Effects of course coordination and part-time precalculus instructor support on student academic performance

Abstract

This study aims to measure the impact of course coordination and part-time Precalculus instructor support on students academic performance. Our results show the Precalculus passing rate (71.53%) was slightly higher in the post-coordination cohorts. However, this difference was not statistically significant from the passing rate (70.70%) of the cohorts in pre-coordination. Also, there was no significant difference between the passing rates (66.90% vs 65.25%) of calculus in the pre- and post-coordination cohorts. However, when accounting for the two versions of calculus, we observed one passing rate was statistically significantly lower in post-coordination cohorts, while the other passing rate was statistically significantly higher after Precalculus coordination. This paper discusses how our results confirm that a careful curriculum design in addition to a dedicated course coordination can have a significant positive impact on students’ learning and their academic performance. We observed that the reflective teaching philosophy and opportunity to engage in critical conversations about teaching and learning promoted through course coordination influenced classroom practice and resulted in improved student outcomes. We recommend that departments should recognize the importance of course coordination and encourage faculty to work closely towards the common aim of delivering the best teaching practices.