Lake Land College develops curriculum to save students time and money

MATTOON, Ill. (WCIA) — Lake Land College in Mattoon has eliminated developmental math courses, becoming the first Community College in Illinois to do so.

Sarah Harley and Bambi Jones, math instructors at the college, designed the new math sequence to keep students from spending time and money on developmental math courses that don’t earn students any credit.

“We are thrilled by the innovation of our faculty to position Lake Land College as a state and nationwide leader in math education,” Lake Land College President Josh Bullock said. “We believe the promise of a better future through the power of education should be available to all, and this approach helps ensure equitable outcomes for the most at-risk student populations.”

Developmental math courses help to strengthen the math skills for students who have low test scores and help to prepare them for more challenging math classes in the future.

However, the developmental courses do not earn the student’s college credit for degree or certificate completion. This means that students who have lower scores often take more classes and spend more money than other students.

The new sequence includes co-requisite courses. In these courses, students that don’t score as high on tests will enroll directly into credit-bearing college math courses and will also have more support from instructors.

Beginning in 2016, Lake Land first used co-requisite classes for statistics and general education. The curriculum expanded in 2022 to also include college algebra. Then, in the fall of 2023, new math sequences began, and all developmental math courses were eliminated, according to the college.

Lake Land College said they have seen an uptick in general education math completion rates since they began the new math sequences. And, they said students are finishing their math requirements in less semesters.

Lake Land College will hold a virtual information session on Nov. 18 from 1-2 p.m. to help people learn more about their new math sequence design. To join, click here and use 952-6797-9157 as the meeting ID.

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