SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF “THE MATH YOU NEED, WHEN YOU NEED IT” IN TRADITIONAL AND ONLINE INTRODUCTORY PHYSICAL GEOLOGY COURSES AT A LARGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Quantitative skills are required for all introductory geology courses at Wake Technical Community College (Wake Tech). However, most of our students are not prepared for, and even have a fear of, the math required in these courses, even with a math pre-requisite of college algebra. Wake Tech has an enrollment of more than 65,000 students, a highly diverse student body, and the geology courses are part of the College Transfer Program. The geology courses transfer as general education science courses for students pursuing an Associate in Arts degree, although we have a few students who plan to major in geology. Typical quantitative skills required for our introductory Physical Geology course include calculating rates, isotopic ages, discharge, gradient, recurrence interval and exceedance probability, graphing on linear and logarithmic paper, drawing contour lines and profiles, and converting units. The Math You Need, When You Need It (TMYN) is a series of web modules to help students succeed with mathematics in geoscience classes. Prior to using quantitative skills in lecture or lab, students complete relevant TMYN modules to learn these skills on their own. The modules contain step-by-step instructions and practice problems related to geoscience.

During the 2011-2012 academic year, I integrated 5 to 6 TMYN modules throughout each semester into my Physical Geology courses. Module topics included rates, unit conversions, density, graphing, and slopes. The modules were utilized in both seated and online sections of the course. The modules were structured into 4 to 5 homework assignments, scheduled with due dates the same day as the lab in which the students would be required to use the quantitative skills learned from the associated modules. Pre- to Post-Test scores from each semester of implementation indicate that a majority of students increased their quantitative literacy over the course of the semester, with increases observed in both low and high performing students. Results and strategies for effectively implementing TMYN in introductory Physical Geology courses will be presented.