R2R

R2R Math 1021 Redesign

Math faculty redesigning Math 1021. From left to right: Prof. Cochran (Vice Chair), Prof. Ferreyra (A&S Dean), Mr. Cooper, Prof. Cohen, Mrs. Rouse (1021 Coordinator), Prof. Lawson, Mrs. Fitch, Prof. Oporowski, Mrs. Kopcso, and Prof. Smolinsky (Chair).

The LSU Mathematics Department has recently been accepted into a U.S. Department of Education funded national program that promotes the effective use of technology to redesign the delivery of large-enrollment college mathematics courses. This program is called R2R, which is an acronym for Roadmap to Redesign.

The Math 1021 redesign committee submitted a detailed application this past summer to the Center for Academic Transformation at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and in August, LSU was enthusiastically accepted as an associate member of the R2R program along with seven other universities including University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Wayne State University. Universities that are already participating include the University of Alabama and the University of Idaho. LSU now has a unique opportunity to participate as a leader in the continuing development of this new program.

The R2R program combines

1. classroom instruction by experienced instructors and TAs,
2. computer-based online technology available from any web-accessible computer, and
3. a learning lab staffed with instructors, TAs, and upper-level undergraduate tutors trained to provide immediate and expert help to students.

The main advantage of the R2R program over the existing traditional methods of teaching is that its active involvement of students in the learning process improves learning and success rates. It includes personalized assistance, instant feedback, multiple trial opportunities on quizzes, and flexible, student-friendly hours in a learning lab.

In the R2R model, students will meet one hour a week in a focus group of 40 students with a faculty member and then spend 3 required hours per week in the learning lab. In the weekly focus group, the faculty member will present and review main ideas and provide overall guidance for the students as they progress through the course. In the learning lab, computer software will provide access to short videos explaining each new concept and will present detailed, worked-out examples which will help students understand errors they have made. A staff of faculty members, TAs, and undergraduate tutors will be available for individualized assistance on demand.