November 2001
Computers help teach algebra
For most of us, solving for values of "x"
and "y" in algebra class is rarely on the Top 10 List
of fond college memories.
It was far too easy to zone out during lectures, staring in absentia
as professors or teaching assistants wrote long, rambling equations
on a chalkboard.
But times are changing, and algebra has gone hi-tech at FSU.
FSU Director of Basic Mathematics Wil Stiles and Annette Blackwelder,
a mathematics instructor, say they've found a way not only to
engage the students, but to make problem solving productive as
well.
We "get the students involved in doing the mathematics," Stiles said. "That's the big change."
Two years ago, he and Blackwelder launched a pilot program, moving students from lecture hall to computer labs, and asking them to run through a series of standardized problems.
The tutorial labs are held once a week, and students solve
problems using computerized practice tests. They can also get
the problems, and solve them, through the internet.
Answers are available quickly.
The system is fully automated, Stiles said, and more accurate than its human counterparts.
Both Stiles and Blackwelder say the computer-assisted instruction has cut the D and F rate in half.
Stiles says students are retaining more of what they learn, and he dismissed any suggestion that students may simply be more successful at taking the tests.
"I think they're learning algebra better," he said.
Rob Newton, a student in the computer-aided class, said it was a little of both.
"This class is the foundation for other math classes,"
he said.
"Taking tests is not fun to begin with, but if I can go
to my residence hall, sit in my room, and take practice tests
- with the exact same material as the tests - at my own pace,
and see what I'm doing wrong, (then I) can focus better on that
one area. In essence, the online practice tests point out your
weak spots, which allows you to study better."
Blackwelder agreed that students' grades had improved dramatically.
"In fall 1999, our pilot project sections had half the percentage of Ds and Fs as the other sections" of the algebra course, she said.
"Over the next year and a half, we continued to have a considerably lower percentage of Ds and Fs in the pilot section compared to the regular section."
About 1,200 students have passed through the program so far, Stiles said. All of them are undergraduates primarily taking algebra before moving on to more advanced mathematics courses.
This fall, about 2500 students are taking the computer-assisted instruction.
Stiles said the Leon County school system is considering adding the program to its high schools' curricula.
"I believe it will spread," he said.
-Michelle Hayes
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