Engaged Learning Project Template

Title of Project: How expensive is college?

Subject(s): IB Mathematical Studies
Grade Level(s): 11th and 12th combined
Abstract:
Three- or four-sentence description of your project and audience. Include a statement of what students will be doing. What
adult/professional role will they assume? How will the learning be situated in an authentic task?

Students will research historical trends of expenses from a college of their choice. They will analyze the past data and model
the trends of the data using technology (graphing calculators, Excel, Graph, Desmos, etc.). Students will decide if the past
expenses can be modeled with a mathematical function. These modeling functions will be used to predict the cost of
attending the chosen college for the time frame that the student anticipates attending. The predicted cost of attending the
chosen university can then be analyzed and create a real world connection for students. After predicting the cost of their
chosen college, students will be instructed to research scholarship opportunities and encouraged to apply (especially the
seniors).Students will create a presentation for other students and parents at a college preparation meeting, sharing actual cost
analysis.

Learner Description/Context:
Characteristics of the learner and description of the learning environment(s) where the learning experience will take place.
Help others see your local context in order to determine if they can replicate it. Include culturally-influenced interests,
ways of learning, funds of knowledge that exist among students, parents and the community. Explain how these assets will be
used to strengthen the learning experience for students.

Marietta High School is an IB World School offering the full continuum of IB programs. The student population is very
diverse, both racially and economically. The enrollment at MHS is approximately 2100, with 55% eligible for free and
reduced lunch. Approximately 50% of the student population is black, 30% Hispanic, and 20% white. There are currently 50
seniors that are full IB Diploma candidates and an additional 20 that are attempting the IB Career Related Program. These
seniors and also the juniors that are anticipated candidates for these programs are eligible to take IB Mathematical Studies.
Math Studies is an application math class. It covers many topics including algebra, geometry, probability and statistics, and
an introduction to calculus. All of these students are planning on college after completing high school. Looking at the actual
cost patterns of a college of their choice will be very informative and it will allow them to practice and apply both the
statistics and the mathematical modeling unit for IB Mathematical Studies. Many of our IB candidates will rely heavily on
scholarships and several will have to work to help pay for their college expenses, so this project will be very informative and
specific to their needs and interests.

Marietta High School has several computer labs (30 computers each) and every department has a laptop cart. These are
available by request. I will reserve one of the labs or carts for the in class work time. Students in Math Studies likely have
access to computers at home. The majority of students that are not in IB classes are less likely to have computers at home. If I
were to use this project in a different course in the future I would definitely need to add more class time with computers.

Time Frame: How long will this learning experience take to complete and how much class time will be dedicated to the
learning experience during this time.

This project will take three weeks for students to complete. Students will start this project after learning about modeling real
world data with linear regressions and expand to other functions. Students will be given samples with other types of data to
practice before this individual project. Students will be given two-three one hour segments during class to research data and
use any available technology to organize, analyze, and display data. Students will also be able to use their chosen technology
(TI-84, Desmos, Graph, Excel, or a combination) to find their regression equation and predicted future values. The written
response and presentation will be completed outside of class time. Students will research scholarships outside of class as
well.

Standards Assessed:
What local, state, and national standards have you addressed? (Include GA technology integration standards, local
technology standards, and/or ISTE NETS-S)

IB Mathematical Studies:
4.2 Bivariate Data: the concept of correlation. Scatter diagrams; line of best fit. Pearsons product moment
correlation coefficient. Interpretation of positive, negative, and zero, strong or weak correlation.
4.3 The regression line of y on x. Use of the regression line for prediction purposes.
Extensions on further functions:

Jo Williamson, Ph.D., Kennesaw State University

 Engaged Learning Project Template
6.2 Linear models, 6.3 Quadratic models, 6.4 Exponential models. 6.6 Accurate graph drawing. Creating a sketch
from given information. Reading, interpreting and making predictions from graphs.

ITSE Standards for Students:

1. Creativity and innovation
2. Communication and collaboration
3. Research and information fluency
4. Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making
5. Digital citizenship

Learner Objectives: Write a statement of what students are going to know and be able to do as a result of this learning
experience and how it will be measured.

As a result of this project, students will be able to understand real world applications of statistical and algebraic processes,
most importantly regression and mathematical modeling. IB Math Studies students are required to do an Internal Assessment,
which is a written project. They can choose their own topic and use any math from the course, but most students find
statistics and modeling the most useful for their investigation. Students will be assessed on both the college cost project, but
they will also be further assessed on the Internal Assessment project that will occur later in the semester. The Internal
Assessment will compose 20% of their overall IB Math score. Students will have multiple opportunities to show what they
have learned from this project about regression, modeling, and technology.

The hook or Introduction:

A brief description of how the learning experience will be introduced to students and why the project should be
interesting/motivating to students.

Students will be told to research the amount of debt students are in when finishing college. The idea of paying for college will
hopefully make students interested and engaged. Students will already know how to analyze two variable data (year, tuition)
and utilize technology to find a regression equation. They will be ready to jump right in.

Process:
The process is the way you structure the learning to engage students in the project/learning experience goals and objectives.
How are they going to accomplish the task? What are the students doing? What is the teacher doing? How are you assessing
the process of learning? How is the student directing the learning? A sequence of unfolding events is usually provided and a
timeline is often used.

First, students will use computers (or their own devices) to search for historical tuition data from their chosen college. There
are several websites that provide data for many colleges and universities. I will give students suggestions on how to search.
Typically I couldnt find more than the current year tuition on the website of an actual university, but I did come across
several websites that compared and shared lots of data from many schools. I will invite the Marietta College & Career
counselor to come speak to my students about college expenses. I will also encourage students to contact representative from
their chosen university to ask questions about costs and scholarships.

After collecting data (I recommend approximately 20 years of data, if it can be found) students will need to enter their data
into a spreadsheet or graphing calculator to look at a scatter plot and see if there is a visual trend, and if there is, they will
calculate a regression equation. Tuition data might be linear, exponential, or represented best by a different function. Once
they find an equation, they will substitute the future years (when the student is planning to attend) and calculate the predicted
tuition for 4 years. These four costs will be added together to give students a total expense for attending their college.
Students will need to analyze if their tuition includes total costs, or just the cost of tuition, or if they should consider other
costs.

Once they have their total approximated cost of attending their chosen university, they will research student loans and
research an approximate interest rate. Students will use technology to predict monthly cost for repaying student loans and
calculate how long it will take to repay their debt if they were to borrow money for their college expenses. We will discuss
pros and cons of student loans and students will be instructed to look for scholarships that they could apply for in order to
help cover costs of college. Hopefully, seniors will go ahead and apply for scholarships that they identify as a possible match.

Jo Williamson, Ph.D., Kennesaw State University

 Engaged Learning Project Template
During the next class I will present questions to consider. I will ask students to group up with some of the following: private
school versus public school, or in-state versus out-of-state, small versus large campus, etc. Students will be able to see
commonalities and differences in their results.

Next, students will prepare to present their information. I will let students choose how they want to summarize their results,
but I will encourage different methods. I will also assign a class-wide product that shows their accumulated data. Again, I will
let students decide their method, but I will suggest padlet, a brochure, or a class website. This will be something that can be
shared with other students and parents, and it can be saved for future years to see how accurate the students results were. It
can also be used as an example for future years if the project is repeated.

Product:
What is the end-product the students will produce? Who will use/care about the product? Why will the product be
meaningful to students? How is technology integrated within this product? How will you assess the product?

Students will present a graphical display of their data and their modeling function. They will also write up a project
explaining their methods and the predictions of the college tuition for the time that they are expecting to attend. They will
include potential scholarships in their written project. Students will be asked to design a presentation (format of their choice)
to share with other students and parents at a senior parent college informational meeting. I will also ask students to find and
invite professionals or other knowledgeable adults to present at the informational meeting. They might invite college
admissions counselors, financial aid representatives, or banking/loan professionals. This project will be personally
meaningful to the students and they can hopefully share what they learned to help other students and parents prepare for
college expenses. Technology is integrated by the use of mathematical programs and software (TI-84, Desmos, Graph, etc)
and also Microsoft Word and Excel. Students may choose their presentation format (PowerPoint, Prezi, Publisher, etc).
Students will be assessed using the IB Mathematical Studies Project rubric. Students will have to choose a topic of their own
and complete an open ended project later in the year and therefore they will be able to practice with the IB rubric.

Students will also make a combined product to present their accumulated data. I will suggest students use a padlet, website,
or brochure. My classes are small, so I think they will be able to discuss and decide on a format for their final presentation. I
will grade their individual projects, but they will summarize their overall findings in a format that will be used to share
information with a broader audience of parents, students, and others.

Technology Use: What technologies are critical to the project and how will they be used (examples: To communicate with
peers/mentors, to construct/publish original products, to analyze data, etc.) How does the proposed technology use in this
learning experience support the indicators of engaged learning?

Technology How it will be used Indicators of Engaged Learning

Graphing Calculator,
Desmos, Graph, Excel,
and/or other mathematical
technology.
Internet/email
Power Point, Word,
Publisher, Prezi
Create a scatter plot. Standards-based
Calculate a regression equation. Authentic/Meaningful
Extrapolate future values using the regression Student-directed
equation. Explorer
Producer
Students will contact MHS graduation coach, Explorer
college & career counselor, and/or representatives Teacher
from universities. Collaborative
Research historical tuition costs from database Co-learner/Co-investigator
websites and college websites. Facilitator
Research loan information and scholarship Guide
opportunities
Students will summarize their individual work and Producer
their results individually to give to teacher for Authentic/Meaningful
evaluation. Select students will share with parents Student-directed
and other students at a college information meeting
with MHS counselors and college/career
counselor. A small number of students will be
selected (or asked to volunteer) to give a broad
sample of types of schools and their predicted
costs (1 from each: public, private, in-state, out-of-
state, etc.)

Jo Williamson, Ph.D., Kennesaw State University


Padlet, website (weebly,
schoology), publisher, etc.
Engaged Learning Project Template
Students will accumulate their findings in a group Challenging
product. This product will be posted on-line, or a Authentic/meaningful
printed brochure, or some other format that Student-directed
students chose that can easily be shared with other Producer
students and their parents. Their product should Guide
summarize or list all of their colleges total costs Collaborative
for a predicted 4 years, and a list of scholarships Generative
opportunities, and student loan information.

References and Supporting Material:

List materials that you used to develop this learning experience. List supporting materials that the instructor would need to
implement this learning experience. What would need to be made? (Rubrics? Videos? Samples? Books) Include links to
existing Web resources that a teacher would use to understand and implement this learning experience. (For example, if
students will be using the Little Kids Rock Website, include the URL somewhere in your template.) Use APA 6 Style.

IB Math Studies Internal Assessment rubric will be used to give students feedback. This will assist students in preparing for
their future independent IB Internal Assessment. The rubric addresses seven criterion: Introduction,
Information/measurement, Mathematical processes, Interpretation of results, Validity, Structure & Communication, Notation
& Terminology.

Jo Williamson, Ph.D., Kennesaw State University