Despite reforms to developmental and gateway courses at colleges across the country, students continue to struggle in introductory math. Some students do not see math as relevant to their field of study or life, or they avoid taking math or asking for help due to math anxiety. For others, their prior math preparation did not align with college admission standards, and they are therefore deemed “unprepared” and in need of developmental education. These and other factors contribute to low success and persistence in college math.
As colleges have explored potential solutions, some have found that student collaboration with peers is an effective way to address disengagement and math anxiety. Though it can be challenging to implement collaborative and relationship-building approaches in math, one community college in California, Hartnell College, has succeeded in creating a department-wide environment where collaboration and support is the norm. Hartnell is one of four colleges that are participating in the Developmental Education Reform Innovation Incubator, a community of practice led by CCRC that supports the colleges in developing innovative classroom-level practices to positively impact student learning and success in reformed developmental education contexts.
I really struggled with working on my own, where I was kind of the lone wolf. It’s extremely helpful to be able to bounce ideas off of another person and to get corrections that you don’t see. And I don’t think I would have done that if I didn’t go to the last Math Academy.”
Math Academy Prepares Students for Introductory Math
Hartnell College began reforming its developmental education courses before the California legislature mandated a shift from prerequisite to corequisite courses starting in 2017. Now, like at every California community college, all Hartnell students have access to college-level courses. Since 2009, even before developmental education reforms began, Hartnell has offered Math Academy, a free, weeklong summer and winter program primarily for students enrolled in a transfer-level math course in the subsequent term. Students taking transfer-level math with or without a corequisite are invited to participate in the program as an opportunity to refine their math skills and gain confidence before the semester begins. As part of the Innovation Incubator, Hartnell is working on expanding Math Academy to dual enrollment students and improving, sustaining, and scaling Math Academy more broadly at the college.