A Large Scale Assessment of the Introductory Courses: Analysis

We present the first data on four interventions in our large introductory courses. We are performing a large scale assessment of the introductory courses. The four interventions are: 1) the introduction of new research-based laboratories and teaching pedagogies into the laboratory/recitation sections, 2) training the teaching assistants in the new pedagogies and the development and use of grading rubrics, 3) the integration of the lecture and the lab with the new research-based laboratories and pedagogies in place and 4) a completely laboratory-based, interactive engagement course as a small, independent section of the course. We present data on two of the courses in our introductory sequence: the first semester algebra-based and calculus-based courses.