In October 2024, the Marilyn Davies College of Business (MDCOB) reached out to the Department of Math and Statistics with a problem that needed solving. Many of the MDCOB’s new business majors were not reaching college readiness in math, and their main mathematics course, MATH 1324 (Mathematics in Business and Social Sciences), had passing rates hovering around 50% and 60%.
In an attempt to improve passing rates and better prepare students for college math, MDCOB faculty, staff, and Dr. Timothy Redl, chair of the Department of Math and Statistics, collaborated to create a supplementary program to help business majors improve their math skills.
New business majors who did not meet criteria for college math readiness enrolled in either the MATH 1300 and MATH 1324 co-requisite course or the MATH 1324 16-week course are automatically enrolled in the Summer Boot Camp program to help improve their math skills and prepare them for college level math in Fall 2025.
This supplementary program, facilitated by Senior Lecturer Susan Beane, uses McGraw Hill's ALEKS (Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces) interactive software in an online learning environment where students can master mathematical concepts at their own pace.
After a student’s initial assessment, ALEKS generates a pie chart showing their mastery of different mathematical skills. From there, students can work on each section of their pie throughout the summer. Each completed section of the pie represents a mathematical skill the student has demonstrated mastery in, and once the entire pie is filled, they have successfully completed their Summer Boot Camp course and are better prepared for college math in the fall semester.
The Summer Boot Camp started in May and will continue until the fall semester begins on August 18th. The program is free, and it is not graded, meaning students can complete the course in a relaxed environment without fear of a failing grade.
While this is the first Summer Boot Camp, Dr. Redl plans to continue the program into future semesters if the results prove successful. Ideally, Dr. Redl’s goal is not only to improve passing rates for MATH 1324, but also to help students become successful in math and to put the skills they have learned to use.
“For many of our introductory courses in math and statistics, the passing rates are in the 60s,” Dr. Redl explained. “For MATH 1324, it's gotten up to as high as 70%. And so naturally, we'd like that to increase even more—not because the course is being made easier, but because more students are succeeding and learning in the course and those that follow.”
The MATH 1324 Summer Boot Camp is fully funded by MDCOB and only accessible for business majors, but Dr. Redl hopes that this cross-departmental endeavor will not just improve students’ math skills, but perhaps encourage them to possibly pursue math as a minor alongside their business degree.