Mathematics Professor Presents Paper at National Conference

Hortencia I. Garcia, assistant professor of mathematics at Pennsylvania College of Technology, presented a paper at the 29th annual conference of the National Association for Developmental Education (NADE), held March 9-13 in Albuquerque, N.M.

Her paper, titled "Analyzing mathematics tests: Are we asking the right questions?" applies the Rasch theory to analyze the results of a final examination in intermediate algebra. The Rasch theory is a measurement tool that compares examinee's ability and test-item difficulty via a single map using log-odds units.

Garcia earned her bachelor's degree, master of arts in teaching and doctorate in mathematics at the University of the Philippines. She also earned a master's degree in computer science from Monmouth University in New Jersey and trained at the University of Chicago and the National Center for Developmental Education.

Garcia is originally from the Philippines. She taught at several colleges in New Jersey and last taught in Connecticut before joining the faculty at Penn College in Fall 2004. She specializes in developmental mathematics and conducts extensive research in that field. Her study includes analyzing test items and tracking the performance of developmental students from one math class to another. Some of her results have been published in developmental education and mathematics journals.

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