A Comparison of Placement in First-Year University Mathematics Courses Using Paper and Online Administration of a Placement Test

Phyllis A. Schumacher; Richard M. Smith

doi:10.29333/iejme/226

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Phyllis A. Schumacher, Richard M. Smith

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Abstract

Today, many universities in the United States use mathematics placement tests in combination with high school grades and SAT scores to place students in freshman mathematics courses. In an attempt to make this process more convenient for students and universities, these tests are beginning to be given online. This paper describes the history of a university mathematics placement test, originally given in 1992, which was converted to an online format in 2005. The placement method is described and a logistic regression is used to evaluate the accuracy of the online placement procedure in comparison to the placement with the paper test.

Keywords

Mathematics Placement
Online Placement Tests
First-Year Mathematics Courses

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

INT ELECT J MATH ED, 2008, Volume 3, Issue 3, 193-202

https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/226

Publication date: 12 Dec 2008

Article Views: 2551

Article Downloads: 1730

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How to cite this article

APA

Schumacher, P. A., & Smith, R. M. (2008). A Comparison of Placement in First-Year University Mathematics Courses Using Paper and Online Administration of a Placement Test. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 3(3), 193-202. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/226

Vancouver

Schumacher PA, Smith RM. A Comparison of Placement in First-Year University Mathematics Courses Using Paper and Online Administration of a Placement Test. INT ELECT J MATH ED. 2008;3(3):193-202. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/226

AMA

Schumacher PA, Smith RM. A Comparison of Placement in First-Year University Mathematics Courses Using Paper and Online Administration of a Placement Test. INT ELECT J MATH ED. 2008;3(3), 193-202. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/226

Chicago

Schumacher, Phyllis A., and Richard M. Smith. "A Comparison of Placement in First-Year University Mathematics Courses Using Paper and Online Administration of a Placement Test". International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education 2008 3 no. 3 (2008): 193-202. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/226

Harvard

Schumacher, P. A., and Smith, R. M. (2008). A Comparison of Placement in First-Year University Mathematics Courses Using Paper and Online Administration of a Placement Test. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 3(3), pp. 193-202. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/226

MLA

Schumacher, Phyllis A. et al. "A Comparison of Placement in First-Year University Mathematics Courses Using Paper and Online Administration of a Placement Test". International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, vol. 3, no. 3, 2008, pp. 193-202. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/226