Publications
National Survey of Community College Mathematics Chairs Technical Report and Summary
This report focuses on a national survey of community college mathematics department chairs conducted by the TLC3 research team during 2017 (TLC3 National Survey).
Support for this work is provided by the National Science Foundation’s Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) program under Awards 1625918, 1625387, 1625946, and 1625891. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Suggested citation:
Burn, H. E., Mesa, V., Wood., J. L., & Zamani-Gallaher, E. (2018). National survey of community college mathematics chairs: Technical report and summary. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Office of Community College Research and Leadership.
Mathematics Placement, Courses, and Use of Local Data in the STEM Mathematics Pathway in Predominately Black Institutions
This article examines three dimensions of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) math pathway that interact and mutually reinforce one another: mathematics placement, courses, and the use of local data. Our findings draw from the TLC3 National Survey of Community College Mathematics Chairs (Burn, Mesa, Zamani-Gallaher, & Wood, 2018). To focus on improving the success of students from historically underserved groups, we disaggregate the national survey data by quintiles based on percentage African American student enrollment.
We further supplement the analysis by explicating how mathematics placement, courses, and use of local data interacted in practice in a Predominate Black Institution (PBI), Haynes College (a pseudonym)[1] that was one of four case-study colleges in the Transitioning Learners to Calculus in Community Colleges grant (NSF IUSE 1625918, 1625387, 1625946, and 1625891) that was one of four TLC3 case-study colleges. This is a descriptive study that aims to provide empirical data that reveals opportunities within the sphere of influence of mathematics programs related to the improving the success of African American students.
[1] The pseudonym Haynes College was selected to honor Martha Euphemia Lofton Hayes (1890 – 1980), the first African-American woman to gain a Ph.D. in mathematics in 1943 (Williams, 2001).
This research was conducted by the The Transitioning Learners to Calculus in Community Colleges (TLC3) PI team, consisting of Helen Burn, Vilma Mesa, J. Luke Wood, Eboni Zamani-Gallaher and Soko Starobin (senior personnel). Other personnel include Reka Barton, Darielle Blevins, Claire Boeck, Anne Cawley, Frank Harris, III, Gabrielle Gerhard, and Chauntee Thrill.
Support for this work is provided by the National Science Foundation’s Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) program under Awards 1625918, 1625387, 1625946, and 1625891. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Suggested citation:
Burn, H., Thrill, C., Mesa, V., Zamani-Gallaher, E., & Wood, J. L. (2020). Mathematics placement, courses, and use of local data in the STEM math pathway in predominantly black institutions. MathAMATYC Educator, 11(3), 4-11.
Transitioning STEM Learners to Calculus: Findings from a National Survey of Mathematics Chairs in Two-Year Colleges by Hispanic-Serving Institutional Designation
Mathematics programs in two-year colleges face pressure to increase the success of diverse learners in the STEM math pathway given the nation’s need for STEM talent coupled with its changing population demographics. This article presents findings from a national survey of mathematics department chairs in associate degree-granting colleges disaggregated by Hispanic-Serving Institutional (HSI) status. The analysis examines institutional practices around math placement, course offerings in the STEM math pathway, student support, and institutional support for faculty around access to local data and professional development on topics related to diversity. Overall, the finding suggest that there are more progressive practices taking place at HSIs than what was reported at other institutions including using multiple measures for placement, having test-out policies, and offering compressed courses or differentiated pathways through Developmental Mathematics. Furthermore, the data suggests HSIs more often than non-HSIs disaggregate data by student demographics, offer training to their personnel to better engage diverse populations, and provide student support in addition to traditional tutoring. The paper concludes with implications for practice and research on program improvement informed by disaggregated student outcomes data and sustained professional development that provides the theoretical foundations and practices of engagement needed with diverse student populations.
This research was conducted by the The Transitioning Learners to Calculus in Community Colleges (TLC3) research team. Support for this work is provided by the National Science Foundation’s Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) program under Awards 1625918, 1625387, 1625946, and 1625891. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Suggested citation:
Burn, H., Zamani-Gallaher, E., Mesa, V., & Wood, J. L. (2019). Transitioning learners to calculus: Findings from a national survey of mathematics chairs in two-year colleges by Hispanic-serving institutional designation. MathAMATYC Educator, 10(2), 5-13
Talking about why: Linking research and theory to efforts to build racial equity in the STEM math pathway
Mathematics programs in two-year colleges face pressure to increase the success of diverse learners in the STEM math pathway given the nation’s need for STEM talent coupled with its changing population demographics. This article presents findings from a national survey of mathematics department chairs in associate degree-granting colleges disaggregated by Hispanic-Serving Institutional (HSI) status. The analysis examines institutional practices around math placement, course offerings in the STEM math pathway, student support, and institutional support for faculty around access to local data and professional development on topics related to diversity. Overall, the finding suggest that there are more progressive practices taking place at HSIs than what was reported at other institutions including using multiple measures for placement, having test-out policies, and offering compressed courses or differentiated pathways through Developmental Mathematics. Furthermore, the data suggests HSIs more often than non-HSIs disaggregate data by student demographics, offer training to their personnel to better engage diverse populations, and provide student support in addition to traditional tutoring. The paper concludes with implications for practice and research on program improvement informed by disaggregated student outcomes data and sustained professional development that provides the theoretical foundations and practices of engagement needed with diverse student populations.
Suggested citation:
Burn, H. (2022, June 1 – 3). Talking about why: Linking research and theory to efforts to build racial equity in STEM. 2022 AAAS IUSE Summit, Washington, DC.