Planning: Investigating a Non-Algebraic Mathematics Pathway for Dual Enrollment Students at a Two-Year College

This project aims to serve the national interest by developing a non-algebraic mathematics gateway course designed for dual enrollment students at a two-year college. Responding to a growing consensus among mathematics faculty and education researchers, this initiative reimagines traditional gateway math courses, which have often served as a barrier to degree completion, particularly the standard college level algebra requirement. By focusing on problem solving, modeling, statistics and real-world applications, the course aims to increase the number of students earning college level math credit and reduce the time it takes to complete a degree. As part of the broader movement to reform math pathways, the project contributes to ongoing national efforts by identifying best practices and generating evidence through the development, implementation, and assessment of this alternative dual enrollment course. The goals of this project are to 1) establish a team of secondary and post-secondary math educators to support a pilot program, 2) develop a plan for piloting and assessing a non-algebraic dual credit math pathway, and 3) create course materials for this new pathway. The project seeks to achieve these goals through partnerships with local schools and by launching the pilot phase of a broader effort to transform early post-secondary math education. The planning phase lays the groundwork for developing, testing, and refining a model that has the potential to inform math pathways across the two-year college community. An external evaluator collaborates with the project team to assess the strength of partnerships and monitor the curriculum development process. Dissemination efforts include sharing results through presentations at math education conferences focused on the two-year college audience. Building on the momentum of this phase, a full proposal to expand this work will be submitted. The NSF IUSE: Innovation in Two-Year College STEM Education (ITYC) Program seeks to accelerate the impact of and advance knowledge about emerging and evidence-based practices in undergraduate STEM education at two-year colleges. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.