This post was contributed by Carrie Kyser and Kelly Mercer, math instructors at Clackamas Community College.
Carrie and Kelly’s OER grant project will create open materials for Math 098. Community colleges throughout Oregon have been planning and implementing MTH 098 since 2014 based on recommendations from the developmental education redesign workgroup. The course was created to provide a shortened, more appropriate path for students to take MTH 105 and earn an Associate of Arts Transfer degree. Some institutions, such as Clackamas Community College, include the added benefit of allowing for MTH 105 to serve as a prerequisite to MTH 243, extending the pathway for students.
Math 098 Pathway at Clackamas Community College
On April 22, Carrie and Kelly presented their project at the 2016 ORegon Mathematical Association of Two Year Colleges (ORMATYC) Conference. Their presentation slides and handout invite colleagues to visit their public MTH 098 course on MyOpenMath; sign up for regular updates; or sign up to become a paid peer reviewer.
Their goal is to create materials that:
- Are learner-centered
- Readily integrate group work and collaboration
- Create opportunities for students to make critical thinking a habit of mind
- Acknowledge and respect common anxieties, personalities, and professional goals of students in the “alternate pathway”.
A great deal of effort has been put into state-wide communication around MTH 098, gaining approval from partnering 4-year institutions on the “alternate pathway” endeavor. While differences still remain between institutions, there are a number of common features and shared values embedded in the course across the state. It is Carrie’s and Kelly’s goal to extend the utility of the materials developed for CCC through this grant because they can be reused, in part or whole, at any other college.
Carrie is awesome