BBCC math enrollment at record levels
Ivan Mendoza tackles math problems in the Emporium math lab at Big Bend Community College. College officials say Emporium is one of the programs that has helped promote record enrollment in the college math program.
MOSES LAKE - It's been a record-setting year at Big Bend Community College for a subject that doesn't always get much love - mathematics. Enrollment in college-level math classes has doubled since 2009, and increased 25 percent from fall 2012, Doug Sly, the college's public information officer, said.
"It is unprecedented for a small rural college like BBCC to have full calculus classes in the fall," BBCC President Terry Leas said. It's a sign that the college's efforts to improve student success in math are having an effect, Sly said.
Many of the students who enter BBCC don't qualify for college-level math upon enrollment and need extra instruction, Sly said. College officials decided to address that with an instruction program developed by college instructors, called Emporium.
The class takes the traditional model of math teaching and turns it inside out, said Tyler Wallace in an earlier interview, an instructor who was part of the development team.
Rather than listen to the lectures in class and work out the problems at home, the students listen to a lecture and watch the demonstration at home, then come to school to work on the problems. Tutors are available when students run into trouble.
About 80 percent of the students are completing the program and qualifying for the college-level classes, Sly said. More success in entry-level math has led to more interest in careers and classes where math is an important component, like engineering and other technical courses.
"I have 21 students in engineering physics this fall, The most I've had in the previous 20 years was 14 students," Jim Hamm, engineering curriculum specialist at BBCC, said. "I've had more students talk to me about engineering in the last two years than in the previous 18 years combined. Word is getting out."
The college was awarded a grant in 2011 to promote science, technology, engineering and math classes, which helped pay for the Emporium curriculum, Sly said. The grant also helped pay for outreach and recruiting activities, which is another factor in the growth of interest in math, Sly said.