New developmental math lab a success with students, faculty | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    Instructor Jackie Keen has seen a difference in her students since Beaufort County Community College opened its new Developmental Math Lab.

    Instead of sitting alone at desks or at long rows of tables, the students now sit in groups where it's easy for them to ask questions of other students and collaborate on their work.

    And instead of gossiping or talking about the day's news, the students are more engaged in their studies, Keen said.

    "They're talking math," she said of the students. "It is really amazing. I wish my other classrooms looked like this."

    Computer lab classrooms have not always been good collaboration spaces. They traditionally have been designed with work stations lined up in rows across or along the sides of the room.

    The pod design now in use at BCCC gives students a way of connecting to the subject, to the instructor and to each other that is new, Keen said.
Instructor Jackie Keen helps student Guillermo Guisado with a mathematics problem in the new Developmental Math Lab at Beaufort County Community College.
    At BCCC, it has also encouraged groups of students from the same pod to form study groups that meet after class to help each other with the material, Keen said.

    BCCC serves about 250 developmental math students each semester, according to Kimberly Mullis, lead math instructor.

    The new lab, located in Building 3, contains 30 computer workstations at five pods throughout the room and 18 work stations in a testing room, adjacent to the lab, which provides space for students to take tests.

    Classes meet in the lab from 8 a.m. until noon Monday through Friday. In the afternoon, students enrolled in developmental math classes can use the lab to work individually on classroom materials.

    "We are fortunate to have support from our administration, who made our Developmental Math Learning Lab a reality," Mullis said.

    The new lab was created, in part, in response to statewide changes in developmental course work and course sequences to help students succeed and transition to more difficult course work, according to Mullis.

    As a result, BCCC is moving towards a more "student-centered approach" through which developmental students will be able to complete their coursework in one academic year.

    Each of the eight developmental math modules is designed to be completed in a four-week term and is equivalent to one semester hour credit. This allows students to earn up to four semester hour credits in a traditional 16-week semester.

    In addition, developmental math students will now take only those developmental math modules that tie directly to their curriculum courses.


    Beaufort County Community College is a public comprehensive community college committed to accessible and affordable quality education, effective teaching, relevant training, and lifelong learning opportunities for the people served by the College.