Call For Information: Co-Requisite Support for Calculus 1

The Dana Center Mathematics Pathways (DCMP) program works at the national and state levels and with institutions to implement math pathways aligned with the DCMP model. We embrace work across higher education sectors to provide faculty, state, administrative, and policy representatives with the resources, tools, and services necessary to implement high-quality mathematics pathways. Through coordinated effort across multiple levels of the system, we can drive systemic, sustainable change for our nation’s students.

One of the crucial aspects of the DCMP’s mission is to stay updated on emerging trends and best practices related to higher education mathematics. An emerging trend is the use of co-requisite support courses for Calculus 1.

While we are aware of a few institutions currently implementing a co-requisite model, we seek to identify and connect with additional institutions that are either currently offering, or in the process of designing, co-requisite support courses for their Calculus 1 course. The DCMP’s definition of such a course includes the following criteria (see Narrowing the Gap for more detailed descriptions of some of the terms used below):

• Students who are considered underprepared for Calculus 1 are allowed to enroll in the course, as long as they also enroll in a mandatory support course. Alternatively, the institution may offer a separate section of Calculus 1 that is only for underprepared students and meets for additional hours.
• The courses are taught concurrently, rather than having the support course taught in the first part of the term followed by an accelerated Calculus 1 course. 
• The support course may run for the full term or it may be front-loaded and then stop early (e.g., both courses start during week 1 of the semester, but the support course is offered only for the first 10 weeks).
• The instructor for the support course may or may not be the same instructor for Calculus 1.

The Dana Center is currently preparing a report on co-requisite supports for Calculus 1. If your institution is offering or designing a model that meets most of these criteria, and you are willing to share the details and lessons learned, please contact Joan Zoellner, course program specialist for higher education mathematics, at (joan.zoellner@austin.utexas.edu).

Download a PDF of this Call for Information.