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Edison Community College Math Program Ranked
Among the Very Best in the Country!
When Edison Community College students returned to class this fall they learned that Edison’s mathematics department was rated among the top ten community college math departments in the United States and Canada.
The American Mathematics Association for Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to conduct a national competition highlighting some of the best mathematics programs and to publish a vision for math needs for students in technical programs.
Math departments at Edison and nine other two-year institutions of higher education were selected as being “exemplary.”
According to several evaluators, Edison's math instruction is on "the
cutting edge."
“This region of the mathematics association is very proud that one of its institutions' math programs was ranked right at the top,” stated Mary Ann Hovis of Lima Technical College, author of the grant along with two community college math professors from Tennessee and North Carolina.
“Math is the core basis for higher education in the sciences and engineering,” said
Hovis, current chair of an AMATYC committee that promotes math in associate of applied science programs.
“At Edison, instruction in math is in the lead; it's well ahead of the
game."
She said that project evaluators discovered that Edison students benefit from “outstanding faculty, both full-time and adjunct, and a unique teaching delivery system that leads to student success.”
This system
incorporates "The Learning Equation: (TLE) software, which exceeds
the teaching standards set by the National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics (NCTM).
As a result of this
student-centered approach to instructing math, Edison mathematics students
perform better than they do in more traditional classes.
"I was responsible
for my own education," explained Lou Ann Huels of Troy, a nursing
student who had been away from school for a while before attending
Edison.
"I chose the
amount of instruction and practice I needed to succeed."
Roxie Earick of
Greenville added, "Instead of passively being fed information, I was
actively involved in tasks requiring me to discover or apply math
concepts."
Earick stated, "I
simply had a better chance to learn math at Edison."
In agreement was Jeff Brandewie, a Fort Loramie plastics manufacturing
student who finishes graduation requirements this semester.
“I was challenged here like never before, and I responded big time,” said
Brandewie, who took three math classes at Edison from both full-time and part-time faculty.
A reverse transfer student who was previously enrolled at one of Ohio’s largest universities, Brandewie said he would put Edison’s math program “up against the math program at any four-year school.”
Edison President Dr. Kenneth A. Yowell pointed out that Michigan State University, through an NSF grant, chose Edison as a model institution to study as “a best practice in changing from the traditional mode of instruction to one that produces well prepared students for the technical careers of tomorrow.”
Collaborative learning is the norm in Edison’s math classes. Students
learn from each other and develop an appreciation for teamwork. All
students benefit as they discuss the ideas presented on the computer in
lessons or in problems.
Edison’s math program was reviewed by an expert national panel of technical educators and business professionals from numerous states including California, Massachusetts, and South Carolina.
The panel highlighted Edison’s program as “exemplary” stating its important aspects include:
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piloting components by full-time faculty,
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training for adjunct faculty,
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multiple channels for communication among the entire staff, and
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various tools for assessing student learning, instructional effectiveness, and the program as a whole
Dr. Jesse Parete, an Edison math professor who has taught math at the two-year college level for more than 30 years, noted that 60 percent of Edison’s math course work is taught by adjunct faculty.
“These experienced educators give us valuable feedback and, as colleagues, are able to document from significant experience what works in the classroom and what doesn’t,” said Parete, who in 1993 was selected by USA Today as one of the nation’s Top 50 community college teachers. “We benefit greatly from ongoing dialogue with our adjunct staff.”
Edison’s full-time math teaching staff is comprised of Parete; Janet Cook, assistant professor of math; and Carol
Gudorf, coordinator of learning assistance.
Cook’s prior work experience in business and industry helps her understand the mathematical needs of students in technologically related fields.
Gudorf has long been an advocate of helping students connect math to their lives and has promoted this through federal and local grants she has been awarded.
“Our math faculty, including our many adjuncts, have uniquely distinguished themselves,” Yowell said. “In so doing, they have distinguished Edison’s math program as one of the most elite community college math programs in North America.”
The British Columbia Institute of Technology and two-year institutions from eight states joined Edison in this prestigious group of higher education institutions.
The "Top
Ten" honor earned by Edison's mathematics department is the
culmination of ten years of curriculum work in which the effectiveness
of math instruction was continually evaluated.
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