Mathematics Improvement Project for Underrepresented Students

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The Mathematics Improvement Project (MIP) represents a concentrated effort to increase the numbers of underrepresented students majoring in science, mathematics, or engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) by focusing on their successful completion of College Algebra and Pre- calculus. The project is incorporating programmatic structures that facilitate faculty training, curricular design, and implementation of pedagogical practices designed to both meet the special needs of underrepresented students and to promote critical thinking and mastery of mathematical concepts. Four faculty within the Division of Mathematics, Computer Science, and Statistics (MCSS) at UTSA are working as MIP faculty and are designing and implementing a culture-sensitive learning environment as well as a non-traditional instructional curriculum to insure that students are prepared to work in the global community in the 21st century. Although the program is open to all students, underrepresented students enrolling in College Algebra and Pre-calculus are being targeted. Through collaboration with the university's Student Services offices and by formalizing ties with local schools and community colleges, this program is implementing an effective system of recruitment, retention, and successful completion of the MIP mathematics sequence for underrepresented students. MIP's pipeline is generating a new momentum which allows students to build confidence and to achieve an incremental gain in skills powerful enough to ensure success in future mathematics courses. The overall goal is to increase the rate of undergraduate students successfully completing the math sequence by at least 20%.***//