Successfully Implementing an Emporium-Structured Course

Mr. Solomon L. WillisCleveland Community College

Shelby, NC

Current Curriculum in North Carolina (ends with Summer 2013 term)MAT 060 – Basic College MathematicsMAT 070 – Introductory AlgebraMAT 080 – Intermediate Algebra

In the past, it was taking students 1.5 years to complete this curriculum and then another semester for MAT 161 – College Algebra.

TransitionsDean approached me about the need for

changeOffer 8 week classes instead of 16 week

classes in a self-paced format.My task was to find a software solution.

First attempt did not work.Cengage sales rep encouraged me to try EWA

(Enhanced WebAssign).

New North Carolina Curriculum(effective Fall 2013 semester)DMA 010 – Operations with IntegersDMA 020 – Fractions and DecimalsDMA 030 – Proportions / Ratios / Rates /

PercentsDMA 040 – Expressions, Linear Equations,

Linear InequalitiesDMA 050 – Graphs and Equations of LinesDMA 060 – Polynomials & Quadratic

ApplicationsDMA 070 – Rational Expressions and

EquationsDMA 080 – Radical Expressions and

Equations

Changes4 week module classes instead of 8 week or

16 week classes.Students take a diagnostic test and may place

out of 1 or more modules.

Set-Up50 seat computer lab on campus dedicated to

developmental math.All classes are offered at the same time.

Current configuration is 20 students in MAT 060, 20 in MAT 070, and 10 in MAT 080.

2 instructors in the lab at all times.Classes meet two days per week for 2.5 hours

each. Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday.

The lab is open 8am – 8:15pm, Monday – Thursday.

Set-UpWe use the conditional release feature in

Enhanced WebAssign to make it work!Students most score 80% on one assignment

before moving to the next assignment. (Mastery Based Learning)

Each class has about 4 units. Each unit has 1 pre-test, 5 to 7 homework assignments, and a post-test. There is a final exam given over the entire class.

Set-UpPre-Test allows 1 attempt, homework

assignments allow 5 attempts, post-test allows 3 attempts, the final exam allows 1 attempt.

Overall average must be a 77% or higher to earn a C for passing. 85 is a B, 93 is an A.

Homework Assignments count 40% of the overall average, Post-Tests count 40%, and the Final Exam counts 20%.

New configuration will require students to have an overall average of 80% or better for passing.

AttendanceAttendance is taken daily as it would be in

other class.Students are only allowed to miss 3 class

meetings.Once they are finished they do not have to

keep coming back unless they want to go ahead and start on the next class.