CAMPUS/AREA
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, June 14, 1995
3A
Jayhawks flock to juco for math class
Students voice dissatisfaction with KU course
By Sarah Wlese Special to the Kansan
When Suzanne Stebor, Quincy, Ill., sophomore, started her collegiate career at the University of Kansas, she never guessed that she'd have a fellow undergraduate teaching her Math 002 class.
She said math had never been her strong suit, but she figured that with a decent teacher, she'd be OK.
She wasn't one of the lucky ones.
She said her teacher didn't seem to
Malloy, who struggled to maintain a C, said that he did not get what he needed out of the class.
KU
know how to teach and seemed unfamiliar with the material, often making mistakes in the example problems. Even with frequent trips to the math lab, her grade inevitably suffered.
He said that he went to class for the sole purpose of turning in homework because, at that point, he was teaching himself.
JCCC
bachelor's degree;
master's preferred;
yes
it least 2 years
10
As far as the math department is concerned, students teaching themselves is not too much to ask, said Andrew Hughes, Lawrence senior and Math 002 group leader.
completion of MATH 122
or 116; no degree necessary
no
0-3 years
yes
"These so-called teachers are sophomores and juniors." Stebor said.
"Math 002 and 101 are math classes students should be familiar with from high school," said Hughes. "When it comes down to the nity grity, they should be able to teach themselves."
37
37
30 to 1 maximum individual instructors lead course instructor
There are standards for the 39 undergraduate group leaders. They must have completed Math 116 or Math 122, which are Calculus II courses. Leaders also must have a
"I'm paying out-of-state tuition, and I get this?"
took tests at their own pace; a tutoring room was their only source of guidance.
Despite the improvements, students like Cyndi Ormsby, Kansas City, Kan., freshman, still have their share of problems.
Allowing undergraduate group leaders to teach Math 002, Intermediate Mathematics, and Math 101, Algebra, has annoyed and even outraged KU students. And it's not just the bad math students who are complaining
strong command of English. However, requirements don't include a degree, teaching ability or experience. They are paid $4.50 an hour to teach and help in the tutoring room.
16 to 1 maximum department department
"When it comes down to the nitty gritty, they should be able to teach themselves."
INSTRUCTORS:
Required education
math!
Math major required?
Years of experience
Use of undergraduates
**COURSE SPECIFICATIONS:**
Sections offered last semester:
- -MATH 002 (KU), MATH 116 (JCCC) 18
- -MATH 101 (KU), MATH 171 (JCCC) 45
John Malloy, St. Louis freshman,
said that in high school he took precalculus and calculus and earned strong B's in both classes. Although
he was qualified for a more advanced course, Malloy said he enrolled in Math 101 last semester to help ensure a good first-year grade point average.
Andrew Hughes
Laurence senior, KU math group leader
courses to accommodate students at all experience levels, said Marilyn Carlson, director of the Kansas Algebra Program, which consists of Math 002 and 101.
Ormsby took three years of high school math but had no idea how big the jump between high school and college math would be. Although she attended Math 002 regularly, did all the homework, utilized the tutoring room and went to study sessions before the tests, she still ended up with a low C.
The program is supposed to provide a carefully structured class with a teacher. The program's class sizes are limited to 16 so that students can ask the group leader questions in an informal setting.
yes no
This strategy isn't perfect, but it is an improvement. Before the implementation of the program, remedial math was a self-paced study. Students would enroll in Math 002 and 101 and not attend an actual class. Instead, they did homework and
"He expects us to know so much," she said of her group leader. "He's a nice guy, but he's not a teacher."
Student-teacher ratio
Who creates tests, quizzes?
Who creates final exams?
yes
yes
There is an inexpensive alternative to KU's program, and it's about 45 minutes away: Johnson County Community College.
The differences between the KU program and JCCC's math program are hard to miss. At JCCC, all the math teachers have at least a bachelor's degree in mathematics and two years of teaching experience, said Joe DiCostanzo, director of mathematics at JCCC.
RESOURCES:
Math lab/tutoring
Open Saturday
JCCC's comparable courses are Math 116 Intermediate Algebra and Math 171 College Algebra. The courses cover basically the same material. And credit for both JCCC classes is easily transferred to KU.
Carlson said that having students take lower-level math classes at a community college was not seen as a threat. It was a triumph. KU math professors then could spend more time teaching upper-level courses.
JCCC employs many highly educated, experienced teachers and charge $112 for a three-hour math course. KU charges $273 for essentially the same course.
The disparity stems from the differing missions of the two institutions. As a community college, JCCC provides more personal attention than KU, DiCostanzo said.
"We're clearly focused on freshman/sophomore level courses," he said.
As a community college in one of the nation's most affluent counties, JCCC operates with local tax dollars and doesn't compete with other institutions for state funding.
KU, on the other hand, is a research university. That means that many professors are hired to do research. Many KU professors teach just one or two classes. Much of the teaching responsibility falls to graduate teaching assistants and some undergraduate group leaders, DiCostanzo said.
And KU doesn't get its money from Douglas County. The Kansas Legislature determines KU's budget each year.
Even with the statistics in JCCC's favor, the real litmus test is students' reactions to JCCC courses.
Amy Miller, a KU junior who spent last semester at JCCC, said the learning environment is different from KU's.
"The teachers at JCCC are more willing to help you and work with you," Miller said.
Noah Musser/KANSAN
With that kind of attention, many university students end up at JCCC to fulfill their math requirements, DiCostanzo said.
then gave me the assignments."
"One day I missed two of my morning classes because I was sick. That afternoon, both teachers called me and asked if I was OK and
"in our summer program, the overwhelming majority of College Algebra students are from KU, Kansas State and UMKC," DiCostanzo said. "Most of them are juniors and seniors who put off taking it or dropped it at their university."
DiCostanzo added that the department also had a significant number of KU students during the fall and spring semesters.
Back at KU, though Malloy never considered himself math-anxious, he said the community college route would have been a better choice.
"I came up here completely uninformed about how the math program was set up," Malloy said. "I just assumed they had professors teaching the classes. I never imagined I'd be paying for an undergrad as a teacher."
Community college offers alternative
By Kimberly Crabtree Kansan Staff Writer
Nightmare? Perhaps.
Summertime means vacation, sun,
and algebra.
But not for University of Kansas students who are studying away their summertime freedom by taking math classes at Johnson County Community College.
It is no secret the KU math department is not exactly user-friendly in the eyes of students. As a result, many students find taking the math equivalents at this nearby community college the easiest option for satisfying math requirements.
"The people at Johnson County who are teaching know how to teach and most have been doing so for awhile, instead of a 20-year-old who may know the subject really well, but either does not know how to teach or is just not interested," said Rachel Brown, Lawrence junior, who is enrolled in College Algebra at Johnson County Community College.
Before heading for a community college, most students attempt a math class at KU. For some, the long study hours mixed with frustration is just not worth it.
Pam Dishman, Homewood, IL., junior is one such student.
"I went to the tutor room a couple of times for help, but that did little good because they are understaffed," she said. "Finally, I just took an equivalent to Math 105 and transferred it."
Jennifer Duffield, Olathe junior, agreed.
"When I was enrolled in it, the class was self-paced and the tutors were so busy that it was difficult to get much help," said Duffield, who is also currently taking College Algebra at Johnson County Community College. "Johnson County offers smaller classes and more help."
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