Student+Refresher+Courses

Please use this page to provide brief descriptions of any work your college is doing around providing some sort of refresher experience for new students that would allow them to brush up on math skills prior to taking the math placement tests. How long? What mode (lab, online, face-to-face, etc.)? Any other details you think would be helpful, plus if possible a contact name for follow-up questions...Thanks! -Bill

Fast Track - Montgomery College
[David Lippman] I saw a presentation at AMATYC about a refresher course like this. Here's a link to the PPT from the sessions; probably includes contact info. I believe their courses were 10-20 hours in 1-2 weeks, face-to-face. []

Big Bend Community College
[Tyler Wallace, BBCC] At Big Bend we have two options. We have a 0 credit refresher course offered each quarter aimed at ABE/Prealgebra students. We meet once a week for two hours or the students can take it online as well with Elluminate. In this course we cover Decimals, Fractions, Negatives, Order of Operations, Proportions, Simplify algebraic equations, and Solving linear equations. A link for the course information is here: http://bbccwallace.wikispaces.com/Refresher. We also have a course taught each summer for students at the Beginning/Intermediate algebra level designed to place them one course higher than their first placement. We break the students up in groups to refresh topics based on what they missed on the first round of the practice final.

PreFall Refresher Courses - Cascadia Community College
[Megan Luce, Cascadia] We ran our first set of refresher courses during our Prefall session in 2009. We had one section of MATH 084: Elements of Algebra Refresher and one section of MATH 094: Intermediate Algebra Refresher; each was a two credit class that met for 8 days X 2.5 hours = 20 hours total. They were pass/fail classes, and had daily WAMAP homework for students to continue practicing the concepts reviewed in class. In order for students to place into a higher math level after taking the class, they were required to retake the COMPASS test. (Just passing the class had no impact on their placement.) We are still collecting data on how students did in subsequent math courses and whether it was beneficial in moving them into college level math. Student evaluations at the end of the course suggested they were very pleased with the course since it allowed them to either place higher, or just brush up on skills so that they could do better in the course they had originally place into. Feel free to contact me at mluce@cascadia.edu for more details.

Math 90: Mathematical Modules - North Seattle Community College
[Deanna Li, North Seattle CC] We have an on-demand online refresher/review course called Math 090 - Mathematical Modules. It is advertised as 2 credits but students can enroll upto 5 credits if they tell me. The class is fully online. It is also set up to do continuous enrollment so students can register mid-quarter as the need arises. Topics are grouped into modules ranging from Basic Math to Algebra to Precalculus. For 2 credits, students work on 3 modules of Basic Math or Algebra or 2 modules of Precalculus. I worked with Pearson Publishing to tweak MyMathTest into what I needed. We have been doing this for 3 years now. Students take the course for various reasons: some as a reviewer for the compass test and GRE, some as a reviewer for nursing or chemistry, others as a refresher course. For more information, please go to: [].

Math 78: Algebra Review - Everett Community College
//Students on average will place 1-2 courses higher than previous placement. We also encourage students to take Math 78 as a supplemental math course that will allow them to fill in possible holes in their understanding while taking a "normal" math course.//
 * **Mode:** Diagnostics and Homework - ALEKS Software, class meets twice a week in a computer lab.
 * **Credits:** 2
 * **Offered:** Each quarter students may sign up anytime in the first four weeks. A "math boot camp" is offered at the end of Summer Quarter. This is a two-week version of Math 78, which meets daily.
 * Contacts:** Andrea Cahan, acahan@everettcc.edu or Michael Nevins, mnevins@everettcc.edu