Faculty-Led Reform in Developmental Arithmetic: A Case Study at One Community College

• In Event: Faculty and Student Understandings of Teaching and Learning

Abstract

Despite widespread reform efforts, the success rates of students referred to developmental mathematics have proven particularly intractable. By documenting the implementation processes and outcomes of a reformed arithmetic course at one community college, this paper adds to a small but growing body of literature on the implementation of pedagogical and curricular reform in higher education. The mixed-method analysis includes a quasi-experimental comparison of student outcomes for the redesigned and traditional course. Qualitative data provide a rich description of the conditions of implementation, and specifically the array of opportunities for faculty learning and support. This study illustrates how a faculty-led reform can improve success for the most academically vulnerable community college students.

Authors

• Susan Bickerstaff, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Maria S Cormier, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Di Xu, community college research center, columbia university

• Barbara Lontz, Montgomery County Community College