Sometime in the mid 70's NCCC added a remedial math program that began with arithmetic, and continued with algebra. The program was self paced, and a student could in one semester review k-9th grade math. That allowed a seamless transition to whatever math requirement a curriculum required, with the exception of some STEM curricula that would have further requirements.
The original intention of the program was a review for non-traditional students who had been out of school for a long time. In that regard the program worked very well. I taught the course at night, and the students were quite motivated, with many of them working through three books in 15 weeks. The three books took students from 1st grade up through 9th grade algebra and a bit beyond.
By the 90's remedial math had expanded to 15-20 sections of arithmetic, mostly inhabited with 18-year-olds. Arithmetic and algebra were also separated, increasing the requirement to two semesters for most students. Such students were put in a holding pattern for a year or so, after which they could enroll in courses in their intended major.
Paul Kwitowski and I had another idea. We intended on putting together 1-hr courses for various curricula that would be taken concurrently with whatever quantitative courses were in a student's major. An accounting student, for instance, would take a concurrent 1-hr course (meeting once per week), whereby the instructor would intensively cover the necessary math for the week. That way the accounting instructor would not get bogged down with math, could concentrate on accounting, and the students would not be put in a 1-year holding pattern.
This program never got off the ground. I did put together a course called "Math For Physics" that students would take concurrently with Calc-Based Physics. There were other compelling reasons for teaching hsi course, which I won't get into. The course worked well in cutting down attrition for physics - customarily 80-90% at NCCC - and was run once. After that it was cancelled by Academic Affairs. Doc opened it, and the admin closed it. This cycle went on a couple times, until I was "caught" teaching the class. The math department at the time had an average class size of 21.6 - highest in the college - and NCCC was well into having resources being moved from across the college to Fine Arts. By Gerry Miller's admission, he built the most comprehensive Fine Arts program in the state. The "comprehensive" part was due to cannibalized resources from other divisions.
Around the same time we were given computers for our offices. Each division was asked to come up with a 5-year plan. Our division was asked to take the lead on this initiative, since we had all the computer nerds on campus.
Doc and a few of us met a couple times per week and produced a long document, detailing what we would do with the computers, and how we could offer training for the remainder of the college. What ever remuneration was involved would have been minimal.
Our proposal was rejected in whole. And our division was the very last to get computers in our office. At the time I was teaching the main sequence in computer science - Computer Programming Logic I&II and Data Structures - and went some time without a computer in my office, while the rest of the college did, including the HPE teachers!
Paul Kwitowski and Gerry Miller had a conflict that went back more than a decade. Paul had led an effort to get Gerry Miller removed as academic dean. I assume that was the reason why Paul Kwitowski's sound initiatives were all blocked for the whole duration of the 90's.
Over twenty years later Dan Miller in the math department would do an exhaustive study, and conclude that our students stood a better chance of graduating WITHOUT remedial math. The statistics were both startling and compelling. Apparently students were pretty good at figuring out math on the fly, and being in a 1-year holding pattern would discourage a high percentage to the point of causing them to drop out. After that remedial math at NCCC was mostly dismantled.
Doc and I were right. Our program would have worked famously.
Innovating during this time was a Sisyphean struggle.
There is a silver lining to this story................
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