Purpose of
the study
The
Department of Mathematics at the University of Arizona is conducting a study of
the impact of transitional mathematics (mathematical content knowledge for
pre-college courses) on placement and success.
In order to facilitate this, we are collecting information about
students who take the University of Arizona ALEKS placement test.
Why you are reading this page
The purpose
of this page is to explain the study to you, so that you can decide whether to participate or not participate. You will be asked to indicate your choice regarding your participation once you get to the ALEKS site.
Information
that will be collected
As part of
this study, we will collect and correlate the following information:
·
Your
Math SAT/ACT score (if applicable)
·
The
name of your high school
·
Your
academic index
·
Your
high school GPA
·
Your
Arizona high school GPA
·
The
mathematics courses you took in high school and the grades you received
·
The
mathematics courses you will take in the first two years of college and the
grades you will receive
·
Your
mathematics transfer credits and grades
·
Your
Calculus AB/BC AP score(s) (if applicable)
·
Your
scores on the ALEKS placement test you are taking
·
Your
scores on the ALEKS learning mode (if applicable)
·
Your
ethnicity and gender
·
Your
residency status
·
Your
self-declared major
We will also
randomly select some participants to partake in an interview regarding their
experience in prerequisite mathematics courses.
How collected
information will be used
This
information will be used to help us determine which factors are the best predictors of success in college-level mathematics courses, decide which knowledge is essential for success in entry-level mathematics courses, possibly help us change the way that we place students into mathematics courses in the future, and decide how students who failed the ALEKS placement test should be trained in order to succeed in future attempts.
The data collected in this study will be reported in summary form only. No individual data will be published.
How you can participate in this study
To
participate in this study, please first read the Informed Consent Document. Once you get to the ALEKS page, select "Accept" in the section related to the study. If you do not wish to participate, select "Do not accept".
Your
participation in this study is completely voluntary. You can choose whether or not to
participate. There are in principle no risks in participating in this study. The study team will take every precaution to keep your information confidential. However, since consent is obtained over the internet and data is stored electronically, confidentiality could possibly be lost. There are also no immediate benefits in participating in this study. Your participation or lack thereof will have no impact on your placement or success in mathematics courses at the University of Arizona. If
you have any questions, or decide to change your mind regarding your participation
in this study, please contact Dr. Linda Simonsen (simonsen@math.arizona.edu) at any
time during the duration of the study.