Ithaca College

Department of Mathematics invites you to our Math Colloquium, Monday, October 17,  4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Williams 320

Speaker:David Gondek, Assistant Professor, Biology Department

Retaining ‘At Risk’ Freshman Through Metacognitive Training and Delayed Entrance to High-Stakes Gateway STEM Courses

Minority, first generation, and financially challenged students have a higher attrition rate from high stakes gateway STEM courses, such as Biology. In a retrospective analysis, we have found a strong correlation between these student populations, performance on a pre-matriculation college math placement test, and resulting success in the freshman biology course. We hypothesize that a study skills focused freshman seminar and metacognitivie training, prior to enrollment in a high stakes gateway, will improve the overall performance of these ‘at risk’ groups. Description of the study design, intervention strategy, and early data will be discussed.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Cristina Gomez at cgomez@ithaca.edu or (607) 274-3058. We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.