PLUM: Placement, Learning, and Understanding Math; Empowering Students Toward General Education Quantitative Reasoning Course Success

Abstract

ABSTRACT Although designed with good intent, remedial math courses have delayed or terminated many students’ college careers. Taking remedial courses can delay enrollment into courses for their major, or may, psychologically, result in students feeling unprepared for college. Despite the original intentions of developmental math programs, there is a growing body of evidence that remedial math courses are not effective in improving outcomes for students with the weakest math skills. With the elimination of remedial math courses, a multiprogram effort, PLUM (Placement, Learning, and Understanding Math) was created to empower students with sufficient knowledge and to detail a pathway to be successful in their quantitative reasoning courses. This was accomplished by tools to inform and empower first-time college students. After a brief historical background of the problems to be addressed, the philosophy and design of PLUM is detailed.