NE Campus math courses reorganized
by Michael Kraft, reporter

     The remedial math courses on NE Campus are getting completely revamped for the spring semester.

     Dr. Lou Ann Mahaney, math department chair, is heading up computer learning programs that will assist students more efficiently.

     “Traditional lecture formats cannot directly address the individual needs of every student,” Mahaney said. “By using the computers, we can tailor a math program to target where each student needs work.”

     The labs are in place right now, but the program will be expanded past the current six sections for the spring.

     “The goal is to be able to complete two courses in one semester,” she said.

     Since the courses are 90 percent computer assisted, they can be taken over the internet at home. This innovation particularly helps people who work or who are stay-at-home parents.

     The computer has an electronic log-in that records the amount of time that each user puts into the math program.

     Mahaney and Estela Aguilar, instructional associate, are in the lab to assist students with any problems that may occur.

     “Computers are not perfect, so there is a human presence here to fill in the gaps,” Mahaney said.

     The course fee is $72 and includes a free lab manual.

     Another course in the offering is Math 1335, designed for elementary school teachers.

     “The new course is not just for teachers or future teachers, but for parents who homeschool or just for people who want to learn more math,” she said.

     With the math course for teachers and the restructured remedial program, the math department wants to provide better services to its students.

     “We hope to make more people better at math in a shorter amount of time,” Mahaney said.

     In the past, students who did not meet the minimal TASP requirements or did not meet TCC’s minimal score were placed into one of the remedial math courses.

     Students who are enrolled in a remedial course cannot drop because it is required to be eligible to continue attendance in their other classes.

     For more information on the course changes or math requirements, contact the math department on NE Campus at 817-515-6659.