Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile: PIMU UC reaches record number: About 4 thousand novices took the mathematical diagnostic test
The leveling courses in mathematics for beginners were held during the month of March, while the accompanying tutorials for different courses are held throughout the semester.
In total, 3,682 students took the Diagnostic Test on March 3 and 4, 2021 . The process was carried out through the page testdiagnostico.mat.uc.cl and reached 63% of the students who entered UC careers in 2021. This is the highest figure reached by the Mathematical Diagnostic Test.
This activity is part of the University Mathematics Insertion Program (PIMU) , which has contributed since 2013 to the improvement in the passing rates of mathematics courses in the first year. It is a program that helps newbies level their math skills through courses they take during the summer before starting their first year of college.
“70% of students who take the test and require leveling, but do not participate in it, fail their first math course; meanwhile, 70% of students who catch up during the summer pass their first math course ”, explains the director of PIMU , Claudio Rivera de Vera.
Regarding the advantages of online surrender, Bárbara Sepúlveda, PIMU management coordinator, points out that “before the process was carried out in summer, in person. The Diagnostic Test was given after registration, and leveling, before the start of classes. This year it was carried out online, with the advantage that we were able to reach more students, for example, students from regions who could not travel to take the diagnosis and were therefore excluded from the leveling activities. This time, thanks to the online format, we were able to communicate with a larger universe of students ”, he explains.
“70% of students who catch up in math during the summer pass their first math course” – Claudio Rivera, director of PIMU
“Complementarily, the experience of participating in the leveling meant for the student a greater knowledge in the use and practice of the platforms, bringing them closer to the methodology of the online courses that would come during the first semester,” adds Bárbara.
According to their results, students can sign up for remedial courses and accompanying activities that PIMU UC conducts throughout the year.
“This time, thanks to the online format, we were able to communicate with a larger universe of students” – Bárbara Sepúlveda, PIMU coordinator
The leveling courses were held during the month of March, while the accompanying tutorials for different courses are held throughout the semester. Added to this are the winter workshops, which seek that first-year students are better prepared to face their second semester math courses.
The application of the test mobilizes important efforts from the Faculty of Mathematics, which executes the activity. In 2020 alone, around 293 assistants and caregivers and 94 rooms were required to run the test.
The activity has the support of the Vice-rector for Research, through the Directorate of Inclusion, and from 2018, with central funding from the UC.