Technology Use and Pretests in College Math Courses
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Mathematics
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Mary Pat Sjostrom
Abstract
In mathematics education, identifying the optimal method for assessing student knowledge is an ongoing challenge for instructors and it can be the determining factor for student understanding. College mathematics professors often do not administer pretests at the beginning of the course to assess the prior knowledge of students. Though it is not required for professors to know the level of knowledge their students have, it could be helpful for students to know their own performance before learning new material or taking a graded exam. Students would know what skills they are not proficient in and revise their studying to address those gaps in understanding. For future math educators, knowing how to assess students in math is important since every student learns differently and educators want to ensure students understand content material with minimal rote memorization and formula use. In this thesis, I will evaluate the results of a pretest from an introductory College Algebra course and the results from a survey about the students’ self-analysis of their performance.
Honors Thesis Committee
Mary Pat Sjostrom, Ph.D.; Kristen Abernathy, Ph.D.; Kimberly Hope, M.M.
Previously Presented/Performed?
National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), Asheville, North Carolina, April 2016
Start Date
22-4-2016 2:30 PM
End Date
22-4-2016 2:45 PM
Technology Use and Pretests in College Math Courses
West Center,Room 217
In mathematics education, identifying the optimal method for assessing student knowledge is an ongoing challenge for instructors and it can be the determining factor for student understanding. College mathematics professors often do not administer pretests at the beginning of the course to assess the prior knowledge of students. Though it is not required for professors to know the level of knowledge their students have, it could be helpful for students to know their own performance before learning new material or taking a graded exam. Students would know what skills they are not proficient in and revise their studying to address those gaps in understanding. For future math educators, knowing how to assess students in math is important since every student learns differently and educators want to ensure students understand content material with minimal rote memorization and formula use. In this thesis, I will evaluate the results of a pretest from an introductory College Algebra course and the results from a survey about the students’ self-analysis of their performance.
