Professor, student debate math

Math professor enters the debate

Dear Editor:

After reading the article in the Campus Echo entitled "Missing the math mark," I felt compelled to respond. I am Dr. Richard Townsend, the coordinator for College Algebra and Trigonometry I and for Elementary Statistics in the Mathematics and Computer Science department here at NCCU.

The basis for my response does not stem from a sense of defensiveness, but more from a desire to move forward. It is obvious that we have a problem that needs fixing and I believe that we have taken the first steps toward solving the problem, which are awareness, and conversation.

Let me begin by stating that this problem is not unique to NCCU. During the fall of 2003, 40-45 percent of the 400-500 students who took pre-calculus at San Jose State University, a large metropolitan university in California, earned Ds or Fs. Also, according to a 2008 report by the CUNY Council of Math Chairs, 90 percent of 200 University of New York students tested couldn't solve a simple algebra problem in their first class at a four-year college.

I believe that our university community will be best served if we get past the "blame game" and begin to work together to meet the challenge ahead of us.

A range of factors including student perceptions of attitudes toward mathematics and science, and academic backgrounds are well established as predictors of student achievement in mathematics and science education. Students' outside workload and characteristics of the way a specific class is taught may also play a role at some institutions.

Learning is a mutual process. Both the instructor and the students have a responsibility in the learning process. As instructors we should be committed to providing the best instructions possible for our students and we should be continually seeking ways to motivate our students to want to learn mathematics. We can do this by seeking ways to improve our methodology and delivery; and by seeking ways to help bridge any disconnect that may exist between the student and the instructor.

Students should make every effort to do all the homework, study hard, and attend all classes. They should also ask questions, go to office hours and tutoring, pay attention, participate in class, take good notes, keep up, practice, review constantly, read the book, and make every effort to understand concepts and not just memorize.

Administrators should provide greater opportunities for faculty development of mathematics for instructors and provide support for research in the area of teaching and learning on the college level.

They should also provide more diverse training campus wide. Culturally based differences in methods and styles of teaching may affect communication in the classroom.

And finally, let's talk a minute about MathXL. MathXL does not take the place of the instructor, nor does it replace paper and pencil. It is no different than using a textbook.

Students do not work out the problems on the computer. They couldn't if they wanted to. They work out the problems using paper and pencil and then simply enter their solutions into MathXL. MathXL took top honors in the 2009 Awards of Excellence from Tech & Learning magazine.

This awards program, now in its 27th year, recognizes both the "best of the best" and creative new offerings that help educators in the business of teaching, training, and managing with technology.

This year's panel of more than 30 educators from around the country screened the products and picked the Awards of Excellence winners. Evaluation criteria include quality and effectiveness, ease of use, creative use of technology and suitability for use in an educational environment. It is my sincere hope that we can continue to have honest and sincere dialogue as we seek a solution to the challenge of improving student performance in our entry level mathematics courses.

Student enters the debate

Dear Editor:

As a proactive student who takes responsibility for my learning, I am very disappointed in the tenor of the math department's response to student failure rates.

I was, until recently, one of many liberal arts majors advised to register for the Statistics class. It is billed as an introductory overview of statistics. However, within three weeks I found the class anything but introductory.

My inability to keep up in the course was not due to lack of preparation, as Dr. Kwesi Aggrey asserts. In fact, I came to the class having successfully completed a math GRE prep course the prior summer.

The course was heavy on quantitative analysis. I also had all As and Bs in prior algebra and trigonometry courses. I also have no problems with being an "aggressive learner," as one student put in the article.

However, I do need to ask questions to learn. The way my statistics course was designed did not allow for questions or feedback from the professor. When I asked for assistance with homework problems I was told that the professor did not "do that."

I asked about tutoring and was told that while there are math tutors they are not familiar with statistics. I discussed my concerns with my professor, the math department chair, my department advisor and a counselor.

The consensus was for me to just do the homework and try to pass. Yet, Dr. Alade Tokuta said that students are "not taking advantage of resources." If such resources exist and I did not find them through the professor, department secretary or an advisor just how would a student take advantage of them?

The classes are too large for orderly review of homework or questions and answers — important in a class that does not require any pre-existing subject knowledge.

The department also appears ill-equipped to support students that are fulfilling their end of the learning agreement by seeking out help. An overdependence on Math XL as a teaching tool instead of a practice tool is also a problem. Math XL is not designed to communicate new information but to reinforce what has been learned in class.