Transitioning Learners to Calculus in Community Colleges

Abstract: The Transitioning Learners to Calculus in Community Colleges (TLC3) Institutional Self-Assessment Tool identifies five key domains each with an associated set of three to four items representing practices that may enhance the success of underrepresented racially minoritized (URM) students transitioning into and through mathematics courses required for degrees in science, technology engineering, mathematics (STEM). The domains include mathematics placement, STEM mathematics courses, instruction (mathematical and relational), student support, and institutional responsibility. With this tool, colleges can self-assess the degree to which they have implemented these practices and identify next steps to enhance their efforts to support URM students in the STEM math pathway, including designing professional development plans to address barriers. The instrument was developed based on an extensive literature review, survey data collected from 455 (44%) of the nation’s 1,023 community colleges, case studies of four minority serving community colleges, and a content validation. The session focuses on the domains and practices included in the tool and research supporting the promise of these practices in bolstering the success of URM students in the STEM math pathway.

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