Renewal of College Algebra

The Mathematical Association of America’s College Algebra Renewal project supports pilot sections of modeling-based college algebra courses at eleven partner institutions and conducted a cross-institutional study to determine the success of the pilot courses. The need for mathematical and statistical understanding by students in disciplines traditionally considered non-quantitative has grown enormously, yet far too many students are unsuccessful in traditional college algebra courses, or are unable to apply skills learned in the course in the context of other fields. There is some preliminary evidence that modeling-oriented, application-based college algebra courses that take advantage of modern computational tools may better-serve students than the traditional college algebra course. With professional development support provided through this project, eleven colleges and universities are developing and offering pilot sections of modeling-based college algebra courses and supporting a national study determining the impact of these courses on students by comparing student performance and success rates in subsequent courses to those of students in traditional sections.