Looking ahead

I went to my first meeting yesterday. The discussion addressed something that I was not really aware of as an "outsider" to the department. One of the major problems of the camus is that students are not exiting with as high a level of basic mathematical competency as they would like. I didn't say much during the meeting, but there were a few things which seemed very reasonable approaches to the problem

• No gaps between math classes: Many students (for whatever reason) choose to take several semesters off between their math classes. Intuitively, this seems entirely counter-productive because math, like any other skill/knowledge, gets lost with lack of use. It seems unclear whether it is possible to mandate students to take the courses in consecutive semesters, but it is something to be pushed strongly.
  


• Tracking student data: Apparently, the Nevada System of Higher Education is using a very very old program to track their students (an upgrade is in the process, but it's a number of years off before completion). This means that while there is lots of anecdotal information to support various positions, it is hard to produce the hard evidence required to back it up. Apparently, some of the faculty figured out how to access the information and get the data they want out of it, so there's an effort to get this information and process it so see if the data supports the claims.
  


• Online class limitations: Apparently, there is an effort to make a lot of classes available online. There's even an effort to have entirely online degrees. I have some misgivings about online degrees (quality control, making sure that the name on the application actually corresponds to the person doing the work), but I can see the value of it (in principle). However, the degrees that some people are trying to push include things like physics, biology, and chemistry, which is absolutely absurd. These lab component of the physical sciences is such a large part of the degree that I cannot imagine that the degree would be given much credibility if it were earned entirely online!
  

I guess if I had thought about it for a while that I could have surmised that there would be conversations of this sort in a growing campus. But actually sitting in on such a meeting and hearing the discussion really drives home the feeling of urgency to "get it right" and to provide a quality product for the students, and to put students in the best possible position to succeed. (Of course, success rests on their shoulders, not ours -- if they don't put in the work, they shouldn't earn the degree.)