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WELCOME TO THE ADULT LEARNING ACADEMY: MATH EDITION! Debbie Char Assistant Professor of Mathematics Developmental Math Coordinator St. Louis Community College [email protected]
WELCOME TO THE ADULT LEARNING ACADEMY:
MATH EDITION!
Debbie Char Assistant Professor of MathematicsDevelopmental Math CoordinatorSt. Louis Community [email protected]
THINK HEALTHCARE WORKERS DON’T NEED
MATH?
Think again!
The patient’s headache began at 1330. It’s now 0200.
How long has he had the headache?
The newborn weighs 3.7 kilograms.
Should we worry?
The surgery costs $7500. Insurance pays 80% after a $500 copay.
How much will the patient owe?
5mg of medication must be given for every kilogram a patient weighs.
Is 250 mg a reasonable dose for a
120-lb woman?
The patient’s temperature
is 37 degrees. Should we call the
doctor?
A patient exercises for ¾ of an hour every day
for a week.
Has she exercised for 4 hours as she promised
her doctor?
The mean age for onset of a disease is 15.
Can a 5-year-old get the disease?
As many as 3,000 to
6,800 deaths are
caused annually by medication
math errors.
HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS NEED TO KNOW MATH!
But not everyone is
ready
for the math required in Healthcaretraining courses
So we created the
ADULT LEARNING ACADEMY
(ALA)
ALA:Integrated Reading and Writing (IRW)MATH 020
COMPASS TEST PLACES STUDENTS INTO ONE OR BOTH SUBJECTS
HOW WE DO MATH in the ALA...
We run year-round...
A new cohort begins every 2
weeks. Our 16 cohorts so far total
168 students.
SELF-PACEDStudents have taken from 1 to 22 weeks
to complete ALA Pre-Algebra (Math 020), Average completion time: 5 – 6 weeks.
CONTEXTUALIZEDAll word problems are related to
healthcare.
MODULARIZED, COMPETENCY-BASED
Eight modules: a student must score at least
75% on the test for one module
before continuing to the next.
INTENSIVEStudents are expected to
spend at least 20 hours per week in the
ALA (including Reading,
Writing, and Math)
OPEN-SOURCE VIDEOS
Khan Academy math videos and practice exercises are available free of charge,
anywhere a student has internet access.
HANDS-ON, SMALL-GROUP WORKSHOPS
Workshops provide an overview of each unit, offering hands-on activities and emphasizing
important points in the unit.
PERSONAL ATTENTIONAt least one Instructor or Educational Assistant
is available five days a week to answer questions.
MOHEALTHWINS ADULT LEARNING
ACADEMY PRE-ALGEBRAFLOWCHART
Between February 11 and August 23, 2013, 135 students started Math ALA. Here are their results:
The First Thirteen Cohorts
61% completed all 8 units
Mean time to completion: 5.6 weeks
Mean improvement in Compass score: 21.5 points
We have expanded the ALA to
include an Elementary Algebra
course in the same format!
We are so excited!
