SUMS Goals
These are the goals of the SUMS program:
- Make mathematics a pump and not a filter for student success at the University and in careers
- Improve student retention and success in calculus and entry-level courses
- Become a national model for student learning and success in mathematics
- Develop an effective program in mathematics that attracts and retains STEM students
- Lead an initiative to increase the number of STEM graduates at the University
- Provide innovative new resources and practices for student learning and success in mathematics courses
- Become a leading institution in research and practice of college-level mathematics education
- Place teachers in the classroom who have excellent command of subject matter and a positive, caring attitude toward student learning and success
The SUMS program aims to achieve these goals and significantly increase student learning and success by:
- Implementing a mandatory and enforced Placement Exam for first-time enrollees in an OSU mathematics class.
- Enhancing support and training for academic advisors to improve their knowledge and understanding of entry-level math courses and student readiness.
- Providing dedicated coordination and supervision of entry-level mathematics through the hiring of Clinical Faculty.
- Adding Faculty Fellows who, with tenure-track faculty, bring an exceptional record of teaching and best-practice pedagogy to those courses most often identified in the preparation of STEM students.
- Enhancing the training and continuing professional development of Teaching Assistants and Instructors.
- Providing innovative new resources and practices for student learning and success in mathematics in the Mathematics Learning Success Center.
- Undertaking curriculum revision and developing an instruction model of best practice for learning and doing mathematics.
- Ensuring that teachers in the classroom have an excellent command of subject matter and a possitive, caring attitude toward student learning and success.
- Revising the experience for STEM students with a well-balanced curriculum of concepts, problem solving, and inquiry-based learning.
