Coordination of Two Large-Scale Projects Aimed at Understanding Undergraduate Introductory Mathematics Student Success

• In Event: The Challenges and Successes of Conducting Large-Scale Educational Research

Abstract

Objectives. The National Science Foundation has recently funded two projects to examine the development of programs and structures in Precalculus to Calculus 2 courses (P2C2) that promote student success in undergraduate mathematics. Project A surveys the types of programs being offered nationally and then conducts 12 case studies of successful programs. Project B is first doing six retrospective case studies on how institutional change at implementing active learning was cultivated, followed by nine longitudinal incentivized case studies that infuse active learning into the P2C2 sequence. Coordination of projects was decided after receiving NSF funding.

Perspective. P2C2 courses are the path to and through calculus. These courses have high impact on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) persistence. Approximately 300,000 students take calculus at the university level each fall [3] and a bad calculus experience is a major reason students leave STEM majors [4, 17].

Methods. Project A used a national census survey of all mathematics departments that offer a graduate degree in mathematics, from which, institutions that had characteristics associated with successful calculus programs were identified for longitudinal case studies using a mixed-methods approach [5]. Project B used purposeful sampling, informed by the Project A census survey, to identify six institutions to be part of the retrospective case study analysis; however, due to institutional instability one of the original sites had to be replaced.

Data sources. Across both projects there are 9 single visit case studies (3 pilots and 6 retrospective accounts), which are followed by 21 longitudinal case study sites each with three visits. This results in data from over 71 site visits to mathematics departments. The collected data consist of surveys (faculty, instructors and students), student transcripts, interviews, observations of classroom instruction, and related artifacts.

Results.  Coordinating efforts between Project A and Project B creates opportunities for the shared development of resources and data, yet ensuring consistency while adhering to the different goals of each project has presented challenges. For instance, each of the projects is operating on a different timeline for case studies, resulting in differing levels of urgency and priorities in developing instruments. During data collection, challenges arose in part due to varying types of approval from institutional review boards, altering the data that could be collected and incentives offered for participation. Aside from the logistics of data collection, there is the sensitivity required when conducting case studies at departments, some of which were experiencing internal conflicts in leadership or had unfavorable student success.

Significance. Through the poster we will share challenges in coordinating data collection both across institutional sites and between research projects. Also, we will share how we addressed and responded to the nature of collecting data from departments in a collegiate setting.

Authors

• Matthew K Voigt, San Diego State University

• Naneh Apkarian, San Diego State University