A new initiative at Indiana University Bloomington is helping faculty rethink the design of some historically difficult gateway courses in an effort to help more students succeed academically.
The Crimson Course Transformation Initiative — run by the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and facilitated by the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning — is part of the IU Bloomington 2030 strategic plan that includes student success and opportunity as one of its pillars.
The goal is to transform entry-level courses that have high enrollments and a large number of students receiving D or F grades, or withdrawing from the course, so that students can be successful, complete the courses and continue the pathways of their majors. Courses targeted for the initiative typically have had at least a 15% DFW rate, said Vasti Torres, vice provost for undergraduate education.
“The belief was that if students do not do well in these courses, they would leave the institution,” Torres said.
Nine courses from the mathematics and chemistry departments, the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering, and the Kelley School of Business were selected for the initiative, which started in January. Fifteen faculty members attended monthly workshops during the spring 2024 semester and an intensive three-week summer seminar. The faculty will implement the planned changes to the courses in the fall semester.
“We use evidence-based techniques to help faculty members evaluate their courses and the types of students they have,” Torres said. “It helps faculty learn how to use different techniques to produce better ways of introducing information to students and them understanding it.”
A different approach
The focus during the spring semester was helping faculty learn more about their students, and developing student personas that capture and make real those sometimes abstract data points, said Greg Siering, director of the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. For example, one persona could be a first-generation sophomore with an outside job who just declared a major for which the class is required.
In addition to the courses being inherently difficult because of the subject matter, the students come from varying learning backgrounds and enter with different expectations about how much work will be required of them, Siering added.
“As you think of the changes you want to make in the classroom, you think about how it would work for these student personas,” he said. “It makes it very student-centered.”
The faculty were given data about students who dropped their courses and the reasons why. They also received feedback from students who persisted regarding what worked well in the courses and any barriers they encountered, said Madeleine Gonin, the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning’s assistant director for inclusive teaching.
Faculty also were asked to think about how students will interact with the content, and the skills and knowledge they are being asked to use, Gonin added.
The summer seminar looked at the courses’ design, such as whether the material is appropriate for that level, what the faculty want the course to accomplish, and whether there is too much material for the students to understand, Siering said.
Measuring the effectiveness of changes to the courses will involve examining how much students improve from one test to the next, how much self-efficacy and belonging improve, and ultimately whether the DFW rates decrease, Siering added.
‘We want students to succeed’
Corrin Clarkson, director of general education math modeling and a clinical associate professor in the Department of Mathematics, is participating in the initiative to transform M211. The calculus 1 course is foundational for students following the chemistry, physics, mathematics and computer science degree tracks.
“We care about the logic and argumentation that got you to the answer,” she said.
Clarkson’s role in the math department focuses on student success, and she leads a team of instructors who teach introductory classes. She said she was happy to participate and look at M211 through a different lens.
“We want students to succeed in this math class,” she said.
Clarkson said the equity approach to understanding students in the class was valuable. She liked the team approach to course transformation and appreciated the help from the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning.
M211 is a dense course with a lot of material, and Clarkson chose to focus deeply on core ideas.
Rethinking the course involved a backward design approach, focusing on the end goal and working backward to make sure the material and learning expectations progressed sensibly. Clarkson said this involved identifying major themes and stating them intentionally very early so students could see from the beginning where they are going.
“We want to try and provide consistent messaging about the big picture,” Clarkson said.
Also, the decision was made to allow students to retake some of the exams with similar exams so students could learn from the feedback and have another chance, she added.
Clarkson said she believes the Crimson Course Transformation Initiative is a good jumpstart for helping students be more successful.
“I wholeheartedly approve of the mission,” Clarkson said.
