<%@LANGUAGE="JAVASCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> Teaching Intervention Statistics

 

EXPANDING WOMEN'S OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH MATHEMATICAL SCIENCE

 

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Fall 2001 Statistics

Total enrollment for Calculus I was 312 students
217 male 70%
95 female 30% (13 of these women were enrolled in the FIG)

Of the 217 male students, 55 % received an A, B, or C
A—9%
B—20%
C—25%

Of the 82 female students (not including 13 FIG students), 61% received an A, B, or C
A—18%
B—17%
C—26%

Of the 13 FIG students, 100% received an A, B, or C
A—23%
B—31%
C—46%

123 (out of the total of 312 students enrolled in Calculus I ) were New Freshmen
86 male 70%
37 female 30% (11 of these women were enrolled in the FIG)

Of the 86 male students, 69% received an A, B, or C
A—14%
B—29%
C—26%

Of the 37 female students (not including 11 FIG students), 88% received an A, B, or C
A—46%
B—19%
C—23%

Of the 11 FIG students, 100% received an A, B, or C
A—18%
B—27%
C—55%

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Allison, a student in the FIG:

[T]here was no humiliation if you didn’t understand something. You know, if you didn’t get the concept, usually there was like four other people that didn’t get it. And we all spoke out loud, you know. Nothing was like, we’re too shy to ask . . . or we’re too embarrassed to say, “We don’t get it.” You knew if was okay to ask questions. That helped us learn calculus because we all were so comfortable around each other. Because we had all gotten to know each other one on one, we were able to just be ourselves and ask questions. I think that was what really helped us learn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

Spring 2002 Statistics

66 New Freshmen continued to Calc II in Spring 2002
44 male 67%
22 female 33%

Nine of the females were women from the FIG. This was 41% of the New Freshmen women who enrolled in Calc II.

Of the 44 male students, 70% received an A, B, or C
A—23%
B—20%
C—27%

Of the 13 female students (not including 9 FIG students), 76% received an A, B, or C
A—23%
B—15%
C—38%

Of the 9 FIG students, 88% received an A, B, or C
A—38%
B—25%
C—25%

Five of the nine FIG students enrolled in Calculus III in Fall 2002. This was 50% of the New Freshmen women who enrolled in Calc III.


 

 

Barbara Ann, a student in the FIG:

This is a great way to make friends. . . . You get to come together as a group and . . . learn about NIU. . . . [You] can talk to people about [your] major. . . . [You] don’t have to worry about being dumb around guys. . . . [You] can ask as many questions as [you] want. . . . I think it is easier for most girls to communicate with girls, you know. If they like a guy, they don’t want to ask a question because he will think I am stupid or something. Well, this is a bunch of girls, and they all have the same feelings I do. And like Richard, he makes you feel so comfortable. Like he always bragged about us, and that makes you feel proud.

 

Discussion of Majors

According to the literature, many women change their majors in such a way to avoid taking additional math classes, but only one of the women in the FIG did so. Instead, two students who were undecided signed up to major in mathematics education. Two students decided to minor in mathematics. Two students also enrolled in Women’s Studies classes, and one declared a Women’s Studies minor, suggesting that the focus on women was also important in their success. The success of the support/study group indicated the importance of the women’s commitment to helping the entire group succeed in mathematics.

 

 

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Majors of Fall 2001 FIG Students

Fall 2001
Fall 2002
Mathematics Education (4) Mathematics Education (3); Accounting (1)

History

History w/ a Mathematics minor
Political Science Political Science w/ a Mathematics minor
Computer Science Accounting
Pre-Veterinary Pre-Veterinary
Physics Physics
Pre-medicine Nursing
Journalism Marketing
Meteorology Music

 


 

Fall 2002 Statistics

Total enrollment for Calculus I was 355 students
256 male 72%
99 female 28% (19 of these women were enrolled in the FIG)

Of the 256 male students, 65 % received an A, B, or C
A—15%
B—22%
C—28%

Of the 80 female students (not including 19 FIG students), 68% received an A, B, or C
A—16%
B—29%
C—23%

Of the 19 FIG students, 84% received an A, B, or C
A—21%
B—26%
C—37%

180 (out of the total of 355 students enrolled in Calculus I ) were New Freshmen
128 male 70%
52 female 30% (17 of these women were enrolled in the FIG)

Of the 128 male students, 75% received an A, B, or C
A—27%
B—26%
C—22%

Of the 35 female students (not including 17 FIG students), 77% received an A, B, or C
A—23%
B—34%
C—20%

Of the 17 FIG students, 82% received an A, B, or C
A—23%
B—18%
C—41%

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Josie, a student in the FIG:

I think the relationships that I developed were pretty cool, and knowing that I could overcome like an obstacle that I didn’t necessarily think I could . . . [W]orking together was big for me. . . . I think it was obviously more than just the numbers and the grade that I got out of it. It was, you know, just the values and the experience of it all. And it was perfect for me to do it Freshman year the first semester, because it got me off on the right foot, you know. It really got my head in the game. So many of my friends that are Freshmen this year did terribly last semester . . . and I think this had a big impact on me because when one class really effects you . . . you don’t like stop there.

[E]ven though, you know, women want to try to be able to be in the real world and be independent, you know, you need to have like a starting place, and I think like a small women’s group like this is a good starting place. . . . you can develop more self-esteem and then you can go out there and face the head guy honcho at whatever and not care so much.


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