In Fall 2017, the Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning Department (formerly, the Developmental Mathematics Department) implemented a student support program known as peer-mentoring. The peer mentors are UVU students who provide additional support inside and outside the classroom, including math tutoring as well as student success support (e.g., study skills, relaxation techniques for test anxiety, etc). Students with mentors succeed at higher rates than those who do not have mentors.
Results
As shown below, students who participate in the math mentor program have a 2.8% higher pass rate than students who do not. The embedded math mentor program has also been analyzed based on gender, ethnicity, first-generation, and age (17-24 vs. 25+). The results are shown below with overall ratings and comparisons by semester.
The most vulnerable math students are those who do not pass their class in a given semester. They are less likely to be retained at the institution and to continue in math courses than those who do pass. In Fall 2015, the department began an outreach campaign specifically targeted at those students who did not pass their math class that semester. Students received multiple personal contacts making them aware of help resources and encouraging them to continue taking math. The dashboards show an immediate jump in math enrollment and subsequent fall enrollment when compared to previous semesters without the outreach.
