Starting summer term of 2017, the LBCC math department will implement vital changes that have been incorporated to the mathematical education system.
The changes that are designed to save students not only time, but money as well.
Hollis Duncan, the Mathematics Department Chair, advocates for the math course change that’s happening within the math community.
“Math has kind of gotten a bad rap, people love to hate math [but] we don’t want to be a barrier, we want to be a key to success,” said Duncan
The new math courses aim to eliminate all of the difficulty and confusion that takes part with registering for required math courses.
The changes will consist of a decrease in the number of courses required to begin transfer level courses, and require an alternative online resource which is considered to be the advancement in adaptive software.
The new software, ALEKS, will allow students to work on their math skills outside of the classroom. ALEKS will help students maintain their own pace within the class environment, as well as spend time on topics that they have not yet mastered, which means that they will be losing less or no time on topics they have already mastered.
“The math department is really excited about not having to spend class time with the basic skills because ALEKS will help the students do that,” said Sheri Rogers, math instructor at LBCC. “We’re really excited about being able to spend class time investigating the concepts and applying the concepts.”
ALEKS will be used outside of the classroom for homework or additional study so that the students can focus on their mathematical needs within the classroom.
The changes will ultimately save students time and money by decreasing the number of courses required to begin transfer level courses and lower the number of drop points: points at which a student can fail to complete their developmental math sequence.
New and returning students should contact either their academic advisor about which courses are now required for their degree, or if you have any questions, contact Hollis Duncan at duncanh@linnbenton.edu.
Story by Samantha Guy