PROCEEDINGS OF THE 19TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2016
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
How “Good” is “Good Enough”? Exploring fidelity of implementation for a web-based activity and Testing System in Developmental Algebra Instruction
Page: 210
A web-based activity and testing system (WATS) has features such as adaptive problem sets, videos, and data-driven tools for instructors to monitor and scaffold student learning. Central to WATS adoption and use are questions about the implementation process: What constitutes “good” implementation and how far from “good” is “good enough”? Here we report on and illustrate our work to provide structure for such examination. The context is a study about implementation that is part of a state-wide randomized controlled trial examining student learning in community college algebra when a particular WATS suite of tools is used. Discussion questions for conference participants dug into the distinctions among intended, enacted, and achieved curriculum and the processes surrounding these as well as the challenges and opportunities in researching fidelity of implementation in the community college context, particularly the role of instructional practice as a contextual component of the research.