Shifting Pre-Calculus from Gatekeeper to Gateway at a Hispanic-Serving Institution

Authors

Elsa Quiroz Villa, The University of Texas at El PasoFollow
Lawrence M. Lesser, The University of Texas at El PasoFollow
Erika L. Mein, University of Texas at El PasoFollow

Publication Date

2023

Abstract

An intervention was funded by the US Department of Education to improve student success in the 5-credit hour precalculus course at The University of Texas at El Paso, a research university at the US-México border with an 80% Latinx student body. The intervention was a collaboration between UTEP’s College of Education and the Mathematical Sciences Department in the College of Science. The four-year intervention developed and involved teaching assistants in structured and sustained professional development grounded in the equitable and inclusive pedagogical practice of cooperative learning in order to promote the creation of math-focused learning communities in the precalculus course. Findings indicate the intervention increased student pass rates and their success in the subsequent Calculus 1 course.