May 25, 2018 2:18 pm
Thanks to a new $110,171 grant from College Spark Washington, Pierce College will introduce services designed to improve student learning in several introductory college-level math courses.
College Spark Washington’s competitive statewide Community Grants program focuses on building the effectiveness of an institution’s work with low-income students by funding new and promising practices that help students reach their goals.
Pierce College will use the funds to implement a supplemental instruction model for each of its existing introductory college-level math courses. Supplemental instruction is an academic support model that uses collaborative group study for students in traditionally difficult courses. These weekly hour-long sessions will be mandatory, and facilitated by highly trained supplemental instructors.
“Getting through these initial college-level math classes is probably the most crucial thing for a student to earn a degree from Pierce College,” said Dean of Natural Sciences Tom Broxson. “These classes are one of the biggest barriers to completion that our students face.”
Students who register for these introductory college-level math courses will automatically be enrolled in a supplemental instruction class that meets each week. The supplemental instructor attends each class with the students to ensure they receive extra help with the material they are learning at the moment.
As part of the grant, Pierce College will share its strategies and results with other colleges throughout the state. “College Spark is one of the most important funders for innovation in higher education in the state,” Broxson said. “It’s wonderful to know they believe that this is a strategy that could significantly increase the number of students who complete their degrees.”