“Mathphobia,” the fear of math, is one of the underlying academic epidemics that can cause students to delay degree completion, if not drop out of college altogether. Even the brightest students can feel defeated when they realize the one or two remaining math courses they’ve been avoiding are inevitable, and stand between them and their degree.
To combat math anxiety and intimidation, San Jacinto College college preparatory and academic faculty created the AIM (Acceleration in Mathematics) program, a co-requisite remediation program that allows students to complete two developmental math courses and College Algebra in a single semester. This award-winning, team-taught program consistently has a success rate of 64 percent, surpassing traditional College Algebra classes by 20 percent. The course is offered at all three San Jacinto College campuses and is recognized across the state as one of the most successful co-requisite remediation programs.
Kristen Foxley reviews one of the daily quizzes of the AIM class.
Photo credit: Andrea Vasquez, San Jacinto College
“It is wonderful to be a part of something that is making a huge impact on students’ lives,” said Kristen Foxley, San Jacinto College math professor and lead faculty, who is part of the team that created AIM. “It’s exciting that other colleges are recognizing the success of AIM and wanting to implement similar programs on their campuses.”
Math professor and AIM team member, Matt Lewis, explains that the AIM classes meet five days a week and have daily quizzes and homework assignments so that math is a constant part of their day. “One thing that we find with AIM is that it seems to matter less what the student knows coming in the door and a great deal more with how much they are supported throughout the course,” said Lewis. “We offer a lot of in-class practice, which we call time on task; students are with us for a longer amount of time; paper homework is collected, graded, and returned every day in class, allowing us to find out what the student knows and doesn’t know; and we host review sessions and make lecture videos of what is covered in class.”
Math professor Matt Lewis goes over one of the assignments in his and Kristen Foxley’s AIM class.
Photo credit: Andrea Vasquez, San Jacinto College.
Student Julia Garcia found much more than a way to overcome her math reservations. At 31, her success in the AIM program gave her a great sense of self-confidence that she made the right decision to go back to school and the motivation to continue pursuing her nursing degree. “I could not imagine completing my math requirements without the AIM program,” said Garcia. “My instructors were beyond wonderful, and one of the most important things I learned is to never underestimate what you are capable of. Normally, I would have been fine with a C, but the more I sacrificed time with my children to stay in and study, and the higher I started scoring on my exams- I wanted that A. Now that I’ve been accepted into the LVN program, other family members ask me how to get started going back to school.”
Students can find out more about the AIM program and enrollment requirements by visiting an educational planner on campus.
– Andrea Vasquez