The Center will provide tutoring for mathematics and statistics classes offered by the Math/Stat department
Objective
The Department Will Maintain A Tutoring Lab For Mathematics And Statistics.
Students receiving tutoring will report increased competence in their mathematics or statistics courses at SHSU.
Indicator
Lab Utilization
A computerized log book will be kept in the tutoring lab as a record of students attending the tutoring center.
Criterion
Utilization Target
At least 10 students per day will visit the tutoring center during the academic year.
Finding
Tutor Center Usage
In the fall, the tutoring center averaged 212 students per week, or 42.5 per day. In the spring, the numbers were 151 and 30.2
Indicator
Center Assessment
There will be a two-pronged assessment
Students visiting the center will fill out an assessment form when their tutoring session is finished.
Tutors will also fill out a separate assessment form when the tutoring session is completed.
Criterion
Tutor Session Criterion
Tutor session evaluations will average at least a 4 (on a 5-point scale) for all students tutored.
Finding
Assessment Not Used
The tutoring center attempted to implement the assessment instrument at the beginning of the fall semester, but stopped after it became clear it was not working. The response rate was low and there was a serious time constraint. People simply did not have the time to fill out the forms.
Criterion
Student Session Criterion
At least 75% of students who have been tutored will be able successfully demonstrate competence in the area or problem in which they received tutoring.
Finding
Survey Results
Since the survey was discontinued, this was obviously not met.
Action
Continuing Issues With The Tutoring Center.
We realize there needs to be some sort of content assessment associated with the tutoring center. Any such assessment must take into account the reality of tutoring: students show up, often without appointments and are served on an ad-hoc basis. They may be stopping by between classes, or just before class and need to leave quickly. Tutors, on the other hand, may be working with three or four students at once. We have not come upon a more efficient assessment model yet. However, we will be working with tutors as well as other entities across campus to develop a suitable assessment instrument.
Space continues to be an issue. In last year's OATdB, we mentioned we would work with administration to create a workable solution, but nothing was done on this.
Finally, we still lack sufficient tutors, despite increased advertising. At best, we had 10-12 tutors last year, not counting the three or four graduate students that helped with statistics. Naturally, not all of these tutors are working at the same time, so sometimes it was difficult to work with all the students who came in.
Goal
The Center Will Provide Effective Communication With Internal And External Constituencies.
The Center will insure that appropriate communication channels are maintained with students, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, the SAM Center and administrative units at Sam Houston State University.
Objective
Reports On Center
The Department chair will provide reports on the Center at appropriate times during department meetings and College chair's meetings.
KPI
Reporting Dates
Reports to the department and College chairs given during the fall semester.
Result
Communication Related To Math Center
No formal information was given in chair's meetings, although during one meeting in the fall, information was given about tutoring schedules. At the department level, information was shared during our last department meeting on April 30th, when the tutoring center director gave an update on state-wide issues related to developmental mathematics classes.
Action
Continuing Communication
Communication between the department chair and the director of the tutoring center continues to be excellent. There were no new issues this year, so little specific information was provided to either the department or the college.
We recently met with the Associate Provost on some initiatives for next year, including getting more tutors and finding space. Some money has been budgeted for both, so we are hopeful.
Goal
Improving Quality Of Developmental Instruction.
Developmental instructors will be provided with avenues of professional development so as to improve the quality of their instruction.
Objective
Orientation Meetings
The Mathematics and Statistics Center will hold orientation meetings for instructors and teaching assistants.
KPI
Scheduled Orientation Meetings
The Center will schedule orientation meetings prior to the start of the fall and spring semesters.
Result
Meeting Dates
Orientation for tutors and graduate assistants was held during the week of August 22 and a follow up session for the spring was held the week of January 9th.
Action
Orientation Meeting Assessment
In last year's report, we indicated that we would initiate post-orientation assessment. Frankly, we simply forgot to do this. Considering we have started to face some issues with tutors and graduate students not following through on some of the information given during orientation, this is a serious omission on our part.
We will devise a plan for post-orientation assessment next year.