Annual Assessment Report for the

Mathematics Department

August, 1999

Introduction

 As part of our continuing assessment program, the Mathematics Department undertook two major initiatives in the school year 1998-1999. We assessed effectiveness of Math 103 Applied Mathematics as a general education mathematics courts, and continued to evaluate the effectiveness of our mathematics placement exam. In the future, the department wishes to evaluate quantitative literacy on an even broader scale.

Objectives

The Mathematics Department has set specific goals for all mathematics courses which can be used to fulfill Carthage quantitative literacy requirement.  Our objective was to determine the effectiveness of mathematics instruction in Math 103 Applied Mathematics in achieving these goals.

Method

In past years, the department has experimented with various methods of assessment, including pre-and post-testing, post testing alone, and imbedded questions.  Based on those experiences, the department imbedded questions in the final exams of every section of Math 103 Applied Mathematics in the fall of 1998.  The students were not aware that these questions were to be used for assessment purposes.  A copy those questions is available from the mathematics department.  The content of these questions is not included in this report so the questions can be used again for future assessment instruments. The results were tabulated by the department chair and will be discussed by the department in the fall of 1999. The results will also be posted on the Mathematics Department web site.

Findings

 General: The table below summarizes the results of the exam by question.  The numbers indicate the frequency of responses for each option.  The correct answer is indicated with a star.
 
 
Rental
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
no resp.
% Correct
Part 1
88*
1
0
0
0
1
97.8
Part 2
6
0
6
0
75*
3
83.3
Part 3
1
0
2
3
84*
0
93.3
               
Currency
              
Part 1
0
56*
15
17
1
2
61.54
Part 2
5
80*
1
2
2
1
87.91

Below is a question-by-question analysis of the data.

Rental Question, parts 1, 2, and 3: The success indicated by student responses tells us that students are learning how to read bar graphs by the time they finish Math 103.  Students did have more problems with part 2 than anticipated.  Incorrect responses were relatively equally distributed over the four sections of Math 103.

Currency Question, part 1: The majority of the incorrect responses to the questions occurred in two of the four sections.  Indeed, 10 incorrect responses came from one section, and 18 came from another, which accounts for 28 of the 35 incorrect responses.  All but one of the incorrect responses from those two sections were (b) or (c).  Both of these instructors realized that currency conversions were taught as pure scaling problems in their classes, and the students didn't know how to handle the service charge presented in the imbedded question.

Currency Question, part 2: Interestingly, the students were able to answer the second part of the question correctly, even though it used the same formula for currency conversion.

Use of Results

The department was generally pleased with the results of the assessment procedure.  The results of the first part of the currency question have already led the department to pay particular attention to the way currency conversions are taught, and in general to work toward more understanding of the equation solving principles behind currency conversion.  The results will be discussed in at least one department meeting and shared with all instructors of Math 103 in the future.

The imbedded questions will be expanded and administered to students in all mathematics courses which can be used to fulfill the quantitatively literacy requirement at Carthage. The department will also work with the Quantitative Literacy Task Force to ensure that the mathematics program continues to play a vital role in quantitative literacy at Carthage.

The assessment of the placement exam is still in the data-collection phase. However, preliminary results indicate that the exam is reasonably effective in placing student in an appropriate course. In general, students who take a course above the course recommended by the placement exam tend to receive lower grades that those who follow their placement recommendation. In addition, students who take a course below that recommended by the placement exam tend to receive higher grades that those who follow their placement recommendation.

Next Year

 In 1999-2000, the mathematics department plans to extend the scope of its general education assessment as outlined above.  We plan to use the imbedded questions in Math 103, 105, and 106.  We will also revise and administer the computer assessment exam which we developed for assessment purposes in 1997-1998.