MS 150 Statistics Spring 2001 Pre-nursing Program Analysis

I. Descriptive Statistics

The following data gives the number of Liberal Arts/Pre-Nursing students at the College of Micronesia-FSM from 1995 to 2001.  In the first column is the year, with year 0 being 1995 and year 6 being 2001. Note that this is seven years in all.  The first section uses the second column, the y data, to obtain some descriptive statistics.   The number of students is based on the number of student seats and presumes that students each take five classes, except in year six where the actual number of students is three.

There is a mean of 23.29 students in the pre-nursing program with a median of 20 students.  There is no mode and the sample standard deviation is 14.41 students with a coefficient of variation of 0.62.

II. Linear Regression

The slope of a best fit least squares linear regression line is -6.61 with a y-intercept of 43.1 students. If the relationship holds, then the number of students in the program will decrease to zero in year 6.52 or half-way through 2001.  The Pearson product-moment correlation is -0.99, a highly negative correlation.  The r² of 0.98 indicates that 98% of the variation in the student numbers can be explained by the variation in the years.

What does the data tell us about the condition of the pre-nursing program at the College?

The LA/Pre-nursing program started in 1995 with 44 students. Each year after that, the number of students keeps decreasing. In 2001, there is only 3 students left in the LA/Pre-nursing program. This shows that the Program is in a bad condition. It shows that less and less students are aware of the Pre-nursing program's existence at the college.

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The data shown in the first section shows that the number of student decrease from year 1995 to year 2001. It can lead us to conclusion that only few students are enrolling into the pre-nursing program at the college. It can also mean that as the years move on, the college tends to add in new majors. This can also decrease the number of student who are majoring in the pre-nursing program.

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- At first, there were quite a lot of students attending the college. The college has been started out by 44 pre-nursing/LA majoring students. Right from the next year (1996), The students attending the college started to decrease in number. There becomes fewer and fewer student until it reaches the year 2001(only three students left). As you can see the best-fit line, it goes down instead of going up. It gives out a negative indication of the college. In other word, there were students continue to fail the college each consecutive year.

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The condition of the pre-nursing program is in a way getting worse at COM-FSM. The number of pre-nursing students has been decreasing throughout the past years beginning in 1996.The change in fact a dramatic due to the fact that in 1995 there were 44 pre-nursing students but as of this year the change has gone down to 3. If the least-square line is to be followed, there will be no pre-nursing students by the beginning of the year 2002.

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The data shows that the number of student in pre- nursing program is decreasing nowadays at the college of Micronesia. Probably in the future there will be no more future nurses or Doctors for this nation to due the lack of interest that the students of Micronesia has. Not only lack of interest but maybe giving their time to study the hard courses at the college of Micronesia.

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The given data about pre-nursing students program at the college of Micronesia from the year 1995 to 2001, strongly suggests that there are fewer students interested in that field year after year. That probably means that instructors/counselors/ teachers/advisors/ or whatever group involved in the program must start a new program or at least something exciting to lure students into the field. Or maybe the advisor for the pre-nursing students should make a better change in her/his attitudes, concerns about the students. Probably, the students don not like the teacher/advisor. Maybe there are more new majors that students are curios about so they just step out of that program and try them out. Another possible reason why there are less students in the pre-nursing program may be that recent/present students think that there are already too many in that field and so they will have a hard time finding a job when they come back from school. Probably, the previous students discouraged the upcoming interested students by their terrible average grade point.

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Think of yourself as an administrator at the College.  Imagine yourself as a chair, director, vice-president, comptroller, or president.  You choose the viewpoint you wish to take.  What recommendations would you make for the pre-nursing program at the College and WHY?

The number of students in the Pre-nursing program decreases every year. The data shows that the number of students neither increase nor fluctuates. My recommendation for the program will depend on the student's grades and the condition of the program. Since the program seems to be in a bad condition, I would recommend that it be closed down. Based on their grades, majority have withdrawn and have "F", as their grade and that is a bad sign. However, before closing the program, I would do the following: Advertise the program more, emphasize the importance of the program, and see if I get any interested student in Fall 2001. If I don't get any student, then my last choice is to close the program and focus on the other programs available at the college.

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With only the information shown in section one, I wouldn't recommend any much to the pre-nursing program. The reason being is because the information given only shows that as the years go on, only less student are entering the pre-nursing program. I can't say that the number decrease because they are failing or less student are enrolling to the college. I might think that this is the case but I can't be really sure of this now. There might be more students enrolling into the college as years come by, but there is always possibilities that new majors or programs will be introduced.

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- In recovering the looseness of each students, I would prefer to search for the leaking spot and where it had started. If the instructors are the causes of the failures, I'll look for ways in improving them. If the problem starts out by financial problem, I'll really try my best in fixing them. Well, I'll probably gives out some survey forms in finding out the students (LA/PRE-NURSING majors) problems. Of course, I can tell that the college is getting weaker and weaker each years. I'll probably say that, maybe the courses that those students, mostly in LA and pre-nursing, are to high for them. I would say that the students are failing because the number of students receiving A(s) are fewer than those that got F(s). I'll try to fix the leaking spot before it's getting worst

===

The pre-nursing program here at the college is not showing any progress in the number of student. The rate of change is decreasing and sooner or later in this year, there will be no more students in the program. This program is a total failure for both the students and the instructors. The instructors should come up with new ways to teach the class or else the school should start firing them and get new professionals. If not the program is not good enough to exist in the college. They should just eliminate it.

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The college should try to establish with other colleges, third year program for pre-nursing students. Most of the pre-nursing students that I know of change their major to education after they finish their first two years. If pre-nursing students see that there is an opportunity to do third and fourth year in pre-nursing, more students will be signing up.

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If am the chairperson or the president I would recommend students to join the pre nursing program. I will not only recommend student but I will do something that can motivate the student at the college. For example like giving out opportunities like scholar ships that can stir them up.

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* The recommendations I would make would be for the instructors to try to find out why the enrollment of students in the pre-nursing program is decreasing instead of improving, probably by making a survey for the students opinions. A survey of what the students think are the negative sides of the program and how to improve it in their opinion. Because if the chairpeople in the offices and instructors make their own ways of teaching that class, without the students suggestions or input, the students might not agree with it or can't handle it causing them to withdraw from the program.

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If I were someone powerful at the college, my recommendation for the pre-nursing program will be in a three-step action. My first step in helping out the pre-nursing program will be: I will post up informative papers that include the number of new nurses each year and the number of nurses retiring every year along with the increase number of the population in each states in Micronesia. My goal here is to assure the students that they are needed in the field and more important than that, they are needed in their state. P.s/ the data must be facts from the hospital, statistics, census, and if needed from the other related sectors in the government. The second step: I will give out scholarships for the pre-nursing students. Last but not the least: I will build a religious club, organization for everybody where they come to know more about their selves and to anticipate their dreams and to follow their hearts, but not to follow their minds. I will inform the instructors of the pre-nursing courses to go over the material little by little. It does not matter how many chapters they cover a semester, as long as the students learn and understand it.

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There are a few things I would consider if I was an administrator at the College. I would first try my best to keep the program. I would try to find way to promote this program or improve it so potential students will be interested in enrolling in it.

Maybe you could make the community and high school aware of the pre-nursing program by advertising it in a way that will give them the impression that they will benefit themselves if they enroll in our pre-nursing program before going on to other nursing schools.

Maybe I would suggest to the board to consider offering the program at the state campuses, preferable in the evenings, so more people would enroll because it is closer to town and convenient to their time.

This means hiring more instructors who specialize in this field. It also needs incentives to make potential pre-nursing student interested in our pre-nursing program. Maybe there should be special grants and scholarships just for this program. All of this may help the number of students enrolling in this program to increase. Or else just dump the program.

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The recommendations that I would make for the pre-nursing program at the College is to stop that program because not many people are interested in taking that program besides most students here at the College are majoring in accounting, business, ICS, liberal arts, education, or Marine Science. And the hospital now is hiring people to work at the hospital, once they applied they will send them to Guam for the training so why wasting time taking class that one day somebody will send you to do it and are the ones paying for it. [Yapese student]

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If I were someone of importance in the College, I would recommend a meeting. The meeting would mainly focus on why the decrease of students in this program.

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As a chair holder of the College Board, I would recommend that the college discontinue the program for the next three years. During this time, the college should issue a letter to the high schools in the FSM on how many students have an interest in nursing. I would also suggest a letter be sent to government to find out if there is any demand for qualified nurses in the public health services. Depending on the data acquired in the time, the college should review if it should reinstate the program or not.

===

Since the number of students are interest in pre-nursing, I'd drop the program and find another program that best interest the students because each program costs.

III Histograms and Probability Distributions

At the national campus the distribution of grades for pre-nursing majors in courses from 1995 to present is given in the table below. The second row of the table can be read in the following manner: "89 grades of A were awarded to pre-nursing majors between Spring 1995 and Fall 2000." 

The grade distribution by grade point average is as follows:

The distribution is bimodal with a left skew. The probability of a B is 0.19 and the probability of a C or D is 0.45.  The mean is 1.60 with a standard deviation of 1.28.   The mean is below the Pell eligibility minimum grade point average requirement.

What explanations for the trend data presented in section 1 does the grade distribution data suggest? In other words, does the data of section III help explain the trend seen in section I and WHY? 

The trend data in section 1 suggests that, as the number of students decreases over the years, the number of students who fails increases. It shows that as more and more students leave the program, the number of F's and or W's increase, which explains the number listed in Section III for the F's or W's. It explains the data, because if we look at it in real life, when a lot of students quits, we will get more F's and W's. The remaining students then will get a good grade because the class is small and there will be more interactions between the instructor and the students.

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In this section, the information given really explains why the distribution of the data's in section ended up like that. It shows that as years come by between the period of 1995 to year 2001, the number of pre-nursing student are decreasing because a lot of students are failing and not much are passing.

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I would say "YES"! On the data presented in section I, It tells us the number of students attending each years. Ex: In 1995, there are 44 LA(s)/ and Pre-nursing students attending the college. Right after that it's getting fewer and fewer until 2001, where there were only three students left. According to section III data, it gives us the grade points of the students. In other words, number of students that have A(s)- F(s). The number of students that get F(s) or Withdraw were more than those that get F(s). This data indicates why the students are decreasing in amount each years (shown in data I). The ones that were failing are those that don't attend the college anymore.

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The second graph in which includes the grade point average and the total number of students accumulating these grade emphasize on the major downsize of the data in the first graph. This explains clearly of the changes. Majority of the students in the program either failed the class or withdrew it. On the other hand, less than 1% of the students are making an A. The failure rate is really higher than the passing rate. So, this is why the number of students in these program drops every year.

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In a way, students are decreasing because more students are failing than those who are passing.

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Yes, the data does explain the trend in section I. It suggests that the program is not doing well and that the students are failing. That the grade point average and number of students are decreasing rapidly.

===

In 1995, COM-FSM started out as an educational institution. Probably, everybody, everything involving the school was new at the time; students, teachers/instructors, school facilities, and etc. Everything was fresh. What is your impression on the newest thing in your life? You probably will run to it and get as many things as you can get out of it, you make the best out of it. However, as they get older, you start to go to others to find comfort. In others words, after few months or years with the new thing, new people, you would want a change or another thing for fun. You do not find those things fun and exciting as it was any more. They are now boring and dull to you. You lose track of it/them and you fail. I think that's what happened at the college from the year 1995 through 2001. Therefore, to answer the question, I must say that the data in section three explains the data in section one and two. It seems like the number of students that failed between the year 1995 and 2001 is more than the number of students that pass with an "A" and a "B". Almost half (46%) of the pre-nursing students did not pass the courses. They got D/F or W. On the other end, I think the data in section three does not really explain the data in section one and two because it is possible for the students in the last few years to get the good grades (A,B, or C). But even though they did good in the last two-three years, the number of students still declined. However, according to the comparison I have stated above, I infer that the students in the last few years got the worst grade point which really destroy the reputation of the whole pre-nursing program.

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The grade distribution shows how much students have lost interest in studying and keeping up with their schoolwork. There have been many student failing and withdrawing from classes. There have been a lot of distractions inside and outside of a class. Nowadays there are many distractions being known and discovered by students as they live from day to day such as drinking, smoking, and sex. I think that these are the main reason why student fail and drop out of school. Not many students pay attention to their studies anymore.

What suggestions would you make for improving the grade distribution data.  Give me realistic solutions that the College could conceivably implement.

To improve the grading distribution data, I suggest that the program be more practical and interactive. What I mean by practical is, most of the time or rather all the time we are in the classroom learning about scientific words which can be confusing most of the time. We don't do or experience the feeling of doing the work. In other words, the students don't get to do more practical things and really what the book is saying in real life. I think learning by actually doing the work can boost up the grades and it will make it more easier for the student to remember the things studied in the class. Lastly, interaction or communication between a student and an instructor is very vital especially in a science major. I think when student/instructor communication is good, the student will be motivated to do good in the class.

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And now there is something that needs to be done because the data shows that more students are failing and less are passing. I would now recommended that student and staff (instructors) should really work out something. They should have more surveys on the staff and students. I would suggest that student and instructors should try a little bit harder. This is because in some cases here, some students are failing because they are just careless, lazy, etc, but others are failing because how the instructor teaches and how he or she tested the students. There is something really serious that needs to be done because as section shows, 1995 there 44 students enrolled in the pre-nursing program, and by the year 2001, only 3 students are in.

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- To improve the grade college grade distributions, mostly the LA/and the Pre-nursing majors, I would give more study hours for the students. Offer tutoring to those that need tutors. Find other ways to assist those failing students. Create more activities that relate to thinking like: college pole, mathematical competitions, essays, and etc. I'll give those students a time to discuss there suggestions like, what they want and what they don't. Students also need time for rest. I'll try to find any kind of assistance I could find for the slow ones.

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My suggestions on the grade distribution data would focus on the instructors. They should consider some other possibilities in changing their styles of teaching, change their teaching materials like changing their textbooks or other means of teaching a new material on the same subject. If all this doesn't get any progress from the students then this field should be abolished. In addition, students aren't putting enough effort in this course, so the school should just give it a rest.

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* What I recommended in # 17, is one of my suggestions. From the grade distribution data, it shows that students dropped out because of the program being too difficult or the students just not being interested in the program after a semester or two. I would suggest a placement exam for the program and to place them according to their test scores. If it is too difficult for some of the students, while the rest of the class is going along as scheduled. There should be different levels for the program according to the test scores of the students.

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. It's very simple to find out who wants to learn and who does not want to learn. It is obvious to distinguish those students that are very slow in learning and want to learn from those smart and lazy students. So, for everybody especially those that want to learn, they must be given clear explanation on the material and they should not be pressured with too many high vocabulary words. The instructor must stay fixed on the topic until they (those serious and slow learners) understand it and also can apply to themselves and then move on. Instructors' goal must be: "I will do it until they understand it and apply to their lives". But their goal must NOT be: "I have to cover one chapter a day no matter what".

I hope this is put into consideration because I have gone through situations like this and it's badly hurting.

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There are many ways to improve the grade distribution data. Maybe if the courses were a bit easier then a lot of students will get a better grade. Maybe a modulate [sic] class (1 credit) will help and more practical training time to earn credits and grades.

There should be more study materials and resources for this program made available and known to the pre-nursing students. This would include utilizing the help of other students. Students doing well at this program should offer their tutoring services (and get paid for it through the work-study program) to other pre-nursing student who are struggling. Better still, have the instructors make sue each of their students have a peer guide or tutor. The tutors should have their names, photos, telephone/email addresses posted at the library. Even if there are no pre-nursing tutors, there should be enough tutors available that can help the pre-nursing student in their other general education core requirement courses. Then this should bring half of their grades up. Instructors should encourage study groups for pre-nursing students. Librarians and others can also help by doing this that can promote of make student as aware as possible of all the available resources and materials for this program as possible.

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For the instructor, whoever that teach that class, he/she should change the way he/she teach, try to explain in a way that the student can understand it, in a simplest way that he/she can.

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As a student, I would suggest an interesting and enjoyable teacher. To be realistic, I truly believe that it might not be College's fault but I would say the cause is from our High Schools which are not doing a fairly good job in building interest in this students and also the importance of this field. So it would be proper to help and suggest that the people who in charge of these high schools take affirmative action.

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Make the program more interesting. Instead of just lecturing, held trips to the hospitals or to the infirmary. I always like doing things physically than just sit and listen.

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This field of study is certainly hard major since it deals with thinking educating and much more unlike the other field of studies. So the instructor is to my first concern. Because lecturing is the most important part of education once the lecture is clear the more understanding the student is. Second, is providing a books to help expand the students understanding. Surveying on what can be done is important.

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