,200
$906,742
Planning
Expenses incurred during the planning phase of the
project involved costs associated with the QEP topic
selection and development process; a stipend paid to a
faculty member for developing the QEP final narrative
report; and the search for the QEP Coordinator position:
• The QEP Coordinator search: TSTC Harlingen’s
Vice President for Student Learning in coordination
with the Office of Human Resources developed and
posted a job description on the TSTC Harlingen
website for the QEP Coordinator position. The job is
expected to be filled during the fall 2014 semester.
Expenses To Date: $230.00
Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Budget
Justification
The QEP Development Team established a budget
that takes a balanced and conservative approach to
maximize current assets for the success of the QEP
initiative. These resources – including budgetary, key
personnel and administrative capacity to implement the
QEP – have the full support the Executive Leadership
Team.
Through the use of careful, conscientious planning and
management of the QEP budget, TSTC Harlingen is
confident that its intentionally designed programming
and committed resources will result in significant
gains in developmental math student success. As
such, budget projections are the result of careful
administration of planned and budgeted expenditures.
TSTC Harlingen has already invested over $25,000 in
expenses to date during the “Planning” stage of this
project. Given TSTC Harlingen’s sound historical track
record of providing stable programs and services that
support the mission of the college through integritydriven planning and budgeting process, this self-funded
initiative will be supported and valued throughout the
five-year project period. The five-year budget plan
follows.
• QEP Meetings and Workshops: The College hosted
numerous meetings, workshops and events during
the QEP topic selection and QEP development
process. Food items and paper goods were
purchased for meetings that ran through the lunch
hour. Expenses To Date: $510.00
- The QEP Topic Selection Committee kicked-off
on September 28, 2012. This committee broke
up into subcommittees and worked on research,
comparing data, and held various focused
groups. Once the topic of developmental math
was selected, the Committee was dispersed and
39
the new QEP Development Committee took over.
- The QEP Development Committee held their first
meeting on September 27, 2013. This committee
is composed of a broad representation of College
constituents, including representatives from
Institutional Effectiveness and Research, Student
Support Services, Enrollment Management,
Mathematics Faculty, Math Department Chairs,
the Educational and Humanities Division Director;
the Marketing Director; and the Associate Vice
President for Institutional Assessment.
- Our Interim President also held five QEP
Workshops from April 4, 2014 through May 13,
2014. Employees were invited to attend as their
schedules permitted. Each workshop had a
presentation with time allotted for questions and
answers.
• QEP Writer: The QEP Writer position was announced
for internal applicants. An instructor was selected
for the position and a $5,000 stipend was paid from
February through May in 2014. The QEP Coordinator
was charged with documenting processes, reviewing
data and focus group results for programming
needs, reviewing literature and best practices,
resource and budgetary needs, assessment and
evaluation procedures, and presenting updates to
the QEP Developmental Committee and institutional
leadership. The QEP Writer translated this
collected information into the comprehensive, final
QEP narrative which was presented to the QEP
Development Committee and approved in August
2014. Expenses To Date: $5,000.00
Marketing
The TSTC Harlingen Marketing Department developed
a creative marketing campaign to educate the campus
community on the purpose, topic, and goals/objectives
of the Quality Enhancement Plan. The marketing plan
was and continues to be rolled out in four phases,
including a “teaser phase”, “answer phase”, “math-inaction” phase, and the “QEP implementation” phase.
The following includes descriptions of expenses to date
(Phases 1 and 2) as well as those that will be on-going
through the five-year project period. Expenses To
Date: $6,368.00; Est Cost Years 1 – 5: $6,000 Per
Year
• Colorful vinyl decals with the QEP logo and a
message of “What is your QEP?” in a variety of
sizes to brand the campus. Marketing has posted
these vinyl decals at several locations throughout the
campus.
• Promotional items including t-shirts with math-related
slogans, calculators, rubics cubes, puzzle balls,
and other items. All items include branded QEP
messaging to garner student and overall campus
community interest in the QEP and its purpose.
• QEP Themed Related Website
• QEP pamphlet and postcard showcasing QEP
project, programming and course offerings
• Highlight QEP project on TSTC local media
• QEP project events during incoming student
orientations, Fall convocations with faculty and staff,
college-wide professional development days, and
other targeted events.
• Publication of yearly QEP project progress and
results report for distribution to campus community
and on QEP website.
Personnel Salary And Wages
TSTC Harlingen is committed to helping our
developmental math students succeed. Based upon
preliminary analysis of fall 2014 course sections and
sizes in the developmental math department, it is
expected that hiring new faculty to accommodate
the smaller class sizes will not be necessary. The
personnel needed to implement and sustain the QEP
exist within the current faculty and staff structures. For
example, the Department Chair has been designated
to collaborate with the QEP Coordinator to ensure
implementation of designed programming and
initiatives, as well as the collection of data and artifacts
for assessment purposes. Math faculty will consist of
current full-time and part-time faculty. The following
includes staff positions created for oversight and
implementation of QEP project:
• QEP Coordinator – A full-time QEP Coordinator will
be responsible for coordination and oversight of the
project under the administrative oversight of the Vice
President for Student Learning. This individual will
serve as the principal contact of TSTC Harlingen
leadership, QEP Implementation Committee
members, and Developmental Math faculty to ensure
that programming implementation, assessment and
40
41
fiscal operations are transparent and accountable.
The coordinator will ensure the project maintains
fidelity to the approved QEP plan. He or she will
also ensure Developmental Math faculty receive
appropriate training and support to perform their
duties so the goals enumerated in the project are
met and/or exceeded. COST: QEP Coordinator
budgeted at $50,000 base salary and 30 percent
fringe benefits for a total of $65,000.00 annually
for Years 1-5. Note: Annual cost of living increases
associated with the QEP Coordinator position will be
contingent upon any institutional and/or system-wide
cost of living increases for TSTC staff. In such an
event, the institution will make appropriate budget
adjustments to compensate for that increase.
include bond paper for printing flyers and meeting
handouts; printer ink purchases will vary depending
on the quantity of printing required; and set aside
funding for any miscellaneous office supplies required.
Expenses To Date: $684.00; Est Cost Years 1-5:
$3,000.00 Per Year.
Professional development for math faculty is described
in detail in the narrative. The budget includes funding
for training either on-site at the college or to off-site
conferences. The following provisions in the budget
have been made for professional development.
Expenses To Date: $12,250 For SACSCOC QEP
Summer Institute; Est Cost Years 1-5: $11,000 Per
Year.
• Visiting Consultant - A visiting consultant will be hired
to conduct training for faculty, staff, and SI tutors.
This individual will be a published researcher of
instructional best practices for community college
developmental math educators.
• Supplemental Instruction (SI) Tutors – TSTC
Harlingen will hire ten (10) student SI tutors
beginning FY15. These tutors will be present
during class time and will be working with students
immediately after class on course assignments
to reinforce instructional concepts. COST:
Supplemental Instruction Tutors budgeted at
$10.00 per hours at 15 hours per week x 15
weeks x 3 semesters x 10 positions for a budget
of $69,000 annually for Years 1-5. Note: The
estimated annual budget for the SI tutors includes a
buffer of $1,500 per student position to account for
any overage of time worked.
• Conference Fees – Developmental Math faculty
will attend conferences off-site and will have their
registration and fees paid by the college.
• Travel Expenses – Developmental Math faculty will
incur travel expenses such as hotel rentals, car
rentals, commercial airline flights, and expenses for
meals. Our college will pay all allowable expenses.
Office Equipment
TSTC Harlingen will purchase office equipment for
the full-time QEP Coordinator. The equipment will
include a computer, a phone, rental of a copier/printer/
fax, and any other office-related equipment items that
may need to be purchased, such as new computers
for an instructional lab. Est Cost: $35,700 For Year
1; $10,000 Annually For Years 2-3; And $5,000
Annually For Years 4-5.
Assessment
Assessments are a key component for tracking the
effectiveness of the project. Several assessments will
be used throughout the initiative to measure and track
student learning and overall success.
Est Cost: $200.00 Annually For Years 1-5.
• Developmental Math 0200 capstone students will
be assessed each term by the Office of Institutional
Effectiveness and Research on various performance
measures and by Developmental Mathematics
faculty on identified student learning competencies.
This cost is incurred by the institution.
Office Furniture
Includes furniture for the QEP Coordinator’s office
space, including a desk and a credenza; a table with
chairs to assist with attending to faculty or staff needing
assistance; and bookshelves and filing cabinets.
Est Cost: $9,000 For Year 1 Only.
• Math Anxiety Scale-Revised (MAS-R) Survey:
Students in the Developmental Math 0100 course will
take the survey at the beginning and the end of the
semester. The survey is free-of-charge and available
on-line; however, costs for deploying the survey to
students through Survey Monkey will be incurred.
Survey Monkey charges a yearly flat fee. Office Supplies
Funding for office supplies will be required for the fulltime QEP Coordinator and student SI tutors. These
42
43
XI. Assessment
Assessing the Effectiveness of the
Math: It All Adds Up to Success Initiative
The plan for assessing the effectiveness of the
Math: It All Adds Up to Success initiative is designed
primarily to establish evidence that developmental
math students are acquiring the skills and knowledge
expected, and secondly, to gather information that
will allow the College to effectively target adjustments
and improvements to the QEP program components.
Assessments will focus both on student learning and
on the effectiveness of the initiative itself to produce
measurable change in the success of students. The
results of these assessments will be used to make
continuous improvements to programming and
interventions designed to support student learning
and overall success. The Office of Institutional
Effectiveness and Research, the QEP Implementation
Committee and the QEP Coordinator will partner
with Developmental Math faculty to implement the
assessment plan. Figure 5 below clearly reflects the
recursive connection between implementation and
assessment.
Implementation of the QEP initiatives and attainment
of goals/objectives will be overseen by a QEP
Implementation team. A QEP Coordinator will be
charged with the day-to-day management and
operations of implementation. The Coordinator will
also be charged with coordinating the collection
of data for on-going formative assessment of
student performance data with the Office of
Institutional Effectiveness and Research as well as
program student learning performance outcomes.
Developmental Mathematics faculty will implement
the QEP curricula and programming initiatives that
are designed to impact learning and success. They
will also be charged with the collection and measuring
of artifacts used to determine the level of learning
attainment and improvements that can be discerned
Implementation
Assessment
QEP
Implementation
Committee
Associate VP for
Institutional
Assessment
QEP Coordinator
Institutional
Effectiveness and
Research Office
Developmental
Math Chair
QEP Coordinator
Developmental
Math
Faculty
Data Collection
44
Developmental
Math Chair
Figure 5:
Alignment Between
Implementation and
Assessment
from the results. These results and improvements
will be shared with the Developmental Math Chair
who will then collaborate with the QEP Coordinator
and the Associate Vice President for Institutional
Assessment to analyze the data for distribution to
the QEP Implementation Committee. From this data,
the committee will be able to determine effective
recalibration strategies and develop improvement
initiatives to meet the stated goals and objectives of
the overall project and student learning proficiency.
Through this coordinated and recursive process, the
Math: It All Adds Up to Success QEP assessment
design lends itself to both formative and summative
evaluation. Ongoing formative evaluation will occur
from the onset and throughout the project every term.
Summative evaluation of the project’s success will
occur annually, and at the end of the fifth year.
Formative evaluation will provide information
needed to make decisions about improvements to
program services. Summative evaluation will assess
the extent to which the QEP improves learning,
academic achievement and preparation for success
in subsequent math courses. Quantitative and
qualitative evaluation measures will provide depth to
the evaluation process to assess the extent to which
the objectives of the initiative have been achieved.
Therefore, the evaluation design will use multiple
approaches to examine the extent of the program’s
effectiveness in achieving intended goals and to
provide performance feedback to project
administrators that will be used to improve
programming and services in a way that maximizes
student achievement and learning outcomes.
Student Learning Outcomes for developmental
math students have been developed as part of
this integrated process and will be assessed
to determine the impact of the QEP on student
learning. Assessment of competency in development
mathematics courses occurs at the capstone course
level or more specifically, at the end of the threecourse developmental mathematics program sequence
(DMTH 0200). A capstone course is a flexible medium
to measure student learning and assess programmatic
and institutional success (Berheide, 2007).
Through capstone assessments, development math
faculty report student learning outcomes based on
informed adjustments to pedagogy and programs, such
as the addition of specific skills exercises and methods,
and compensate for any deficiencies they detect. The
College is intentional about meeting well-articulated
and consistent student learning outcome goals and
documenting substantive learning outcome attainment
and improvements. Developmental math student
learning outcomes will be assessed using standardized
outcomes-linked final exams. Faculty create exam
questions linked to specific outcomes, then linked
each question to a learning competency, and finally,
link each question to the chapter or module where
material from the question is learned by students. Data
is captured using an interactive assessment web-portal
called MyMathLab. Faculty then conduct item analysis
to determine student competency level and individual
outcomes mastery.
Benchmarks were arrived through analysis of prior
year assessment plans and through discussion with
Developmental Math faculty. Baseline data proficiency
Assessment of Student Learning
rates has been collected for each student learning
As part of the College’s existing institutional
outcome for DMTH 0200 students for FY 2014, prior
effectiveness process, all academic programs and
to QEP implementation. Additionally, baseline data is
administrative and educational support units produce reported for student learning competencies specific to
annual outcomes assessment reports that are
College Algebra for the MAMBO course section. See
documented in TracDat, the institution’s repository for Table 11.
assessment reporting. Student learning outcomes
assessment at TSTC Harlingen is a systematic
and ongoing process of gathering and interpreting
information to discover if programs are meeting
intended outcomes and then using the information to
enhance/improve pedagogy and instruction.
45
Table 11: Baseline Rates for Student Learning Outcomes, 2013-14
Student Learning Options
Baseline Proficiency Rates
Developmental Math Capstone
(DMTH 0200)
FA 2013/SP 2014
SLO 1
Solve problems involving operations with
real and complex numbers
51%
SLO 2
Recognize, understand and analyze features related to a function
46.9%
60.3%
SLO 3
Use the proper concept and procedures to
evaluate absolute value, polynomial, radical
and rational expressions
77.6%
83.6%
SLO 4
Identify and solve equations involving absolute value, polynomial, radical, and rational
40.2%
56.2%
SLO 5
Solve problems involving absolute and
linear inequalities
54.6%
50.0%
SLO 6
Interpret and justify mathematical ideas and
concepts using multiple representations
71.4%
61.4%
SLO 7
Connect and use multiple strands of mathematics in situations and problems, as well
as in the study of other disciplines
59.2%
67.1%
College Algebra (MATH 1314) - MAMBO Section
26%
Summer 2014
SLO 1
Demonstrate and apply knowledge of
properties of functions, including domain
and range, operations, compositions, and
inverses
85%
SLO 2
Recognize and apply polynomial, rational,
radical, exponential and logarithmic functions and solve related equations
95%
SLO 3
Apply graphing techniques
90%
SLO 4
Evaluate all roots of higher degree polynomial and rational functions
95%
SLO 5
Recognize, solve and apply systems of
linear equations using matrices
85%
Source: TSTC Harlingen Developmental Mathematics Department
Study Design
A quasi-experimental pre-posttest design will be used
to determine whether QEP programming
interventions have had the intended effect on
Development Math students (see Figure 6). Baseline
data has been collected on the student learning
outcome(s) proficiency levels and on overall student
academic performance rates for developmental math
student as a measure of level of performance before
the interventions take place (pre). The same data will
be collected after the interventions take place every
term, including during the 2014-15 pilot year (post).
As such, this design will evaluate performance of all
developmental math students in a given term who
receive the interventions. This study design allows the
institution to make inferences on the effect of the QEP
interventions by looking at the difference between pre
and post groups (Gribbons, Herman, 1987). However,
the institution will exercise caution when interpreting
the pre and post difference as a limitation of this design
is the inability to accurately determine whether any
differences between pre and post are causally related
to interventions.
46
Target
Population
Selection
Intervention
X
Pre-test
Post-test
Figure 6: Quasi Experimental Pre-Posttest Design
Faculty participation will be a critical part of a
successful assessment of this initiative – from
identification of standards through the administration
of assessment instruments and consideration of
results. Evidence of competency(ies) improvement
and mastery can be quickly translated to curricula
change by faculty, and by collegiate leadership for
possible scaling of evidence based/proven teaching
and learning strategies.
QEP Goal, Objectives and Outcomes
The overarching goal of the Math: It All Adds Up to
Success QEP initiative is to improve student learning
and success in developmental mathematics. The
detailed planning process results in objectives and
outcomes that are measurable, attainable, and
relevant to the success of the QEP. To evaluate the
Math: It All Adds Up to Success, the QEP defines
assessment efforts that include both quantitative and
qualitative measurements. Both quantitative and
qualitative assessment efforts will track trends and
measure changes over time. Throughout the project’s
lifecycle, actual outcomes will be compared to predefined expected outcomes. As previously mentioned,
formative and summative evaluation procedures will
enable program leaders to learn from early phases
and continually improve implementation processes
over time.
The QEP programming and interventions highlighted
in this plan addresses the low student success rates
in developmental mathematics and is guided by five
primary objectives designed to achieve the overarching
goal of the project:
Objective 1: Increase success rates of students in
Developmental Mathematics DMTH 0200 capstone
course (as evidenced by grades of “C” or better or
passing score on the Texas Success Initiative (TSI)
approved assessments).
Objective 2: Increase the percentage of First-TimeIn-College (FTIC) students placed in developmental
mathematics who successfully complete the program
capstone course (DMTH 0200) within two years
(as measured by earning a grade of “C” or better in
the highest level course in the developmental math
sequence or achieving passing score on TSI approved
assessment).
Objective 3: Increase the number of students who
enroll in and successfully complete the Emporium and/
or MAMBO courses (as measured by earning a grade
of “C” or better in DMTH 0300 or MAMBO course or
achieving passing score on TSI assessment).
Objective 4: Ensure 70 percent of students
demonstrate mastery of developmental mathematics
47
student learning outcomes.
math development and success. Instruments will
be designed to collect this type of quantitative and
qualitative data as a means to demonstrate this type
of transformative change in students.
Objective 5: Reduce the percentage of students
who express math anxiety from pre to post test in
DMTH 0100 (Introductory Algebra) course.
Table 12 represents the objectives, outcomes,
targets and baselines for evaluating the success of
the TSTC Harlingen QEP initiative. Baseline data
has been collected for performance/success rates of
developmental mathematics students for terms prior
to QEP pilot and full implementation.
TSTC expects that through the QEP, students will
demonstrate improved success rates, improved
developmental mathematics competencies, being
confident in their math ability, experiencing math in
a positive way, and acting in ways to support their
Table 12: Overview of Objective Performance Targets and Established Baselines
“Math It All Adds Up to Success” Performance Measures
GOAL: Improve student learning and success in developmental mathematics
Objective 1: Increase success rates of students in Developmental Mathematics DMTH 0200
capstone course
Outcomes and Targets
Baseline
At least 70% of developmental math capstone students (DMTH 0200) will earn a grade of
“C” or better or achieve a passing score on the TSI approved test each term.
53% for Spring
2014
Objective 2: Increase the percentage of first-time in college (FTIC) students placed in developmental
math who successfully complete the program capstone course (DMTH 0200) or achieve a passing
score on the TSI approved test each term.
Baseline
The percentage of FTIC students placed in developmental math each term who successfully complete the DMTH 0200 capstone course or its TSI equivalent within two-years of
initial enrollment will increase by 2% each year for a summative increase of 10% by the
fifth year.
27% for Fall 2011
cohort
Objective 3: Increase the percentage of students who enroll in and successfully complete the
Emporium and/or MAMBO courses
Baseline
The percentage of students who enroll in and successfully complete the Emporium
(DMTH 0300) and the MAMBO course will increase by 2% for each course each project
year to meet 10% increase by the end of the fifth year of the project.
Baseline to be
established in
Year 1
Objective 4: Ensure 70% of capstone students demonstrate mastery of developmental mathematics
student learning outcomes
Outcomes andTargets
Baseline
At least 70% of DMTH 0200 capstone students will score an 80% or better on items
within the exam related to each learning competency each term.
Refer to baselines
for each SLO
reported in the
Assessment of
Student Learning
Section
Objective 5: Reduce the percentage of students who express math anxiety from pre-to-posttest in
DMTH 0050 (Basic Mathematics) course
Baseline
Students in DMTH 0100 will express a decrease in anxiety from pre- to post-test on a
Math Anxiety Scale-Revised (MAS-R) survey each year.
48
Baseline to be
established in
Year 1
The Math: It All Adds Up to Success includes a variety
of methods to assess the specific objectives and
corresponding outcomes. They include qualitative,
quantitative as well as direct and indirect measures.
Where appropriate, the QEP Development Team
has used multiple measures of assessment to
ensure breadth and depth of information for on-going
formative assessment of progress toward outcomes.
Table 13 specifies the specific outcomes, method
of evaluation, assessment timeframe, person(s)
responsible, as well as the QEP programming
strategies for assessing and achieving the objectives
of the plan. A discussion of each assessment ensues.
time that students spend in developmental courses,
and decrease the amount of fiscal resources that
students dedicate to developmental education. The
program implementation design is a multifaceted
comprehensive model of interventions. Accordingly,
the evaluation of the proposed program services can
be complex. Thus, the following program-specific
logic model has been developed to organize, plan,
and guide the evaluation process. It will be revisited
quarterly with the QEP Implementation team to
ensure that the evaluation process closely reflects
program interventions and desired student outcomes.
One of the subsidiary goals of this project is to
develop and implement a more effective and
efficient course delivery system that will increase
completion rates for students, reduce the amount of
Figure 7. Math: It All Adds Up to Success Logic Model
Outputs
Activities
Outcomes
Short Term
QEP Coordinator
Faculty Advising
QEP Committee
Staff
Development,
Technology
Enhance
curricula and
teaching
strategies
Inputs
Best Practices
TSTC Leadership
Support
Developmental
Math Faculty
TSTC Staff
Support
(student support
services)
Outcomes
Long Term
Increase
academic
achievement
Improve success
rates
SI Tutoring
Course Delivery
Redesign
Improve time to
completion
Diverse Course
offerings
Enhance
confidence in
math
TSTC 1101
support
Smaller class
sizes
Raise
developmental
math completion
rates
Enhance student
learning
Evaluation
Collect Data--Analyze--Interpret--Report--Adjust
49
Table 13: Math: It All Adds Up to Success Assessment Plan, Objectives 1-5
Objective 1: Increase success rates of students in Developmental Mathematics DMTH 0200 capstone course.
Outcome
Measures
At least 70%
Direct
of DMTH 0200
capstone students • Course
completing the
enrollment
course will earn
rosters
a grade of “C” or
• Course
better or achieve
withdrawal
a passing score
rates
on the TSI
• Course pass
approved test
rates
each term.
• TSI scores
Frequency
Responsible
Strategies
• Each term
(Fall, Spring
& Summer)
for direct
measures &
end-of-course
survey
• Annually
for all direct
and indirect
measures
• Fifth-Year
Summative
Report for all
measures
• Institutional
Research
• QEP Coordinator
• DMTH 0200
faculty
• QEP
Implementation
Team • Smaller Class
Size
• Course
redesign
(block system)
• Supplemental
instruction
• Faculty
advising
• TSTC 1101
support
• Faculty
professional
development
Indirect
• End of Course
Surveys
• Roundtable
interviews with
Dev Ed Math
faculty and SI
tutors Discussion: Success for purposes of this
assessment includes students completing the
DMTH 0200 capstone course who earn a grade
of “C” or better or achieve a passing score on the
TSI approved test each term. The Texas Success
Initiative (TSI) is a state-approved and mandated
diagnostic assessment of a student’s readiness for
college-level coursework in the areas of reading,
writing and mathematics.
this objective. As discussed in the timeline section
of this narrative, certain interventions/strategies will
be piloted in FY 2015 and assessed in those terms
as a way to measure their unique impact toward
the achievement target and to re-calibrate or scale
interventions where necessary. Data from the pilot
Year 1 will be compared to data from Years 2 through
5 to demonstrate the impact of piloted strategies
implemented and for potential change/growth.
However, pre-established baseline rates prior to QEP
interventions will remain the standing reference point.
The minimum cut score standard in mathematics
required by the state for freshman entering higher
education fall 2013 and beyond is 350. Students who
are placed in developmental math have the option
of completing the capstone course or taking the TSI
assessment to determine readiness for college-level
mathematics. For Objective 1, the success rates of
developmental math capstone students will be tracked
each term. It is expected that 70 percent of DMTH
0200 students will achieve a grade of “C” or better
or pass the approved TSI assessment. Institutional
Research has calculated a baseline rate of 53 percent
for DMTH 0200 students in the Spring 2014 term as
the comparison or “pre-intervention” group. Success
rates for DMTH0200 students receiving interventions
each term will be compared to this baseline rate to
measure progress toward and overall attainment of
Direct measures will consist of course enrollment
rosters; course withdrawal rate reports; course
passing rate reports; and TSI assessment scores
to determine goal attainment (70 percent) each
term and to make adjustments where needed. As
discussed in the timeline section of this narrative,
certain interventions/strategies will be piloted in
FY 2015 and assessed in those terms as a way to
measure their unique impact toward the 70 percent
achievement target and to re-calibrate or scale
interventions where necessary. Data from the
pilot Year 1 will be compared to data from Years 2
through 5 to demonstrate potential change/growth,
however, pre-established baseline rates prior to QEP
50
While aggregate data will be collected and analyzed
at the capstone course level, student level data will be
available and utilized to determine where individual
support is needed.
Indirect measures will provide depth and
complementary detail to quantitative measures.
They consist of end-of-course surveys and roundtable
interviews with faculty and supplemental instructor
tutors. End-of-course surveys will be collected each
term to provide feedback to instructors on student’s
level of agreement with high quality course delivery,
such as student-faculty interaction, encouraging
cooperation among students, timely feedback,
appropriate use of technologies, the learning
environment, and respect and positivity. Fall 2013
and Spring 2014 end-of-course evaluation results
for DMTH 0200 instructors is included in Figure 8
and will be used as a reference point for determining
change. Anecdotal information from faculty and SI
tutors will be collected each year through roundtable
discussions to fully understand perceptions, issues,
and concerns to provide feedback for determining
the effectiveness and improving the quality of QEP
strategies.
Objective 2: Increase the percentage of first-time in college (FTIC) students placed in developmental math
who successfully complete the DMTH 0200 capstone course or achieve a passing score on the TSI approved
assessment within two years.
Outcome
The percentage
of FTIC students
placed in
developmental
math each term
who successfully
complete the
DMTH 0200
capstone
course or its TSI
equivalent within
two-years of
initial enrollment
will increase by
2% each year
for a summative
increase of 10%
by the fifth year.
Measures
Direct
Indirect
Frequency
Responsible
Strategies
• Each term
(FA, SP & SU)
for all direct
measures and
end-of-course
survey
• Annually
for all direct
& indirect
measures
• Fifth-Year
Summative
Report for all
measures
• Institutional
Research
• QEP
Coordinator
• Developmental
Math Faculty
• QEP
Implementation
Team
• Smaller class
sizes
• Supplemental
instruction
• Faculty
professional
development
• Diverse course
offerings for
accelerated
completion
• Curriculum
redesign
(block system)
• TSTC 1101
support
• Early Alert
System
• Dev Ed Math
• End of Course
course(s)
Surveys
enrollment
• Focus groups
rosters (FTIC
with FTIC
cohorts
Dev Ed Math
established
students
each term)
• Round table
• FTIC cohort
interviews with
persistence
faculty and SI
(number/
tutors
percent
persisting to
next course
level)
• FTIC cohort
DMTH 0200
course
completion
report (to
include time to
completion)
• FTIC TSI
scores
Discussion: First-time in College Students (FTIC)
placed in developmental mathematics (DMTH 0050,
DMTH 0100, or DMTH 0200) will be cohorted each
term and tracked over a two-year period to determine
the percentage of students completing the capstone,
MAMBO (DMTH 0200 and MATH 1314) or the
TSI assessment equivalent within 2 years of initial
enrollment. Success will be determined by an annual
increase of 2 percent from the 27 percent baseline
rate established for the fall 2011 FTIC cohort. The
baseline cohort included FTIC incoming students
placed in developmental mathematics who were still
enrolled and completed the developmental capstone
course or its TSI score equivalent by fall 2013. At the
end of the five-year project period, a summative 10
percent increase from the 27 percent baseline rate will
be expected to determine success of Objective 2.
51
Direct measures will consist of course enrollment
rosters for each term to establish FTIC cohorts,
FTIC cohort persistence rate reports, FTIC DMTH
0200 course completion rate reports - defined as
attaining a grade of “C” or better or achieving a
passing score on the TSI approved test. These
data will be collected each term and aggregated to
determine progress toward the 2 percent annual
increase target. As discussed in the timeline section
of this narrative, certain interventions/strategies will
be piloted in FY 2015 and assessed in those terms
as a way to measure their unique impact toward
Indirect measures will provide depth and
complementary detail to quantitative measures. They
consist of end-of-course surveys, focus groups with
cohort developmental math students; and round
table interviews with faculty and SI tutors. Endof-course surveys will be collected each term to
provide feedback to instructors on student’s level of
agreement with high quality course delivery, such as
student-faculty interaction, encouraging cooperation
among students, timely feedback, appropriate use of
technologies, the learning environment, and respect
and positivity. Fall 2013 and Spring 2014 end-ofcourse evaluation results for DMTH 0200 instructors
is included in Figure 8 and will be used as a reference
point for determining change. Anecdotal information
from faculty and SI tutors will be collected each year
through roundtable discussions and focus groups to
better understand perceptions, issues, and concerns
to provide feedback for determining the effectiveness
and improving the quality of QEP strategies.
Objective 3: Increase the percentage of students who enroll in and successfully complete the Emporium and/or
MAMBO courses.
Outcome
Measures
The percentage
Direct
of students who
enroll in and
• DMTH 0300
successfully
and MAMBO
complete the
course
Emporium (DMTH
enrollment
0300) and/or the
rosters
MAMBO course
• Course
will increase
withdrawal
by 2% for each
rates
course each year
• Course
for a summative
completion
increase of 10%
rates
for each course
by the fifth year.
Frequency
Responsible
Strategies
• Each term
(FA, SP &
SU) for direct
measures &
end-of-course
survey
• Annually
for all direct
& indirect
measures
• Fifth-Year
Summative
Report for all
measures
• Institutional
Research
• QEP
Coordinator
• DMTH 0300
and MAMBO
Course(s)
Faculty
• QEP
Implementation
Team
• Supplemental
instruction
• Faculty
professional
development
• Diverse course
offerings for
accelerated
completion
• Curriculum
redesign
(block system)
• TSTC 1101
support
• Early Alert
System
Indirect
• End of Course
Surveys
• Focus groups
with DMTH
0300 and
MAMBO
students
• Round table
interviews with
course faculty
and SI tutors
52
Discussion: The outcome objective will measure the
rate of enrollment and completion for the DMTH 0300
(DMTH 0100 and DMTH 0200 combined) and the
MAMBO (DMTH 0200 and MATH 1314) accelerated
developmental mathematics course options. A 2
percent annual increase from the 43 percent and 86
percent student enrollment and completion baseline
rates for the Emporium and MAMBO courses
respectively, will determine progress (formative)
toward the summative 10 percent increase goal from
baseline.
Direct measures collected each term include course
enrollment rosters, course withdrawal rate, and
course completion rate reports (defined as attaining a
grade of “C” or better or achieving a passing score on
the TSI approved test). These data will be collected
each term and aggregated to determine progress
toward the 2 percent annual increase target. The
timeline identifies those interventions/strategies that
will be piloted in FY 2015 and assessed in those
terms as a way to measure their unique impact toward
Indirect measures consist of end-of-course surveys,
focus groups with Emporium and MAMBO course
students; and round table interviews with faculty and
SI tutors. End-of-course surveys will be collected
each term to provide feedback to instructors on
student’s level of agreement with high quality
course delivery, such as student-faculty interaction,
encouraging cooperation among students, timely
feedback, appropriate use of technologies, the
learning environment, and respect and positivity.
Baseline averages for end-of-course surveys for
Emporium and MAMBO course students will be
collected in fall 2014 and will serve as the reference
point for measuring change in subsequent terms.
Anecdotal information from faculty, SI tutors and
Emporium and MAMBO students will be collected
each year through roundtable discussions and focus
groups to better understand perceptions, issues,
and concerns to provide feedback for determining
the effectiveness and improving the quality of
QEP strategies. Learning logs will be kept of these
meetings to provide information on the effectiveness
of specific strategies.
53
Objective 4: Ensure 70% of capstone students demonstrate mastery of developmental mathematics student
learning outcomes.
Outcome
Measures
Frequency
Responsible
Strategies
At least 70%
Direct
Indirect
• Each term
• Institutional
• Course
of students will
(FA, SP &
Effectiveness &
redesign
score an 80%
SU) for direct
Research
(block system)
• DMTH 0200
• End of course
or better on
and indirect
• QEP
• Supplemental
capstone
survey
items within
measure(s)
Coordinator
instruction
course chapter • Roundtable
the course
•
Annual
Report
•
DMTH
0200
•
Faculty
exams
discussions
exams related
• Summative
faculty
advising
• DMTH 0200
with faculty
to each learning
Fifth-Year
• QEP
• TSTC 1101
final exam
• Focus groups
competency
Report
Implementation
support
• MAMBO
with students
each term.
Committee
•
Faculty
course final
professional
exam for
development
College
• MyMathLab
Algebra
related
competencies
Discussion: For this outcome to be considered
achieved, 70 percent of students in the DMTH
0200 capstone course will demonstrate mastery of
the student learning outcomes, where mastery is
defined as an 80 percent or higher on items within
course exams related to each learning competency.
Proficiency rates each term for each learning outcome
will be compared to previously established baselines
prior to QEP implementation. Course level SLOs for
both the DMTH 0200 course and the MAMBO course
(College-Algebra competencies) will be assessed on
a semester basis through demonstration of mastery
of questions on the course chapter exams and the
course final exams delivered via MyMathLab (direct
assessment measures). The data will be aggregated
and analyzed to determine areas of strengths
and weaknesses in specific learning areas and
instructional and curricula changes will be made as
needed.
institutional outcomes reporting system. In addition,
faculty will receive on-going feedback on instructional
effectiveness through end-of-course evaluations,
which provide both quantitative and qualitative
data on the quality of instruction and the learning
environment. Item analysis of survey questions
will allow faculty to determine how effectively
they encouraged the following: student-faculty
communication; cooperation among students; active
learning, critical thinking, respect for diverse ways
of learning; a learning environment; as well as the
effectiveness of laboratories to help students master
skills/knowledge of course learning objectives. Finally,
student focus groups will be convened annually
to determine perceptions of learning and ability to
meet learning objectives as well as the effectiveness
of specific QEP interventions, such as SI tutoring,
block schedule, MyMathLab, and faculty advising,
on facilitative learning of course content. Direct and
indirect assessment results will inform action plans for
improving pedagogy and instructional techniques.
Faculty will discuss progress on outcomes and
recommendation for improvements as determined
from the data in roundtable conversations each term
and documented improvement plans on the TracDat
54
Objective 5: Reduce the percentage of students who express math anxiety from pre-to-posttest in DMTH 0100 (Basic
Mathematics) course.
Outcome
Measures
Students in DMTH Direct
0100 will express
a decrease in
• Math Anxiety
anxiety from preScale –
to-post-test on
Revised
a Math Anxiety
(MAS-R)
Scale-Revised
(MAS-R) survey
each year.
Indirect
• Focus groups
with DMTH
0100 students
Frequency
Responsible
Strategies
• Each term
(FA, SP & SU)
for direct
measure
• Annual Report
for direct
and indirect
measures
• Summative
Fifth-Year
Report for all
• Institutional
Effectiveness &
Research
• QEP Coordinator
• DMTH 0100
faculty
• QEP
Implementation
Committee
• Faculty
advising
• TSTC 1101
support
• Supplemental
Instruction
• Smaller class
sizes
Discussion: The effectiveness of QEP programming
on reducing math anxiety will be assessed using
the Math Anxiety Rating Scale-Revised (Plake and
Parker, 1982). The scale includes 24 questions
and is scored from 1 to 5, where 1 indicates no
anxiety and 5 indicates high anxiety. There are two
factors in the scale. The first factor is Mathematics
Learning Anxiety, which includes items that measure
anxiety experienced during activities that deal with
mathematics, such as listening to another student
explain a math formula. The second factor is
Mathematics Testing Anxiety, which contains eight
items that measure the anxiety experience of being
evaluated, such as taking an exam in a math course.
project years by the QEP Implementation Committee.
Comparison of changes in math anxiety on pre and
post course assessment using the MAS-R instrument
will determine the attainment of this outcome.
Additionally, focus groups with DMTH 0100 math
students will provide feedback on anxiety provoking
situations in mathematics and ways students feel
faculty and support staff can help to ease that anxiety.
Focus group questions will also include discussion
on student’s perceptions of the effectiveness of QEP
programming in helping to reduce anxiety and ways to
enhance/improve those strategies.
This assessment will attempt to measure the
extent students have indicated a reduction in math
anxiety upon completing the enhanced DMTH 0100
(Introductory Algebra) course. Students in this
course will be given the survey at the beginning and
at the end of the semester. Baseline rates will be
established in Year 1(FY 2015) and will be followed
by an established reduction target for the subsequent
55
Figure 8: End-of-Course Evaluation DMTH 0200 Results by Item
56
57
XII. Appendices
58
A p p e n d i x A : F o c u s G ro u p a n d We b S u r v e y R e p o r t s
Engineering Division
Focus Group
October 23, 2012
Struggles
1. Peer pressure
2. Learning the theory/ Book part
3. Price of Book- expensive- not really used
20. Job Placement
21. Parking lot-full
22. Bus schedule- earlier
23. Students study in groups and tend to rely on
other students for reference
4. TSTC specific Books/ Bundles, for example 24. Technical books too difficult to understand
HRPO: not enough books and missing pages:
for example Megatronics printed at print shop 25. Lack of research and evaluation when
selecting books
5. Procrastination- time management
26. Rely heavily on instructors to demonstrate
6. Miss class- family, Job responsibilities
27. Some text lack organization and logical order
7. Improve Advisement- programs majors
28. Text assume expertise level of the student
8. Emphasize Alternative Learning styles
29. No technical reference books are used
example hands-on learning
9. Students scared to ask questions
10.Financial aid
11. Better/More equipment- computers printers,
labs, LRC
Solutions
1. Teach Time Management in class
2. e-Books
12. Assistants teaching class
3. Major/ Program- mini Orientation
13. YouTube- teaching class
4. Tutors
14. Family responsibilities
5. Instructors take more time to encourage
questions being asked
15. Day care
16. Know where we stand in class, not gettin
grades back
6. Repetitive
7. More scholarships, grants
17. Improve web Advisor
8. Get grades sooner
18. Gmail- not used much
9. Interview skills
19. Moodle
10. Industry tours
59
Industrial Division
Focus Group
Education Division
Focus Group
Struggles
Struggles
November 1, 2012
1. More instructors
2. More lab assistants
3. Tutoring after hours
4. Different teaching styles
November 2, 2012
1. Distractions- family and personal responsibilities
2. Talking in class, no respect for instructor
3. Financial- job responsibilities
5. High price in books and tools
4. Financial aid issues- requires certain documents,
submitted and then still don’t qualify
6. Long theory lecture
5. Books- high prices
7. Clear information and coordination between
Admission and Fin Aid offices
6. More computers- students share
8. Parking issues
9. Cross walking issues
10. Monitor cross walks
11. Better career advisement
7. Class scheduling
Solutions
1. One on one tutoring (separate from other students)
2. Outside life - class to help you manage time
Solutions
3. Books- no text book classes
1. Connect with your advisor
4. Class scheduling- big gaps between courses
doesn’t work
2. Connect with clubs and activities
3. Help from support services
4. e Books
5. More hands on
6. Cross- training within Dept.
7. Designated parking
8. More police monitoring cross walks
9. Advisement Center
60
Health Division
Focus Group
October 25-26, 2012
Focus Group • Thursday,October 25, 2012
Focus Group • Friday,October 26, 2012
Struggles
Struggles
1. Day care- not enough hours available
1. Financial aid – work study doesn’t pay
enough, need better customer service in
financial aid.
2. Advisor availability – after 5pm – no common
place/point to go to for advisement on
curriculum and support
3. Availability through personal email instead of
TSTC mymail.
2. Teachers need to teach and have respect for
their students, there needs to be mutual
respect between student and teacher.
4. Cost of books too high
Solutions
5. Faculty do not allow the use of ipads and
kindles in classroom
1. Increase pay for work studies
Solutions
2. More training in customer service for all
employees.
1. Open the daycare after hours and make
more hours available according to the
students’ schedule.
2.
Advisement center – more advisors- 4 full
time advisors (not faculty because they
are busy teaching) for allied health, and each
division should have their own advisors.
Make appointments for the students
convenience. The ability to make an
appointment with an advisor.
3. Create an app for mymail.Tstc email if they
have to use that email to correspond
4. Refund more money on used books, use of
e-books,
5. Ability to use ipads and kindle in the
classroom
61
CIS Division
Focus Group
Staff
Focus Group
October 31, 2012
November 12-13, 2012
Struggles
Struggles
1. Job/ course scheduling conflicts
1. Tutoring needed
2. Schedule flexibility (starting class at 8:30am)
2. Financial Responsibilities
3. Transportation
3. Childcare- not enough slots available
4. Family responsibilities
4. Too many remedial courses
5. Need face to face courses taught
5. Better housing
6. Online options for courses
6. Hands on training
7. Admissions/ FA process (change of major
example) “no clear instructions”
7. Building confidence
8. Clear process for registering for online
courses
9. Software in computers not up to date in the
LRC and computer labs
8. No Connection to program /academic advisors
Solutions
1. More scholarships/ grants
2. More space at Ninos head start
Solutions
1. Staff Training- online and admissions process
“All being on the same page”
2. Course Scheduling- more evening classes
or online courses, offer both face to face and
online, offer classes at 8:30am + Saturday
3. More quick review/ more shorter courses- not
having to take whole semester
4. Meet with adviser on a regular basis
5. Utilized TSTC for clinicals and practicum,
for example Physical Plant for ACT or BCT
3. Need to update software in lab computers,
library and labs.
62
Web Survey
Timestamp
In your experience, what do TSTC Harlingen students struggle with most that
negatively impacts their learning?
What do you think TSTC can do to address
this struggle and improve student learning?
10/19/2012 9:43:52
Enhancing students passing rate of
college algebra
finding ways to enhance remidal math courses;
offering sections of algebra with a lab component; having sections where students take math
and another course together to form a cohort
10/19/2012 10:33:01
Lack of Reading Comprehension
Incorporate more innovative learning activities
to assist students in building a solid foundation
for future success in all of their courses.
10/19/2012 11:08:48
Student don’t have basic study skills, note
taking skills, and test taking strategies.
Address student learning styles to improve
the success of completion of core curriculum
courses. Students aren’t prepared for college;
they lack basic skills to succeed.
10/19/2012 12:35:22
Work Schedules, and financial assistance
in the degree plan I took I rarely had to buy
books when I did it was costly, however for
the classes that didn’t require textbooks
their were expenses like equipment that I
had to acquire out of my own pocket and
I saw students struggle to acquire those
certain items.
Well TSTC could offer part-time, volunteer work
that relates to the courses student’s are taking
which helps them prepare for the workplace
and get experience under their belt verses just
having a diploma that says you had education
in your courses. Nowadays many company’s
want to see education and experience verses
a untrained worker 9/10 times the companies
will higher someone with experience verses just
someone who barely came out of college with
a new diploma they want to see effort and students nowadays don’t know where to start due
to how much information is out their on subjects like getting a job and so on. It becomes
to overwhelming that students try to learn what
they can and hope they get the chance to apply
it. However that isn’t how the world works you
gotta sink or swim to get anywhere. Students
however put in so much time and money in
college that it’s tragic that they didn’t get the
experience to make it out in the real world.
10/19/2012 16:08:57
Writing. This is an issue across the
college, in all subject areas. This lack
of ability, either due to poor skills when
entering college or a language barrier is
a real impediment to them completing
their programs. In addition, if they do not
achieve a minimum level of proficiency
at writing (communicating), this will affect
them beyond college in their professional
lives as well.
The college needs a dedicated writing center
like many institutions have. See http://academic.stedwards.edu/writing/ for an example.
Our student population struggles with writing
and often does not succeed here because
of it. The writing center should be available
for all classes, not dedicated to any particular
subject. Funding is always an issue, but there
are several universities in the area with graduate students in English who we could partner
with. Their students need experience for their
resumes and it might even counted as credit toward their degrees if we truly were in a partnership with these other institutions. I worked at
a college that did something similar, and it had
much success in interesting other institutions
because the experience made the graduates
more viable in the job market.
63
10/20/2012 3:11:30
exams; Whenever we have had an exam in
all my subjects giving that I am taking a Bio,
Gov 2, and a Writing Class.. to me personally writing is easy but anyways back to the
topic! I have come to notice when testing is
around the corner we as students panic!!
Some of us study real hard and succeed
not one ounce and others study last minute
and it has the same outcome... Sometimes
those like me who study moderately tend to
freak out and eventually do better than both
groups! Maybe there should be pre-test
tutoring just a thought :) - Lillian Mayans
Amongst The tutoring or the pre-testing, pherhaps offering a lab open to student success
:) one where any subject or a guideline that is
more based on the professors teaching! Most
of us have kids, or don’t even have time for ourselves at home, sometimes we find that comfort
of studying on campus! Even if it means keeping the library a bit open until 9 that would really
help :)
10/21/2012 19:52:59
Students do not know how to study or learn
concepts, they want to memorize, spit it out
and move on. So, no they are still struggling with application and analysis in critical
thinking. It is very difficult to teach these
concepts at this age!! There is no basis to
build on, as they have not even learned
to take notes and appear to have difficulty
reading a lot of the material required.
I think that a true college orientation course
that actually teaches them HOW to Learn and
study would do wonders. Test taking skills
should also be implemented. This has already
been discussed and decided, hence the end of
HRPO and a real student success course made
mandatory.
10/21/2012 22:14:36
too much work leading to physical tiredness.You usually have3 to 4 tests on the
same day and also assignments due that
same day.Students do not learn when their
overloaded.
School officials should pay attention to instructors test schedules and have a set schedule
depending on the subject.
10/22/2012 7:39:32
We need to help them with the following
areas:
-Ethics
-Integrity
-Critical Thinking Skills
-Re-evaluating their priorities.
TSTC needs to involve a student’s family more.
Unfortunately, we live in a community where
family comes first and above everything. If we
involve a studen’s family more, they are more
likely to come around and be involved.
10/22/2012 8:55:01
Perhaps a student’s home life is not conducive to the encouragement they need.
I think that the distraction and temptation
from influences like drugs, gang membership and the lure of “the quick bucks”, alcohol, promiscuity negatively impact students’
chances of advancement in life, not just in
college.
I believe if students had role models - mentor(s)
on site on a monthly basis perhaps, or notable
personalities who’ve “been there, done that”
and that could show them that they do have a
chance to succeed and become someone that
can change their environment and the world.
Who knows? All it takes is one person to make
a difference, and with the right person(s) in their
life, students may have a better chance to do
that.
10/22/2012 10:23:43
In my opinion T.S.T.C student are often not
informed about basic school regulations.
Many students stop attending classes that
they are struggling because they don’t
know that it could affect their financial aid
and that they will get an F. Some of these
policies are only known to the student at
the new student orientations and since it
started becoming available on line I believe
its easy to forget and not consider. I’m
aware that when T.S.T.C changes a policy
it is often sent to My Mail, but not a lot of
students check their email or even know
they have one.
I think T.S.T.C should have information sessions about the common T.S.T.C policies (drop/
adding courses, how to register, financial aid
suspension, tutoring) at least twice a semester
so that students can be aware of all the policies.
10/22/2012 17:56:44
I have seen that students struggle with
learning “how” to learn. While Critical Thinking taught students “how” to think, I believe
it is also crucial that students are aware of
the differences in learning styles.
I think it would be a great idea if TSTC would
focus on the different Learning Styles (Visual,
Auditory, Kinesthetic, etc...) and assist students
in discovering their own unique learning styles
and how to best utilize methods proven to work
for a particular learning style when studying or
attending lecture.
64
10/23/2012 10:08:15
Language barrier within our hispanic
community causes a big impact on their
learning. Students are having a hard time
in communicating and understanding which
many times discourages them.
The continuation of tutoring for students helps,
but also having instructors who are more considerate to the students needs. It will help for
the student to feel that the instructor is there to
help them and not discourage them.
10/24/2012 11:04:04
The parking situation is a problem some
days there is no parking and students have
to walk very far to get to the building. Then
also the tutoring in the LRC building is very
inconvenient for students who don’t have
class all day and there needs to be more
hours for tutoring.
They can have more tutoring in the different
buildings on campus and put longer hours for
tutoring. Then they can make more parking for
students, so that students don’t have to walk so
far to get to class.
10/24/2012 11:04:33
The parking situation is a problem some
days there is no parking and students have
to walk very far to get to the building. Then
also the tutoring in the LRC building is very
inconvenient for students who don’t have
class all day and there needs to be more
hours for tutoring.
They can have more tutoring in the different
buildings on campus and put longer hours for
tutoring. Then they can make more parking for
students, so that students don’t have to walk so
far to get to class.
10/24/2012 15:36:49
Lack of professionalism in seeking a quality education. Many students want to get
smart without putting forth too much effort.
If anything requires work they tend to not
want to do it. They want everything to be
fast and easy.
Address learning better study skills in general
and having a better work ethic. Learning that
it is worth the effort to work hard and not just
expect everything to be easy.
10/25/2012 11:50:34
TSTC Harlingen students struggle most
with being academically/emotionally ready
for college. Even though students are
graduating from high school, they are not
ready for college algebra or composition.
This is something TSTC doesn’t have
much control over as a college but TSTC
can control what happens when they register. The majority of the new students fresh
out of high school are having to sign up for
remedial courses.
10/25/2012 12:39:10
STEM competencies
To fix this problem, TSTC should do two things.
1. Have every technical program raise the
bar. The students should be TSI complete
before signing up for any Technical course.
The students should be ready to take college
level courses before signing up for the technical ones. The students coming in will respect
the college and technical degrees much more.
Most students start too far behind in their remediation courses and when they finish their final
two semesters, they are taking all academic
courses. By the time, they start to apply for
Every program here on TSTC campus
jobs, the students will have forgotten much of
has academics in their Associates degree. what they have learned. If the students are
Courses such as Psychology and Speech
TSI complete before getting to take the technido not even require remedial courses as
cal courses, they will start and end in sequence
a pre-requisite. How can a student, who
with their cohorts, instead of being all over the
needs reading and writing 0050, be ready
place. This will help with retention as well. It
for Psychology? This scenario is setting up will eliminate students who are just not ready
the students for failure.
for college.
2. Students need to have more tutoring areas
for the remedial courses. If the students can
not pass their remedial courses, they will never
be able to start their programs. Even though
TSTC has tutors, I just don’t feel it is setup to
help as well as it could. Having a large lab
sectioned off with Math, Writing and Reading
will be able to help those students in need. It
needs to be in one central location near the
classrooms they are actually taught in. Having them close by will eliminate the wondering
student and will help that shy student because
they will see others in the same situation they
are in.
Increase & Incorporate more STEM related
competencies in curriculums.
65
11/2/2012 13:49:49
Selected a career path that fits their abilities, and strengths. Many times the student
that comes straight from high school is
very confused about what career path to
choose. Many students just pick the career
that has higher earning potential without realizing that they do not have the qualities or
qualifications to be successful in that field.
Hold summer camps that are intensive; give the
students a clear understanding of what will be
expected of them.
11/5/2012 10:26:33
I think some instructors spend 80%
of the time talking about their family
problems,,,boring...Instead they should
concentrate more on the lecture.
Talk to your instructors about leaving their
personal life at home....and focus more on the
student learning...
11/6/2012 10:11:48
theirs no parkin space in building f
could build more parkin space
11/6/2012 10:14:37
Sometimes students arrive late because
there is no parking to use.
It would be nice to have an extra parkinglot next
to the F Biulding. To acomodate the needs of all
our students.
11/6/2012 10:14:41
In my experience at TSTC I struggle a lot
with parking. While finding parking it takes
up time to find one.Which in turn makes me
late to class. In the end I end up parking
across the street by the museum. Also adding some cameras would help not worry as
much about my vehicle while in class.
Another parking lot between auto collision and
engineering would get rid of the congestion in
the other parking lots. And the cameras would
put students at ease of their vehicles. Thank
you for your time and your interest and me
expressing my opinions.
11/6/2012 10:15:09
The parking spaces, sometimes i have
to be looking around more than an hour
looking for a parking space by the building
F and also there is a big space in the back
of these building that can be cumbered to a
parking lot.
Make the empty space next to building F a
parking lot, because is unbelievable that we
have to wait more than an hour for a parking
space, also cameras will be a excellent improvement for all the parking lots.
11/6/2012 10:16:00
I had a suggestion on having a crosswalk
I would here more about it on a meeting
on Raintree St. from Building I to Building F.
Thank you for listening to my suggestion.
11/6/2012 10:16:01
To whom it may concern;
I feel that there should be more parking on
the East side of TSTC by the F building and
maybe some cameras in the parking lots.
Evaluation may be measured by student retention in initial program. We can also look at how
many times the student changes majors while
attending TSTC.
There is a empty lot inbetween building F and
PM
Thank you,
11/6/2012 10:16:09
There is never parking for AUB students
at building F, we have a tiny lot and it gets
filled quickly, our class starts at 10 am, and
its full before our class even begins.
It would be nice if we could utilize the space
between building F and building PM for parking,
or extend the parking lot on airport and raintree,
thanks for considering this request.
11/6/2012 10:16:14
Parking between the Auto Collision building
and the W building!
Make the Auto Collision parking lot bigger!
Many students who are taking academics come
over and park in the Auto collision parking area;
which in turn leaves no parking for the Auto collision students.
11/6/2012 10:16:21
In my experience i personaly have struggle
finding a parking space in the morning
class sessions. For this cause several
times one is late for class and miss scheduled assingements or tests.
I would suggest for TSTC to build more parking
lots and also have some cameras for more
security.
11/6/2012 10:17:02
As a student from TSTC I stuggle alot for
parking space, even tho I come early in the
morning and i still cant find parking space
.Last time i got a ticket for parking on employies parking lot.
I suggest to make a parking lot on south side of
the school. close to building F
66
11/6/2012 10:18:58
Tstc students struggle the most with finding
a parking space. I hope that the Tstc staff
can really help us ,the students, by making more parking spaces by building f .
Another thing that can really help us ,the
students, is by putting camaras in the parking lot because that way one can feel save
at this college.
11/6/2012 19:36:50
Paying for college, paying and returning
books from bookstore, and not having
internet access when needed.
You can improve these struggles by having students not pay your dumb gym fee. I don’t like to
use the gym. I work out on my own. I shouldn’t
have to pay for the gym. I know I sound ridiculous right now, but I’m being serious. There
shouldn’t be a gym fee for people who don’t
use the gym. I can be using that money for
tuition or books. How do I not pay for the gym
so I can get my money?
I could use the money I got from the gym and
buy my books with it. When I’m done, I should
be able to return it without any percent fees.
Your 20% return fee is ridiculous! Why am I not
getting my money back? So you can restock
my book on the shelf for me ? No...thats just
plain ridiculous. I can easily do that my self.
Remove the 20% fee you guys charge on us
students. Its horrible.
The whole college has access to internet, but
you guys forgot about the students living in
the TSTC dorms. Its just ridiculous. The whole
college has internet, but this one little area
doesn’t? Why? How? Why has this been going
on forever? With your early building closing
hours, us students are left without internet to
do our homework. I fail and I don’t like it. I don’t
mind if you provide internet with safety and
security. I just want internet to do my homework. We want internet! I’m tired of having to
pay $54.99 a month for internet when there’s
internet right down the street from me I could
be using. Thats around $200-$300 dollars a
semester I could have used on food or books.
Fix these struggles because you guys are NOT
doing anything about them and its seriously
ridiculous.
11/14/2012 11:47:26
-Lack of a solid foundation in reading and
writing knowledge / comprehension within
the remedial areas.
Not all students are receptive and learn equally.
-Minimizing course section student capacity
-Developing different assessments which can
be utilized for online practicing that provide immediate responses.
11/15/2012 17:14:45
The ability to see that we are coming face
to face with a multitude of issues that will
impact each and every one of us for the
rest of our lives. To face all these issues, I
believe we need to continue on the road to
develop critical thinkers. With the amount
of information that is now available to us,
none of us will ever again be able to “know
it all.” But we MUST be able to critically
think through whatever problems arise in
front of us. We MUST know how to think
and trust our mental abilities. It is realizing
that our philosophy shapes our decisions
and that it is our capacity to think that sets
us up for failure or success. We must know
how to develop a philosophy and why it is
important.
Because we are a technical college, I think a
program developed around the following quote
could lead us for the next 10 years. Many different spin-offs could come from this. I think
the quote would catch everyone’s attention and
show that TSTC recognizes the importance of
both the Academic and Technical arenas. The
quote:
“The society which scorns excellence in plumbing as a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted
activity will have neither good plumbing nor
good philosophy: neither it’s pipes nor its
theories will hold water.” John William Gardner
1912-2002
67
11/19/2012 13:55:32
Not having good food! We need like some
chick fil a or el taquieria zarape up in here!
Get better cafeteria food folks! Great foods help
great minds!
11/29/2012 11:46:38
Transportation
Increasing Inerconnection Busses.
Including semester pass with fee option
12/12/2012 9:34:29
TSTC students struggle with understanding a connection that links student learning,
development (personal/social), and career
interests into a holistic framework that supports good decision-maiking.
Here is a general outline of my proposal:
QEP Proposal
My biggest complaint is about paying at
the cashiers before school starts. Yesterday, you had to pay in order to keep your
classes. The woman that was keeping the
waiting line “together” told us the wait time
was 2-3 hours long and it was 2:15pm and
the payment needed to be paid by 3pm. I
think you all should have a better solution
than having us wait.
I understand it’s a lot of students but there
should be more communication between faculty
and students. The office peoples vacation
ended 1/1/13 and 1/2/13 was the deadline for
first payment. I didn’t know I had to make a payment. Yes, it’s posted online but not everyone
has a computer or access to one. Mail in this information for us. It’d be easier for us instead of
us, later, pulling our hair out trying to figure out
how to pay. Here’s an idea: Let’s say in three
weeks school will start and by the second week
the first payment needs to be paid. So, on a
Monday you have all the people who have their
last names that start with A-G go on Monday to
pay. Tuesday, everyone with G-N, and on the
Friday have anyone who failed to show up to
have that day to go in and pay, and so on and
so forth. It would relieve people.
1/3/2013 14:50:23
68
1. This proposal is based on the QEP submitted by Amarillo College entitled, No Excuses:
First Year Seminar. Here is the link to Amarillo’s
QEP:
http://sacscoc.actx.edu/qep/
2. Implementation of a customized First-Year
Seminar course that would be a 3 hour course
included in TSTC’s 42 hour transferable course
curriculum. Course elements would include:
• Increase self-awareness
• Take charge of your life
• Identify and interact within your communities
• Manage money
• Communicate effectively
• Information literacy skills
• Effective study skills and habits
• Creative and critical thinking
• Develop an integrated educational and career
pathway
3. Create learning communities that would align
the FYS course with gen.ed/education/technical divisions. This will allow first year students
to engage curriculum within their areas of study
(health, engineering, computer information,
manufacturing/industrial, educational technology, general education). Amarillo’s QEP allows
for the development of 1 or 2 hour QEP to meet
the needs of shorter Career & Technology Education (CTE) programs.
4. Assessments for the QEP would include:
institutional, program and course assessments
5. Incorporate into faculty development and
student learning the pedagogical practices
promoted and taught by Advancement Via
Individual Determination for Higher Education,
known as AVID for Higher Education (AHE).
6. Collaborate with student development to integrate service learning projects within learning
community framework.
7. This proposal emphasizes an integration of
student learning with educational, personal/social, and career development and commitment.
QEP Suggestions
Faculty Senate
Minutes
In your experience, what do TSTC Harlingen
students struggle with most that negatively
impacts their learning?
> Lack of college preparedness is one of the
greatest negative impacts for our students.
Students are not adequately prepared for
college and the current remediation system is
not designed as a positive learning system.
Students become frustrated with their placement
in remedial classes, and research shows that
many do not even show up for the courses, thus
perpetuating failure in remediation and failure to
attempt their gateway courses.
> Since I have not been with TSTC Harlingen for
a long time I feel that my perspective on this
issue is unique I have seen students struggle
with transportation and learning some of the
Automotive field objectives another thing that I
see as a negative impact on students is the lack
of industry involvement with our program.
>More Parking
>A Writing and ESL Enter to address literacy and
vocabulary. The center can be modeled after
UTB and/or UTPA. Graduate students from
UTPA and UTB can also be used as tutors.
>Reading is Power. This was a QEP from San
Jacinto Community College that was presented
at a conference. Many of our students test into
remedial reading course..
>Math Skills. Basic foundational and fundamental
math skills would be addressed.
>TSI. This would focus on assisting students to
be TSI complete before enrolling in any class.
What do you think TSTC can do to address
this struggle and improve student learning?
>Let us rethink how we approach college
preparedness. What if students were to start
in college gateway course with built-in support
systems? Redesign first year courses with justin-time tutoring and early support systems, or
Math and English 101 courses that meet 5 days
a week instead of 3 times. Embed tutoring into
the courses or other best practices that have
demonstrated success in colleges around the
nation.
>I think the Valley Metro should be promoted
more and maybe provide some kind of incentive
to get the students to start using this valuable
service once we get the students to use it they
will see the value of the service.
>The Automotive field is changing very rapidly
and the college is not keeping up with the
immerging technology more funds should be
made available to train instructors every year.
The instructors should be required to obtain
automobile manufacture training to keep up
to date on the new technology. Automobiles
change every few years in our last advisory
meeting it was mentioned that five years is the
oldest trainers that we should be using in our
labs.
>The equipment being used is not up to date
therefore industry involvement should be a top
priority being pursued by our leaders to obtain
more equipment and trainers through their
partnership.
>Make parking lot in back of Bldg. F
69
A p p e n d i x B : To p i c S e l e c t i o n C o m m i t t e e M i n u t e s - - S a m p l e s
September 28, 2012 • 3 p.m.
QEP Topic Selection Committee Organizational Meeting
Industrial Technology Building Conference Room
Minutes
that Cindy Mata is a new member in this
committee. She has replaced Jennifer
Sanchez as President of Staff Senate. Juan
Garza, Director of Resource Development,
has also been added to this committee
due to his work with grants. The committee
welcomed the two new members.
B.The agenda was reviewed and accepted
without any changes.
Members Present: Cathy Maples, Teri Zamora,
Adam Hutchison, Lisa Cavazos, Barbara Bennett,
Dr. Edna Q. Claus, Fernando Figueroa, Mirna
Garcia, Juan Garza, Dr. Regina Garza-Mitchell,
Adan Gutierrez, Jean Lashbrook, Cindy Mata, and
Liz Silva
Members Absent: Dr. Cesar Maldonado, Mary
Adams, Nicki Cone, and Javier De Leon
C. Ms. Maples explained the notebook
I. Routine Business
Cathy Maples called the QEP Topic Selection
meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. She thanked
everyone for participating on this committee. She
commented that Dr. Maldonado asked her to
relay the message that he is sorry he could not
be in attendance today, but he thanks everyone
for being part of this important endeavor. He
emphasized the importance of broad-based
participation by the entire college community in
this process. Ms. Maples explained what she
learned in studying how to put a QEP together.
Her experience comes from going through the
2003 QEP Critical Thinking process when she
served on the implementation committee back
then. She added that through the years we
learned that we need to be more focused and
avoid working with a broad topic since that can
create a very difficult endeavor.
A.Committee members skipped the
introductions since everyone already
knew each other. Ms. Maples explained
cover to the committee members. The
cover reads “Quality Enhancement Plan
Steering Committee.” She explained that
this will be the name of the committee
after the QEP topic is selected. For a
short time, this committee will start off as
the “Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)
Topic Selection Committee” up until the
topic for the QEP is selected. Ms. Maples
explained that the length of QEP Topic
Committee membership will depend on
some circumstances. As time goes on, the
membership may change if needed. Ms.
Maples walked the members through the
documents in their notebooks.
II. Presentation Items
A.Ms. Maples proceeded to show the
committee members the PowerPoint
presentation on topic selection and
development. The presentation covered
70
many areas including Core Requirement
2.12, SACS Comprehensive Standard
3.3.2, the Strategic Plan, Student Learning,
and all QEP goals and assessment areas.
Ms. Maples stated that faculty will play a
huge role in the QEP process, and for that
reason, this committee is heavily loaded
with student learning individuals. She
added that when the time comes, she will
suggest that we use an on-line suggestion
box for individuals to be able to submit
their input in open text. We will also use
focus groups and standing committee
input. She recommended that all standing
committees place the QEP topic selection
on their agenda for their first meeting of
the semester. Ms. Maples reminded the
members that the two questions are: “In
your experience what do you thing TSTC
Harlingen students struggle with most in
their studies that negatively impacts their
learning? What do you think we can do to
address this struggle and improve student
learning?” The QEP timeline was reviewed
in the PowerPoint presentation as well.
Ms. Maples also referred to the timeline
handout provided in the binder. She stated
that any suggestions were welcomed.
IV. Action Items
A.Ms. Maples asked the committee members
to look at the document listing the
proposed subcommittees located behind
the assignment tab. She suggested four
areas that will help us get input for our
QEP topic selection. The four areas are
Focus Groups with Liz Silva (chairperson),
71
Cindy Mata, Dr. Edna Claus, Nicki Cone,
Fernando Figueroa, Adan Gutierrez, Jean
Lashbrook, and Mirna Garcia; Institutional
Research/National and Statewide Trends
with Teri Zamora (chairperson), Adam
Hutchison, Javier De Leon, Mary Adams,
Lisa Cavazos, and Juan Garza; Surveys
with Lisa Cavazos (chairperson), Dr.
Regina Garza-Mitchell, Barbara Bennett,
working with Celina Hernandez from IE&R;
and Online Web Suggestions with Cathy
Maples working with Justin Zuniga and
Gus Perez. All committee members were in
agreement with their assignments.
B.The next meeting of the committee will
be scheduled when the Institutional
Research/National and Statewide Trends
subcommittee indicates it is ready to make
its presentation to the full committee. At
that meeting the full committee will also
make a final decision on how it will narrow
the master list of QEP topics to three and
then to one. In addition, the committee
will review all of the topics brought forth to
date by the college standing committees,
the online suggestion box, and the focus
groups.
There being no further business, the meeting
was adjourned at 4:05 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by: Maria Magaña,
Recorder
Appendix C: QEP DEVELOPMENT AND WORKGROUP MINUTES—SAMPLE
September 27, 2013 • 10 a.m.
Quality Development Committee Organizational Meeting
Learning Resource Center Boardroom
Minutes
Members Present: Kyumars Ardalani, Nicki
Cone, Dr Regina Garza-Mitchell, Lynda Lopez,
Norma Salazar, Christine Stuart-Carruthers, Billie
Becker, Mirna Garcia, Dr. Mehrdad Hosseinpour,
Michael Murphy, Celina Solis-Hernandez, Dr.
Stella Garcia (ex-officio), and Maria Magaña (exofficio).
Members Absent: None
I. Routine Business
A. Dr. Stella Garcia called the meeting to order at
10:10 a.m.
B. Dr. Garcia welcomed the committee members
to the new committee. She explained that their
assignment to this committee came directly from
the President’s Cabinet. She added that each
member was selected to be part of the QEP
Development Committee due to the experience
they bring. She asked the committee members
to introduce themselves and tell everyone about
their involvement with the previous QEP.
II. Information Items
A. Dr. Garcia informed the group that the QEP
is required by the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
(SACSCOC). It is expected to describe a
carefully designed and focused course of action
that addresses a well-defined topic or issue(s)
related to enhancing student learning.
B. The QEP topic was selected by the QEP Topic
Selection Committee. That committee worked
through subcommittees using surveys, focus
groups, and reviewing and analyzing data which
were brought back to the full committee for
review. The full committee selected the area of
Developmental Math 200 as the new topic for
our new QEP.
C. Dr. Garcia explained the role of the QEP
Development Committee. She referred to the
committee charge listed in the PowerPoint.
She explained that the committee will need
to figure out how to capture and collect the
data. There was a discussion on the variety
of personal problems students face and
possible interventions by their instructors. The
committee members discussed the data which
was presented on the PowerPoint. Dr. Garcia
stated that nothing is set in stone and the plan
can change directions as needed depending on
what the data tells us. Dr. Garcia added that our
college will need to hire a QEP lead evaluator
knowledgeable in the developmental math area
to assist us with the new QEP topic. Our college
will provide a couple of names to SACS for them
to consider approving someone to work with us.
D. The committee members asked to see data on
how successful the students that passed Math
200 are now in college algebra or contemporary
math (1332). The committee would also like data
to see if the students waited to take the next
72
level after Math 200 or did they take the algebra
or contemporary math right away. The data will
be provided to the committee members.
III. Action Items
A. Dr. Garcia reminded the group that they
will have about eight months to get this work
done. The committee members decided that
they should meet twice per month. Mondays
or Wednesdays after 3 p.m. worked best for
everyone.
B. The next QEP Development Committee
meeting will be on Wednesday, October 9, 2013
at 3 p.m. in the LRC Boardroom if it is available
that day and time.
There being no further business, the meeting was
adjourned at 11:05 a.m.
Recorder
73
December 4, 2013 • 3 p.m.
QEP Topic Selection Committee Meeting
Learning Resource Center Upstairs Conference Room
Minutes
Members Present: Kyumars Ardalani, Dr Regina
Garza-Mitchell, Lynda Lopez, Norma Salazar, Billie
Becker, Mirna Garcia, Dr. Mehrdad Hosseinpour,
Michael Murphy, Celina Solis-Hernandez, Dr. Stella
Garcia, and Maria Magaña (ex-officio)
Members Absent: Nicki Cone and Christine StuartCarruthers
I. Routine Business
A. Dr. Stella Garcia called the meeting to order at
3:07 p.m.
B. Dr. Garcia asked the committee members to
review the meeting minutes. Dr. Regina GarzaMitchell motioned to approve the minutes as
written. Michael Murphy seconded the motion. All
were in favor and the minutes were approved.
A. The TSI status has not changed. There was
nothing new to report other than some issue with
registration regarding TSI. Dr. Garza-Mitchell
stated that the rules are not working properly yet
for students with a developmental plan in place.
About 800 students were able to enroll in classes
they should not have been able to register for. They
didn’t have the TSI prerequisite and the system
should have picked up on that rule. Dr. GarzaMitchell praised Christine Stuart-Carruthers and
her group. They have been working on making the
corrections manually, alerting the students, and
getting the students into the classes they need to
be in.
III. Discussion Items
A. Dr. Garcia brought the flip-chart pages created at
the last meeting. The three pages were place on
the wall for further review. Dr. Garcia reviewed the
information to remind the committee members of
what they worked on last time such as deciding
that successful completion is an A, B, or C. “What
have been our rate of increase over the years?”
was a question raised. Celina Hernandez will pull
the data on DMTH 801, NCBM 0050, DMTH 200,
and DMTH 300 for the rates that passed for the
past five years. This information will be discussed
at the next meeting.
The group discussed the seven strategies they listed
at the previous meeting.
1. Need to start the student in the appropriate level
class
There was a discussion on a possible pilot in the
spring. They previously discussed the first day
assessment by the faculty. Currently, instructors
decide on the first day of class if they believe
someone should be transferred to a different class.
Michael Murphy offered to incorporate a preassessment to DMTH 300. This would require the
instructor to review the final exam for the DMTH 200
and go from there.
2. Need an earlier alert system since mid-term is too
74
late. Nothing was added to this area.
3. Marketing programs/Support Services (Pinger and
Campus TV) – TSTC will be going to a uniformed
e-mail system for communication with our
students. My Mail will be going away. Educating
and communicating with our employees first is
very important. Lynda Lopez suggested that we
should have handouts for faculty to give to their
students. She also suggested that we could have
student testimonials talking about how they got the
help they needed. Having a contest for the video
testimonials by students was suggested.
4. Tutoring/SI model – For mymathlab, the student
supplies their e-mail address. Math instructors
need to be comfortable using mymathlab or
Moodle. Mirna Garcia will invite Gina CanoMonreal to the next meeting. They will provide a
Moodle demonstration.
a. Math 300 has one tutor and Student Success
has two tutors (Ideal would be one tutor per math
section) – Hiring more tutors will require additional
money. Norma Salazar mentions that it cost about
$2500 per semester for one tutor. She explained
that tutors are student workers but are called peer
tutors. Before they can be hired, they must have a
recommendation from their instructors. They must
carry a 3.0 cumulative and term GPA, and must
have an “A” or have tested out of the course they
will be tutoring in.
5. Class size affects the attention each student gets.
Current classes have 30-35 students. Ideal class
size would be 15-20 students.
a. Challenge is being able to find qualified math instructors.
b. Challenge is also the number of faculty and
overloads.
i. A solution would be to hire adjunct instructors
who are working on their Master’s degree.
Cost per adjunct instructor would be $28 per
hour. Dr. Garcia will look into the policy for the
rate of pay
c. Challenge of not enough classrooms available
i. A solution would be to have classes
scheduled in other buildings, possibly the
University Center.
ii. Create a schedule with a variety of classroom
hours throughout the day.
6. Instructional Methods (briefly discussed again)
a. Focus on curriculum
b. Flip the classroom (lecture video at home and
homework in classroom)
c. Using Lifescribe Pencast Video (see the pen/
whiteboard and have audio)
7. Professional Development
a. The S3 Grant will pay for instructors to go to
professional development.
b. Bring facilitator to our campus
i. Dr. Garza-Michelle stated that professional
development facilitator, Dr. Janet Zedina, will
come to our campus in February 2014.
B. Dr. Garcia stated that we are still looking for the
QEP Evaluator our college needs to hire. She
mentioned that Teri Zamora sent her a suggestion.
She suggested the SACS lead evaluator she met
when she was in Georgia as a SACS evaluator.
He is from Midland College and thought his
characteristics and personality would be a good
fit. Dr. Garcia will work on getting the team his
name. Any other suggestions should be sent to Dr.
Garcia.
IV. Action Items
A. The next committee meeting will be in two weeks
on December 18, 2013. The committee will review
the data that will be provided to them. They will
also get a Moodle demonstration from Gina CanoMonreal and Mirna Garcia. The committee members
will continue working with the strategies.
adjourned at 4:15 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by: Maria Magaña, Recorder
75
May 5, 2014 • 2:30 p.m.
QEP Workshop
Learning Resource Center Boardroom
Discussion Notes
Members Present: Dr. Stella Garcia, Celina SolisHernandez, Gus Perez, Mary Castanon, Hector
Yanez, Norma Salazar, Diana Lucio, Lynda Lopez,
Mirna Garcia, Dr. Regina Garza-Mitchell, Dr. Grady
Deaton, Michael Murphy, Dr. Mehrdad Hosseinpour,
Kyumars Ardalani, Billie Becker, Dr. Gina CanoMonreal, Alma Gomez, and Maria Magaña
Student Present: Yesenia Martinez
Dr. Stella Garcia thanked everyone for attending and
got the workshop started at 2:40 p.m. She asked
everyone to go around the room and introduce
themselves. Dr. Garcia presented a PowerPoint
giving a quick explanation of the data reviewed in the
previous QEP Workshops and what is still pending
with the QEP development. Dr. Garcia stated that the
QEP budget is managed by IE&R.
The top three concerns from the previous workshops
were (1) Start students in the appropriate class
level, (2) Early alert system, and (3) Tutoring and
supplemental instructions. Dr. Garcia asked the
group for comments to help fill in the chart below. Dr.
Garcia asked Mirna Garcia to take over the process.
Mrs. Garcia continued the discussion with the group
as they worked together to complete in the chart.
76
Strategies/Related Activities
1. Hire QEP Coordinator
Person/Department
Associated Cost/Budget
Timeline
IE&R
Min. $43K
Fall 2014
2. Start student in appropriate
course level
a) Pre-Assessment
b) Re-Assessment
c) Program/Course
Information (CI) for
Advisors
d) Realistic
expectation at
beginning
e) Boot Camp (prep or
mini QR
a) Advisor
b) Instructor
c) Advising Center,
Instructors, P.A.,
cheat sheet,
Marketing
d) Advisement &
Instructors
e) Instructors/Faculty
Development (FD)
a) No cost
b) No cost
c) Printing, development costs;
incidentals
d) No cost
e) Overload pay
Fall 2014
3. Tutoring/Supplemental
Instruction
a) Tutoring times/SI
(instructor & tutor
hand-in-hand)
b) Professional
development tutors,
training in SI, AVID
c) SI in class, online,
tutors, maybe
instructor’s online
videos
d) Tutoring as part of
course/Instructor
mandate
a) Student Success
b) Org. Development
and Student
Success
c) Math department
and Student
Success
d) Math faculty and
Student Success
a) Salary for tutors-$10/hr
b) Training costs (food/prizes)
c) Tutoring/ Computers
d) Tutoring/ Computers
Fall 2014
After completing the chart, the group revisited
the information they came up with. They
reviewed the costs involved for additional
tutors, additional computers, professional
trainings, and food costs for training sessions.
They discussed extending the class period
to include time for the tutoring following the
lecture, without changing the credits received
for the class. They also talked about having
the instructor monitor all tutoring by having the
tutors sign the students’ work when they use
the out-of-class tutors.
Dr. Garcia thanked everyone for their input and
invited them to attend the final workshop on
May 13th at 2:30 p.m. in the LRC Boardroom.
There being no further business, the
discussion ended at 4:22 p.m.
Recorder
77
June 17-18, 2014 • 2:30 p.m.
QEP Development Update
CETL Conference Room
Discussion Notes
Members Present: Dr. Stella Garcia, Mirna Garcia,
Nicki Cone, Diana Lucio, Adan Gutierrez, Billie Becker,
Alma Gomez, Christine Stuart-Carruthers, Hector Yanez,
Dr. Edna Claus, Edda Urrea, Dr. Gina Cano-Monreal,
Kyumars Ardalani, Dr. Grady Deaton, Ester Bodnar,
Celina Solis-Hernandez, Gus Perez, and Maria Magaña
The Early Alert System was discussed. According to the
plan, instructors will be contacting students as soon as
possible
through email if they are not doing well in the class.
The students will not be able to see the names of
other students receiving the same email as long as the
instructors are using Moodle or MyMathLab.
Members Present: Ray Rodriguez
A situation with the students not purchasing the
MyMathLab software was brought up. An instructor
stated that some students use the introductory software
provided by Pearson’s for the first two weeks of class.
When the trial period expires the students do not have
the money to purchase the software and end up failing
the course. Another instructor stated that she does not
tell her students about the trial period in order to get her
students to purchase the software. The group discussed
the situation and it was suggested that our college could
bill the MyMathLab software as a lab fee and include it
with the tuition during registration. That would solve the
non-purchase issue. This suggestion will be looked into
a little further.
Mirna Garcia thanked everyone for attending and got
the meeting started at 12:32 p.m. A meal was provided
for those in attendance. Mrs. Garcia provided a review
of what has happened with the Quality Enhancement
Plan (QEP) development process up to this point. Celina
Garza provided a copy of the QEP Executive Summary
document. Mrs. Garcia covered the information and
each section was discussed.
Mrs. Garcia explained that the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board (THECB) has determined that
DMTH 0050 will no longer be part of developmental
education starting in 2015. Since this course will be
considered Adult Basic Education, financial aid will not
pay for that course.
There was another discussion regarding the need to
increase some type of Quick Review. It was suggested
that a Non-Course Based Option (NCBO) could be given
during the semester with
Mrs. Garcia mentioned that the MAMBO class is doing
very well with about a 78-85 percent passing rate.
The plan is to put more students in that course. She
asked the group what the optimum class size would be.
They agreed that the class size should not go over 20
students in order to be able to give them the attention
they need. They also agreed that another mandate
should be that the students must go to mandatory
tutoring lab for one hour on a weekly basis. There was a
discussion on the attendance documentation process.
scheduling options other than six hours per day and four
days per week. There was a suggestion that a diagnostic
from Texas Success Initiative (TSI) could be used.
Mrs. Garcia mentioned the availability of professional
development. She stated that Mr. Murphy and Mr.
78
Ardalani are encouraging all math instructors to
attend professional development opportunities
whether off-campus or here at TSTC. Grant money
is currently available for developmental math
instructors to attend off-campus conferences or to
bring someone to our college.
MAMBO class should be filled in during the fall
semester class. There was a discussion on the math
Imporium class, and the need to make sure it would
not be harmed by the MAMBO recruitment. It was
suggested that the DMTH 0050 students should be
recruited into the Imporium class.
There was an open discussion on the pros and
cons of taking the MAMBO. The MAMBO course
teaches some parts of DMTH 0200 and some parts
of college algebra since it is not possible to cover
everything in one semester. The instructors agreed
that MAMBO course is a great tool for students who
only need college algebra for their program, but the
course content does not properly prepare a student
to go into pre-calculus if they happen to change their
major. The student must be aware of this situation.
It was suggested that in the future another MAMBO
type course could be created for the college algebra
and pre-calculus course.
Mrs. Garcia stated that it was proposed that the
instructors should meet with their students for 10-15
minutes at least once per semester. The meeting
should be one-on-one with the individual student.
Some students may need more than one meeting.
They could benefit from one meeting at the start of
the semester and then again prior to the drop date.
Other meetings could be held in small groups.
The need to increase the class time for
developmental math was discussed. Mrs. Garcia
mentioned that four hours per week was being
suggested. The suggestion was to have two hour
blocks on Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday
and Thursday. Fridays for developmental math
instructors would be reserved for planning,
professional development, and conference time with
students. The developmental math instructor and the
algebra instructor would both be in class at the same
time. Instructors agreed that lecture and lab during
the same time block is a good idea. They believe this
will help the student with access to a computer and
help from the instructors when the students need
assistance. The instructors discussed some of the
suggestions and would prefer to run the MAMBO
with developmental math on Tuesday/Thursday.
They would prefer the Monday/Wednesday/Friday
for college algebra. The group pointed out that twohour blocks may cause some scheduling problems
for the Tuesday/Thursday classes.
Mrs. Garcia mentioned that students in DMTH 0100
would be recruited for enrollment in the MAMBO.
The instructors in those courses could help by
recommending who should consider this option. The
application by students for the
79
Celina Garza reminded the group that in the coming
weeks the Marketing Department will kick-off a
campaign to solicit input from student on the name
of this project along with the design for the logo.
She added that we need our students to be aware
of the QEP because the on-site committee will be
interviewing students when the committee comes
here in October. She added that we need to have
everything set by early August in order to allow our
SACSCOC Vice President Crystal Baird sufficient
time to review our QEP and provide feedback prior
to our submission to the on-site Compliance Review
Committee.
Mrs. Garcia thanked everyone for attending. She
welcomed them to stop by her office to speak to
her privately regarding their thoughts on what was
covered at these meetings.
July 16, 2014 • 3:00 p.m.
QEP Development Committee Meeting
CETL Conference Room – Building W
Minutes
homework assignment and be available to assist
them with any questions. The instructors will not
be required to stay for the tutoring portion. The
tutor will be able to keep the students in class by
having a sign out sheet for students to sign at the
end of the session. Mrs. Garcia stated that based
on the numbers we had last fall, we should plan for
38 sections of math, with a cap of 20 students per
section, and an SI tutor in each section. She added
that the administration has approved the $24,000
needed per semester for this plan and the money
has been built into the QEP budget. According to
the data, 38 sections of developmental math will
require about 7 instructors. Mrs. Garcia reminded the
committee members that the final decision to accept
the proposed plan will be up to this committee.
There was a discussion regarding the need for more
qualified tutors which will be available through the
Office of Student Success. Norma Salazar stated
that the tutors go through a thorough screening
process before they are hired.
Members Present: Kyumars Ardalani, Nicki Cone,
Norma Salazar, Billie Becker, Mirna Garcia, Michael
Murphy, Celina Solis-Hernandez, Celina Garza, and
Maria Magaña (ex-officio)
Guest Present: Alma Gomez (for Christine StuartCarruthers)
Members Absent: Lynda Lopez, Dr. Mehrdad
Hosseinpour, Christine Stuart-Carruthers, and Dr.
Stella Garcia (ex-officio)
I. Routine Business
A. Mirna Garcia called the meeting to order at 3:03
p.m. She explained that Celina Garza would be
attending the meeting but was currently in another
meeting.
B.Mrs. Garcia asked the committee members to
review the July 2, 2014 meeting minutes. After a
brief review, Norma Salazar motioned to approve the
minutes as written. Michael Murphy seconded the
motion and all were in favor.
A. Mirna Garcia explained that there have been a
few developments since the last meeting of this
committee. Mrs. Garcia pointed out that if the
plan is accepted, the developmental classes will
be 1½ hours lecture and ½ hour tutoring with the
tutor attending the class for the entire 2 hours. The
tutors will be able to help the students work on their
B. Regarding the 1101 course, Ms. Garcia stated
that the Department Chair for TSTC 1101 will
communicate with the Development Education
Department Chairs regarding curriculum alignment
and course content. This class will require all
students to participate in three campus life activities.
The instructor/student conference will count as a
campus life activity.
C. Mrs. Garza added that the early alert system will
stay the same as previously discussed. Students
will be notified earlier in the semester if they are in
jeopardy of failing.
80
D.The MyMathLab software fee was discussed.
Mrs. Garcia mentioned that a technology fee with
a code attached might be used to purchase the
software during registration depending on which
instructors will be using the technology. Michael
Murphy explained that all developmental math
instructors will be using the MyMathLab software
by spring 2015.
III. Action Items
A. The committee members took formal action on
the initiatives that were discussed. Celina Garcia
asked for a motion to approve the academic
curricula and support programming strategies
presented by Mirna Garcia for the new QEP
developmental math initiative. Kyumars Ardalani
motioned to approve the strategies as written. Billie
Becker seconded the motion. All were in favor and
the motion passed.
B. The next meeting was set for Wednesday, July 30
at 3 p.m. in the LRC Boardroom. Mrs. Garza added
that at the next meeting the committee members
will be presented with the goals and objectives, the
general assessment, and the timeline for the QEP.
adjourned at 3:50 p.m.
81
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Brothen, T., & Wambach, C. A. (2004, Winter). Refocusing Developmental
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Smittle, P. (2003). Principles for Effective Teaching. Journal of Developmental
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pdf/3538.pdf?CFID=14712353&CFTOKEN=85990727
82
Addendum
Response to Reaffirmation Committee’s
Suggestions for Strengthening the QEP
March 2015
83
Addendum I
Committee’s Analysis and Comments for
Strengthening the QEP:
to assign class work, quizzes, and tests. Training
will be focused on understanding the functionality
and management tools of the software to maximize
its use in classroom management, data collection
and performance reporting. The Developmental Math
Department, in conjunction with the QEP Coordinator
and the Office of Organizational Development, will
design and deliver MyMathLab training as part of the
institutions professional development opportunities
scheduled each term. The training will include
MyMathLab use and logistical demonstrations, best
practice use of the solution, and practice/hands-on
opportunities.
“The Committee offers some additional strategies that
could strengthen the implementation of the College’s
plan. As a key component of the QEP, the institution
should consider establishing increased advising
professional development for all faculty and program
advisors. Additional professional development allows
for consistency between advising practices and
ensures common and complete knowledge of the
developmental mathematics course offerings. To
allow for this addition, the College would naturally
adjust the institution’s QEP budget accordingly.”
College’s Response:
• Enhance training on student engagement. Student
engagement builds retention while enhancing
learning. A cornerstone of effective teaching includes
a commitment to teaching the underprepared
student. The QEP Coordinator in conjunction with
the Advisement Center, Office of Student Success
and the Office of Organizational Development
will design and deliver an enhanced training on
student engagement. The training will be part of the
institutions professional development opportunities
scheduled each term. The training will include
research based best practices in engaging the
developmental student.
The Quality Enhancement Plan Implementation and
Evaluation Committee constructed a list of research
based strategies for enhancing student success
in Developmental Mathematics through increased
advising professional development for faculty and
program advisors. According to the Education
Advisory Board (2015), students fail to complete
Developmental Math due to: content delivery and
placement practice. By infusing such strategies into
advisement and professional development one builds
common language. The narrative below summarizes
these best practices and TSTC Harlingen’s plan for
implementing these strategies to enhance the QEP.
• Develop and provide training on appropriate student
placement practices. Appropriate course placement
promotes course progression and academic
success. A focus of the QEP is to ensure that
students are being placed in the appropriate level of
Developmental Math and in the type of course that
is the best fit for them. The Advisement Center, in
partnership with the Developmental Math Department
and Office of Organizational Development, will design
and deliver training on appropriate student placement
practices. Staff will collectively design simplified
yet comprehensive “cheat sheets” for Academic
In the peer reviewed article entitled, “Professional
Development Issues for Community College” by
Althea Smith (2009) she writes that professional
development must not only include educational
academic topics, but also personal growth and
teaching. With faculty development being vital to
institutional effectiveness and student learning,
faculty will participate in multiple types of professional
development.
• Provide hands-on training for MyMathLab, a
computer based, interactive course management
solution used by Developmental Mathematics faculty
84
Advisors that explain the various course offerings
and the type of student who would most benefit
from the different course options. The training will
be part of the institutions professional development
opportunities scheduled each term. The training will
include various holistic models in student placement,
student placement strategies, and assessment and
placement practices on campus.
Advisement
Borns (2002) cited that “developing effective training
opportunities for advisors is important for student
satisfaction and persistence.” Being that the advisor
is a vital part to the “teaching and learning mission
of higher education” the QEP has initiated targeted
advisement development (NACADA, 2006). By
enhancing advisement resources the institution
safeguards its position within higher education.
• Provide academic advising training which focuses on
the Developmental Math student. Data shows (see
Tables 4-6 on p. 16-17 of Final QEP Report) shows
passing rates for Developmental Math students
across all sections (DMTH 50, 100, & 200) compared
to peers in developmental reading and writing.
Students in Developmental Math withdrew at a higher
rate each term than developmental reading and
writing peers, suggesting a strong need for enhanced
student advisement at the onset of Developmental
Mathematics enrollment. In order for TSTC Harlingen
to achieve its QEP performance targets, such as
improving overall student success, advisors need
to better understand the needs, learning styles and
potential barriers of the Developmental Math student.
Through collaborated efforts between the Office
of Organizational Development, the Advisement
Center, QEP Coordinator, and Developmental
Math Department, an enhanced advising model
for Developmental Math students will be created
and implemented. The Office of Organizational
Development in partnership with the Developmental
Math Department will design and deliver an academic
advising training which focuses on the enhanced
Developmental Math student advising model. The
training will be part of the institutions professional
development opportunities scheduled each term.
The training will include a focus on best practices
in advising Developmental Mathematics students,
such as using a holistic model when considering
placement and potential for success (personal,
academic and level of preparedness), incorporating
student mentoring opportunities, and collaborating
with Developmental Math faculty on the Early Alert
System.
• Develop and provide training on course options.
TSTC Harlingen offers various Developmental Math
courses such as MAMBO (Math Combo course which
includes DMTH0200 and Math1314) and DMTH0300
(combo course which includes DMTH100 and
DMTH200) also known as Emporium. The campus
also offers traditional stand-alone Developmental
Math Courses such as DMTH0100 and DMTH0200.
Knowledge of such course options is crucial as it
helps develop the student’s academic roadmap.
Understanding course options will also facilitate
appropriate student placement to ensure maximum
student learning potential and success. The Office
of Organizational Development, in partnership with
the Developmental Math Department, will design and
deliver training available course options and related
curriculum as part of the institutions professional
development opportunities scheduled each term.
The training will include the various course offerings,
course descriptions, and the curriculum taught in
each course option.
• Provide training on holistic advising. Research
proves that holistic advising supports and retains
students. Academic Advisors at TSTC Harlingen
utilize the holistic advising model which focuses on
the “whole” student as it incorporates the practice
of asking neutral open and closed-ended questions
to help students decipher their own strengths and
weaknesses. It also helps to connect the student
to appropriate services and programs. Furthermore,
it aids the student in identifying a realistic selfperception and supports the students successfully
transition into the program of choice. Through the
use of the Academic Success Plan (individualized
academic plan), Academic Advisors are able to
assist the student in establishing and achieving
85
their academic goals. The Advisement Center
in collaboration with the Office of Organizational
Development with design and deliver training
on holistic advising as part of the institutions
professional development opportunities scheduled
each term. The training will include but is not limited
to: An overview of the holistic advising model at
TSTC Harlingen, including who is involved, best
practices for implementation, and strategies for
continuous improvement.
professional development strategies incorporated in
this Addendum proposal, which allows for consistency
between advising practices and ensures common
and complete knowledge of the Developmental
Mathematics course offerings. Through the enhanced
support of its campus partnerships, resources, and
collaboration amongst departments, the College is
confident that the Math: It All Adds Up to Success
Quality Enhancement Plan will be sustained.
As previously described in the QEP narrative (p.
39 in Final QEP Report), funding for professional
development encompasses: visiting consultant,
conference fees, and travel expenses. In order to
infuse the suggested enhancements for Professional
Development and Advisement into the QEP, TSTC
Harlingen has embarked on strengthening department
alliances who will work jointly toward the success
of these suggested improvements, including the
Office of Organizational Development, Development
Math Department, Advisement Center, and the
QEP Coordinator. Given TSTC Harlingen’s record
of program permanence and services that sustain
the mission of the college through integrity-driven
performance, this self-funded project will be valued
and supported throughout the five-year project period. • Assign an Academic Advisor to attend all
Developmental Math faculty meetings. Recognizing
that many incoming student are placed in
Developmental Mathematics, a framework of
common language across campus will be developed.
The infusion of partnerships between Academic
Advisors and Developmental Math faculty is
needed in order achieve the goal of the QEP and
the institutional mission. In order to foster and
strengthen department relationships between the
Advisement Center and the Developmental Math
Department, an Academic Advisor will be assigned
to attend all Developmental Math faculty meetings.
Such partnerships build trust, improve relationships,
collaboration, and common language. The benefits
of Academic Advisors intentionally reaching out
to faculty is invaluable and will positively impact
students, departments, programs and the overall
campus culture.
Through continuous assessment of the QEP,
professional development and advisement strategies
will be updated to better accommodate goals of the
QEP. The development plan in Table 1 summarizes
trainings and workshops that will be developed and
delivered through the QEP.
Updated QEP Budget
Part of sustaining a project is the continuity of
financial and institutional support. TSTC Harlingen
has naturally adjusted the QEP budget by investing
more resources into advising professional
development over the next five years (see comparison
of former versus enhanced professional development
budget on Tables 2 and 3). The newly allocated funds
will help support implementation of the enhanced
86
Table 1: QEP Development Plan for Enhanced Advising Professional Development
Subject
MyMathLab Basics
Holistic Advising
Organiztional Need
(link to unit goals/
strategic goals)
Timeline/Frequency
Description
Audience
Provide MyMathLab
support through
training
Once a semester
beginning May 2015
Attendees will
be introduced to
applications within the
software
Faculty
Once a semester
beginning May 2015
Attendees will
be given indepth knowledge,
understanding, and
the tool needed
to provide holistic
advising
Advisors
Faculty
Provide information
and best practices on
holistic advising
Student Engagement
Provide information
and best practices on
student engagement
Once a semester
beginning May 2015
Attendees will
be given indepth knowledge
understanding, and
the tools needed to
engage students
effectively
Placement Practices
Provide training,
common language,
and placement
guidelines
Once a semester
beginning May 2015
Attendees will be
introduced to student
placement best
practices
Faculty and Advisors
Once a semester
beginning May 2015
Attendees will
be given in
depth knowlege,
understanding, and
the tools needed
to service the
Developmental Math
student
Advisors
Once a semester
beginning May 2015
Attendees will
receive a thorough
description of the
course make-up,
MAMBO application,
and what makes a
good candidate for
the intensive courses
(i.e.MAMBO &
LIMBO)
Advisors
Developmental Math
Course Options
Provide knowledge
and understanding on
how to better support
the Developmental
Math student
Provide information
and training on the
various course options
87
Table 2: Former Professional Development QEP Budget
Expenses
to date
Year 1
FY 15
Year 2
FY 16
Year 3
FY 17
Year 4
FY 18
Year 5
FY 19
Total
$4,000
$0
$0
$0
$0
$4,000
Professional
Development
Visiting
Consultant
Conference
Fees
$5,250
$8,000
$2,800
$2,800
$2,800
$2,800
$24,450
Travel
Expenses
$7,000
$11,000
$11,000
$11,000
$11,000
$11,000
$62,000
Total
$12,250
$23,000
$13,800
$13,800
$13,800
$13,800
$90,450
Table 3: Enhanced QEP Professional Development Budget
Expenses
to date
Year 1
FY 15
Year 2
FY 16
Year 3
FY 17
Year 4
FY 18
Year 5
FY 19
Total
$4,000
$4,000
$4,000
$4,000
$4,000
$20,000
Professional
Development
Visiting
Consultant
Conference
Fees
$5,250
$4,200
$4,200
$4,200
$4,200
$4,200
$26,250
Travel
Expenses
$7,000
$11,000
$11,000
$11,000
$11,000
$11,000
$62,000
Total
$12,250
$19,200
$19,200
$19,200
$19,200
$19,200
$108,250
88
References
Educational Advisory Board. (2015). Why do students fail to complete Developmental Math. Retrieved on
January 27, 2015, from http://www.eab.com/~/media/EAB/Research-and-Insights/CCF/Success-Pages/
CCEF-Developmental-Math-Infographic.pdf
Smith, Althea. (2009). Professional Development Issues for Community Colleges. Retrieved January
27, 2015, from http://www.aacu.org/publications-research/periodicals/professional-development-issuescommunity-colleges
Borns, R. F. (2002, May 6). Creating an academic advising training program on your campus. The
Mentor: An Academic Advising Journal. Retrieved January 28, 2015, from http://dus.psu.edu/mentor/old/
articles/020506rb.htm
National Academic Advising Association. (2006). Concept of academic advising. Retrieved January 27,
2015, from http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-Articles/Concept-of-AcademicAdvising-a598.aspx
89
Addendum II
Committee’s Analysis and Comments for
Strengthening the QEP:
• Annual enrollment and completion rate for the
Emporium (DMTH 0100 and DMTH 0200 combined)
and the MAMBO (DMTH 0200 and Math 1314
combined) (Objective 3)
“The College may also be well-served to consider
additional data collection to effectively assess the
impact of the College’s QEP. Due to anomalies that
occur between semesters, the institution should
consider gathering additional baseline data to capture
a greater picture of the state of the developmental
math education department before implementing
the QEP. The institution should also consider the
comparison of student learning outcomes to the
results recorded from pre-designed developmental
math courses. This comparison allows the College
to pinpoint the effectiveness of the redesigned
courses (DMTH 0300 and MAMBO), based upon the
traditional courses previously taught. This strategy
would be particularly useful for the College Algebra
learning objectives.”
• Student proficiency level of DMTH 0200 capstone
student learning outcomes (Objective 4)
• Pre and Post scores of a math anxiety survey
(Objective 5)
The original report included baseline averages for
outcome objectives for the most recently completed
term or academic year, where appropriate. To
address the committee’s suggestions, additional
historical data for Outcome Objectives 1 through 4
has been gathered to serve as baseline rates from
which comparisons can be made. The additional data
will also allow the College to better capture the state
of developmental mathematics within the construct
of the defined outcomes prior to QEP implementation
(see Tables 3 - 6). Cumulative averages represented
from this data will serve as new baseline rates from
which comparative change, post QEP implementation,
will be measured.
College’s Response:
Additional Baseline Data
TSTC Harlingen recognizes that a valid and
effective QEP assessment plan requires a sound
understanding of student success and learning in
developmental mathematics prior to implementation
of associated QEP initiatives. TSTC Harlingen agrees
with the committee’s suggestions for strengthening
the QEP by gathering additional baseline data. This
allows for the College to establish a more accurate
baseline from which learning proficiency and
performance achievement rates can be compared
prior to and after the implementation of QEP
strategies.
Baseline information for Objective 5 is currently being
collected through a pre and post survey of math
anxiety. This data will be available after completion
of the spring 2015 semester and will serve as the
established baseline for this objective.
To summarize, the QEP Development team chose
to analyze the effectiveness of the QEP based on a
number of criteria (outcomes):
• Final course grade outcomes of all students enrolled
in the DMTH 0200 capstone course (Objective 1)
• DMTH 0200 capstone course completion rates
of first-time in college (FTIC) students placed in
developmental mathematics within two-years of initial
enrollment (Objective 2)
90
Table 3 - 6 Additional Baseline Data for QEP Outcome Objectives
Table 3, Outcome Objective 1: At least 70% of developmental math DMTH 0200 capstone students completing
the course will earn a grade of “C” or better or achieve a passing score on the TSI approved test each term.
% of students completing DMTH 0200 with
grade “C” or better
FA 2012
SP 2013
FA 2013
SP 2014
FA 2014
Cumulative
Average
53%
59%
46%
53%
60%
54.2%
Table 4, Outcome Objective 2: The percentage of FTIC students placed in developmental math each term who
successfully complete the DMTH 0200 capstone course or its TSI equivalent within two-years of initial enrollment
will increase by 2% each year for a summative increase of 10% by the fifth year.
FA 2011 FTIC Cohort
FA 2012 FTIC Cohort
Cumulative Average
27%
27%
27%
% of first-time in college
(FTIC) students placed in
developmental mathematics
in a given term that
complete DMTH 0200
within two-years of initial
enrollment
Table 5, Outcome Objective 3: The percentage of students who enroll in and successfully complete the
Emporium (DMTH 0200) and/or the MAMBO course will increase by 2% for each course each project year for a
summative increase of 10% for each course by the fifth year.
FA 2013
Annual
enrollment
and annual
completion
rate for the
Emporium
and MAMBO
courses
SP 2014
Summer 2014
Baseline for FY14
#
Enrolled
%
Completed
#
Enrolled
%
Completed
#
Enrolled
%
Completed
#
Enrolled
%
Completed
23
43%
40
48%
19
19%
82
52%
29
86%
25
84%
14
71%
68
82%
Emporium
(DMTH 0100
and DMTH
0200 combined)
MAMBO
(DMTH 0200
and MATH 1314
combined)
91
Table 6, Outcome Objective 4: At least 70% of students will score an 80% or better on items within the
course exams related to each learning competency each term.
Baseline Proficiency Rates
% of students in DMTH 0200 capstone achieving
80% or better proficiency on defined student
learning outcomes
FA 2013
SP 2014
FA 2014
Cumulative
Average
SLO 1: Students will solve problems involving
operations with real and complex numbers.
51.0%
26.0%
46.7%
41.2%
SLO 2: Students will recognize, understand and
analyze features related to a function.
46.9%
60.3%
50.7%
52.6%
SLO 3: Students will use the proper concept and
procedures to evaluate absolute value, polynomial, radical and rational expressions.
77.6%
83.6%
66.4%
75.9%
SLO 4: Students will identify and solve equations
involving absolute value, polynomial, radial and
rational.
40.2%
56.2%
50.8%
49.1%
SLO 5: Students will solve problems involving
absolute and linear inequalities.
54.6%
50.0%
N/A
52.3%
SLO 6: Students will interpret and justify mathematical ideas and concepts using multiple representations.
71.4%
61.4%
65.2%
66.0%
SLO 7: Students will connect and use multiple
strands of mathematics in situations and problems, as well as in the study of other disciplines.
59.2%
67.1%
64.8%
63.7%
Student Learning Outcome(s) Comparison
The reaffirmation committee advised the College to consider comparing student learning outcomes from
pre-designed developmental math courses (or those in the traditional DMTH 0100, DMTH 0200 and MATH
1314 College Algebra sequence) to redesigned courses, including the Emporium DMTH 0300 (DMTH 0100
and 0200 combined) and the MAMBO (DMTH 0200 and MATH 1314 combined). TSTC Harlingen agrees
this comparison will help determine the effectiveness and impact of the redesigned, accelerated courses on
student learning. To address this enhancement, the College has added Objective 6 to its assessment plan
that will allow for continued evaluation of the impact accelerated courses has on student learning.
The objective reads as follows: Students will demonstrate learning proficiency at a rate of 80% or
higher on defined student learning outcomes in redesigned developmental mathematics courses,
including the Emporium and MAMBO course sections. Comparisons will be made against SLO outcomes
for the traditional (pre-designed) developmental math courses compared to the redesigned developmental
math options.
Table 7 and 8 includes an overview of student learning outcome(s) baseline rates for pre-designed and
redesigned courses for developmental mathematics; while Table 9 specifies the comprehensive assessment
plan for the added Objective 6.
92
Table 7: Student Learning Outcome(s) Baseline Rates for Pre-Designed DMTH 0100 & DMTH 0200 and
Redesigned Emporium-DMTH 0300 (DMTH 0100 and DMTH 0200 combined)
Baseline Proficiency Rates*
DMTH 0100
DMTH 0200
Emporium
74.2%
46.7%
66.7%
SLO 1
Students will define, represent and perform
operations on real and complex numbers.
SLO 2
Students will recognize, understand, and analyze
features of a function.
N/A
50.7%
65.9%
SLO 3
Students will recognize and use algebraic (field)
properties, concepts, procedures (including factoring), and algorithms to combine, transform, and
evaluate absolute value, polynomial, radical, and
rational expressions.
63.4%
66.4%
73.3%
SLO 4
Students will identify and solve absolute value,
polynomial, radical and rational equations.
51.1%
50.8%
84.1%
SLO 5
Students will identify and solve absolute value and
linear inequalities.
72.0%
N/A
84.9%
SLO 6
Students will model, interpret and justify mathematical ideas and concepts using multiple representations.
66.3%
65.2%
76.8%
SLO 7
Students will connect and use multiple strands of
mathematics in situations and problems, as well
as in the study of other disciplines.
62.2%
64.8%
51.7%
*Baseline data includes a cumulative average of students achieving 80% or higher proficiency on
defined student learning outcomes for all DMTH 0100 and DMTH 0200 course sections in fall 2014
and summer 2014 for DMTH 0300. Outcomes noted “not applicable” were not measured in a given
course level.
Table 8: Student Learning Outcome(s) Baseline Rates for Pre-Designed MATH 1314-College Algebra
and Redesigned Mambo (DMTH 0200 and MATH 1314 combined)
Baseline Proficiency Rates*
Math 1314
MAMBO
45.4%
73.0%
SLO 1
Students will demonstrate and apply knowledge of properties of
functions, including domain and range, operations, compositions
and inverses.
SLO 2
Students will recognize and apply polynomial, rational, radical, exponential and logarithmic functions and solve related equations.
59.3%
75.8%
SLO 3
Students will apply graphing techniques.
51.5%
64.5%
SLO 4
Students will evaluate all roots of higher degree polynomial and
rational functions.
60.1%
67.5%
SLO 5
Students will recognize and apply systems of linear equations using
matrices.
69.7%
77.0%
*Baseline data includes a cumulative average of students achieving 80% or higher proficiency on defined
student learning outcomes for all MATH 1314 and MAMBO course sections in fall 2014.
93
Table 9: Objective 6 Assessment Plan
Objective 6: Students will demonstrate learning proficiency at a rate of 80% or higher on defined student learning outcomes
in redesigned developmental mathematics courses, including the Emporium and MAMBO course sections.
Outcome
At least 70% of
students will score
an 80% or better
on items within
course(s) exams
related to each
learning competency each term.
Measures
Direct
• Emporium
chapter and
final exams
• MAMBO
chapter and
final exams
Indirect
• End-ofcourse
survey
• Faculty
meetings
• Student
focus
groups
Frequency
Responsible Party
Strategies
• Each term (FA, SP
& SU) for direct
measure
• Annual Report for
direct and indirect
measures
• Summative FifthYear Report for all
measures
• DMTH 300 and
MAMBO course(s)
faculty
• Institutional
Effectiveness &
Research
• QEP Coordinator
• Course redesign
• Supplemental
Instruction
• Faculty Advising
and faculty
professional
development
• Smaller class sizes
• MyMathLab
Discussion:
For this outcome to be considered achieved, 70% of students completing the Emporium or MAMBO courses
will demonstrate mastery of the student learning outcomes, where mastery is defined as an 80% or higher on
items within course exams related to each learning competency. Proficiency rates each term for each learning
outcome will be compared to previously established baselines prior to QEP implementation.
Student learning outcomes for the Emporium and the MAMBO course will be assessed on a semester basis
through demonstration of mastery of questions on the course chapter exams and the course final exams
delivered via MyMathLab (direct assessment measures). The data will be aggregated and analyzed to
determine areas of strengths and weaknesses in specific learning areas and instructional and curricula changes
will be made as needed. Results will be compared to the traditional DMTH 0100, DMTH 0200 and MATH 1314
College Algebra courses in a given term to determine differences, if any, in student learning outcomes between
pre-designed and redesigned accelerated developmental math courses.
Faculty will discuss progress on outcomes and recommendation for improvements as determined from the
data in roundtable conversations each term and documented improvement plans on the TracDat institutional
outcomes reporting system. In addition, faculty will receive on-going feedback on instructional effectiveness
through end-of-course evaluations, which provide both quantitative and qualitative data on the quality of
instruction and the learning environment. Item analysis of survey questions will allow faculty to determine
how effectively they encouraged the following: student-faculty communication; cooperation among students;
active learning, critical thinking, respect for diverse ways of learning; a learning environment; as well as the
effectiveness of laboratories to help students master skills/knowledge of course learning objectives. Finally,
student focus groups will be convened annually to determine perceptions of learning and ability to meet learning
objectives as well as the effectiveness of specific QEP interventions, such as SI tutoring, block schedule,
MyMathLab, and faculty advising, on facilitative learning of course content. Direct and indirect assessment
results will inform action plans for improving pedagogy and instructional techniques.
94
95
1902 N. Loop 499 • Harlingen, TX 78550
956-364-4000 • 800-852-8784
96

TEXAS STATE TECHNICAL COLLEGE HARLINGEN

Transcription

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