UMCP Developmental Math Program
What is the Developmental Math Program? Each student
graduating from UMCP, unless exempted, must have passed the
Fundamental Studies Mathematics requirement. In order to
determine the student's mathematical preparation for taking one of
the courses satisfying this requirement,
or a math course satisfying a major requirement,
all entering students must take the Mathematics Placement
Test (except for students entering with college level
calculus credits, either through AP or another college). Using
the results of this test the student is placed into one of the
Mathematics Department's courses. Students who do not place into
the desired
credit bearing courses (Math 110, 113, 111, 115 or higher)
must take the developmental math course Math 003 or a combined
developmental-fundamental course as described below.
What is Math 003?
Math 003 covers high school algebra I and II.
A student receives no academic
credit for Math 003 but will
receive three "institutional" credits that count toward full time status at
the university and for use in qualifying for scholarships and
loans. A student
must pay a special fee to take Math 003.
How are students placed?
Placement is based on a student's score on
the Mathematics
Placement Test. The "upper half" of the students who place into the
Developmental Math Program will be invited to take a one semester
course which will combine the appropriate Developmental Algebra course
with a credit bearing course that will satisfy the Fundamental
Studies Math requirement. The "lower half" of these students will be
enrolled into Math 003 which will be taught
using a self-paced computer program. (The actual determination of
what is meant by "upper half" and "lower half" depends on the level
of sophistication of the course for which the student is preparing.)
How do the combined courses work?
The courses Math 010, 013 and 015 are combined
developmental/fundamental
courses for Math 110, Math 113, and Math 115 (respectively).
The purpose of the combined
courses is to give a student the opportunity to get
through both the developmental prerequisite and the
credit-bearing course itself
in a single semester.
For example, suppose a student
arrives at UMCP and wants to take Math 110 but qualifies only for the
combined version of Math 110, and elects to take this course. The
course will meet for 5 hours a week. The initial 5 weeks will be spent
reviewing and teaching the algebra skills necessary to succeed in Math
110. The student will officially be enrolled in Math 010 during this
time. At the end of the five week period, the student will retake the
Placement Test. If this time around the student qualifies for Math 110
(as the great majority should) then she/he will continue in the
class and the regular curriculum in Math 110 will be covered
over the remainder of the semester. The
student's registration will automatically change from Math 010 to Math
110.
On the other hand, if after retaking the Placement Test the
student still does not qualify for Math 110, then that student must go
to the computer based developmental math course Math 003 for further work on
the basic algebra skills. The student who qualifies into Math 110
after five weeks and is successful in completing Math 110 will receive
3 credits and a grade just as if she/he had started the semester in
Math 110. And the student will have finished in
one semester instead of the two required to take Math 003 followed by
Math 110. The special developmental math fee charged to
students taking Math 003 will also be charged to students taking
one of the combined courses.
How are prerequisites met in Math 003?
Each student enrolled in this course will work individually,
using a self-paced computer course. Students will be in sections
that meet 6 hours per week in dedicated computer labs. Each
section will be under the close supervision of an instructor who will
place the students at the appropriate level in the program, help the
students with questions on their work, present tutorials and
mini-lectures on difficult points, administer homework, quizzes and
exams, and certify the students' success or failure during and at the
end of the course. There will always be someone in the room to assist
the students. All students, regardless of their level of algebra
skills, will be in the same section of Math 003. They will be working
in different parts of the computer program depending on their skills
and goals. There will be five distinct modules, subsets of the
program, that the students will be working on. Completing one of these
will be necessary for passing Math 003. The modules will be
preparation for taking Math 110, 111, 113, or 115 and the additional
module will be for the students who need pre-algebra preparation (LAS
module). Progression from Math 003 to credit bearing courses will be
as follows:
| Complete
successfully | | May enroll in the following
semester |
| LAS Module | |
Math 003, 010 Module |
| 110 Module | |
Math 110 |
| 111 Module | |
Math 110, 113, 111, Stat 100 |
| 113 Module | |
Math 110, 113 |
| 115 Module | |
Math 110, 113,111, Stat 100, 115 |
There has been extensive
experimentation with the computer program we use, and it has been
successful in preparing students who conscientiously stick with
it.
In addition to the students being able to
place into other courses as indicated above by passing one of the
modules, the students will also be given the Math Placement
Test again at the end of the term. The students' score on that
test at that time will be allowed to override the placement determined
by the modules.
The course Math 003 was developed to replace
two previous courses, Math 001 and 002 (corresponding to high
school algebra I and II).
Because students may begin Math 003 at different mathematical levels,
a student is allowed to pass Math 003 twice for
institutional credit.
What changed in the developmental math program?
Before Fall 2001, there were two courses (Math 001 and 002) instead
of Math 003, and these courses were taught in a standard classroom
environment. Math 003 uses the self-paced computer program to
meet needs more individually, promote student involvement, and
allow accelerated progress through developmental mathematics.
Also before Fall 2001, there was no combined course alternative;
for example, a student needing Math 113 for calculus but not placing
into Math 113 would be forced to spend a semester on developmental
math before spending a semester on Math 113.
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