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Improving the Administration of Mathematics Placement Tests
7/3/2006
A Web browser interface was also used to author content and perform administrative tasks. Maple T.A. is also compatible with existing publishers’ textbook content. The ability to mold the tool to fit into different applications, such as Blackboard, was another benefit.
The faculty and staff are now able to quickly and easily compute the results. The campus has had fewer problems with 3,500 students in the first year of employing Maple T.A. The previous system could only handle a quarter as many students with far more student complaints on how to use the prior system. The adaptability of the tool with the ability to move the student to an easier or more advanced module based on performance in the current module provides better assessments of the student’s comprehension level.
The stress and chaos of registration day has been greatly reduced. The faculty and staff now know which math class students need to enroll in when they arrive at orientation. It has been a lot less work for the administration and feedback reveals that the students feel the scores better represent their abilities. There has been a net increase in satisfaction and happiness with the process.Stony Brook has many plans for Maple T.A. in the future. They are not only planning to evolve their placement test questions, but they plan to start using it in their pre-calculus course in conjunction with the textbook content. They also intend to use Maple T.A. as a homework engine, including homework assignments. Several other disciplines, including physics, chemistry, and economics, have also expressed interest in the tool, and the math department is more than willing to help them get started.Scott Sutherland is the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Mathematics, SUNY Stony Brook
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