Daytona State math-prep program earns state honors

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 29, 2013) – The accolades for Daytona State College’s Academic Support Center (ASC) continue to stack up.

The Association of Florida Colleges this week recognized the ASC for a program that helps students get a leg up on the challenges posed for some by Intermediate Algebra (MAT 1033). Math Up: Gateway for Success was awarded the association’s 2013 Learning Resources Exemplary Practice Award.

It’s the second time in three years Daytona State’s ASC has been recognized by the association, which represents Florida’s 28 state colleges.

“Math Up is a team effort,” said Daytona State’s Associate Vice President of Learning Resources Michelle McCraney. “It’s another extension of how we work with the academic departments to foster student success.”

A free, four-day workshop offered the week before fall and spring semester begins, Math Up had 99 voluntary student participants in its first sessions last year. The result: 84 percent successfully completed Intermediate Algebra.

Math Department Chair Marc Campbell said the program targets students who feel they need a refresher before Intermediate Algebra, which is considered to be a “gateway” course, meaning that students who complete it successfully have a better chance of finishing their college degree.

“We wanted to assist students with the transition into college-level math,” he said. “We worked closely with the ASC to identify important mathematical concepts to review with the students, as well as help them identify study and life skills gaps that often become barriers to their success in college-level courses.”

The success of Math Up has spawned other refresher workshops in chemistry and writing based on similar models.

Daytona State’s Academic Support Centers, located at all campuses, have a history of state and national recognition as models for best learning center practice. In 2010, the ASC earned its first exemplary practice award from the Association of Florida Colleges. In 2007, it received the prestigious National College Learning Center Association’s Frank Crist Outstanding Learning Center Award.

Last year, nearly 20,000 students received assistance with their coursework in the ASC, tallying a total 234,448 visits for tutoring and computer-assisted supplemental instruction.

###

---