Adaptive Statistics for First-Gen Students

Projectdraft

Project case study (STAR)

Adaptive intro-stats redesign for a 1,400-student section sequence — first-gen DFW dropped 18 points without changing the syllabus or the prerequisites.

Mar 25, 2026

612 views

Adaptive LearningEquityHigher EdStatisticsOER

Impact & Results

1.4K

Learners Reached

91%

Completion Rate

90%

Satisfaction

$180K/yr by retaining first-gen students through gateway

Cost Savings

~3 hrs/wk reduced TA office-hour overflow per section

Time Saved

−18 pts

first-gen DFW gap

91%

weekly assessment completion

+22%

TA-rated office-hour usefulness

1.4k

students through the redesign

4 months

Project Duration

ADDIE

Methodology

Creative Director - Learning Design Studio

Designer Role

Higher Education

Step 1 — The Situation

A flagship R1 had a 28% DFW rate among first-gen students in intro stats versus 11% among continuing-gen — same instructor, same syllabus. The department was being asked to "fix it" without changing the curriculum.

Step 2 — The Task

As a Creative Director - Learning Design Studio, I led the end-to-end design and development of this project — from discovery and needs analysis through final delivery and implementation support.

Process timeline

ADDIE Process

Analyze

Identify needs, learners, and goals

Design

Create learning objectives and strategy

Develop

Build content and materials

Implement

Deploy training to learners

Evaluate

Measure effectiveness and iterate

Analyze

Identify needs, learners, and goals

Design

Create learning objectives and strategy

Develop

Build content and materials

Implement

Deploy training to learners

Evaluate

Measure effectiveness and iterate

Step 4 — The Solution

Re-architect week 1 around an adaptive pre-quiz that routes students into the right preparation track, then keep every track converging on the same weekly assessment — equity through pacing, not curriculum dilution.

Step 5 — The Impact

Outcomes: - First-gen DFW gap narrowed by 18 points without changing prerequisites - 91% weekly assessment completion across 1,400 students - TAs rated office-hour usefulness +22% — the stuck-spot dashboard meant they walked in knowing where to focus - OER textbook conversion released under CC-BY-SA; two adjacent departments forked it for their own gateway courses

Tools Used

CanvasSmart SparrowPanoptoR + OER textbook

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