An Initial Study of the Success of a Winter Break Calculus 1 Course

In an effort to keep students on track in their degree programs, the Department of Applied Mathematics at the University of Colorado Boulder offers a Winter Break Calculus 1 course for students whose fall semester Calculus 1 course grades are just below the passing threshold. This paper discusses the structure of this course and presents preliminary evidence to judge its successfulness. The 3-week course is taught remotely over winter break and covers the same content as the semester-long course. The vast majority of winter break students complete the course with a passing grade, allowing them to advance to Calculus 2 in the spring semester without needing an extra semester to repeat Calculus 1. Results show that the winter break students are much more likely to pass Calculus 2 within a year than students who declined to enroll. An examination of students from underrepresented groups shows similar positive results. These analyses lead us to believe that this winter break course is successful at keeping more students on a path towards graduation in their desired degree program.