In a self-study on the SDSU campus, high DFW rates in first-year math courses are related to non-retention (pre-STEM and business) and 6-year graduation equity gaps (engineering and biology). We identified three first-year math courses that serve three different populations of students as targets for student engagement interventions. Instead of redesigning the math curriculum, we curated a series of “light-touch” student-engagement interventions that are short and easy to implement in classes. These targeted 1) attendance and active learning, 2) growth mindset and meta-cognition, 3) sense of belonging and support, and 4) career-relevance/utility-value. These “light-touch” efforts are currently being employed and assessed (Fall 2023) so that we can evaluate the effectiveness of these collective interventions. The primary goal is to reduce DFW rates in these first-year math courses and subsequently shrink equity gaps. Ancillary analyses will examine individual components for effectiveness. We will discuss challenges faced in rolling out this intervention as well as future iterations of this intervention with high DFW courses in math, specifically, and general education more broadly.

Stanislaus State serves a diverse student population of over 9,000 undergraduate students, approximately 600 of whom are enrolled in a College Algebra course each year. Although DFW rates in Stanislaus State's College Algebra courses are comparable to other courses in the Calculus pipeline, College Algebra consistently has the largest number of students in the DFW category. Furthermore, College Algebra consistently has one of the largest GPA gaps for underrepresented minority students among other courses in Stanislaus State's Calculus pipeline. This project targets this College Algebra bottleneck in the Calculus pipeline for underrepresented minority students by implementing course coordination with a standards-based grading approach. Since these courses are taught by a mix of part-time lecturers, full-time lecturers, and tenure-track faculty, there is a need to address variation in content, grading, and assessments. This project established course coordination practices, using syllabi and assessment methods that apply a standards-based grading framework with a common set of standards and assessment protocols. Preliminary outcomes of this project include a reduction in DFW rates, positive faculty and student perception of standards-based grading practices, and increased faculty interest in collaboration among colleagues.