QEP offers support: relief from ‘math stress’
By: T.J. Jernigan

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While mathematics is a dreaded subject for most college students, Northwest’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) has implemented support labs and refresher courses to make getting those required math credits a little easier.
When the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) introduced accreditation changes in 2001, each institution was required to develop a plan of action (QEP) for institutional improvement that addressed a specific learning need directly related to students.
In an effort to make mathematics less intimidating and more fulfilling, the focus chosen for Northwest’s QEP was “Moving Mathematical Mountains.” 
“The issue of improving students’ math skills has been recognized and documented repeatedly as a need at Northwest, so our focus was mathematics,” said Charlotte Alexander, mathematics chair.
Since the plan was put into action, support labs that offer tutoring for college math and algebra classes have been established on all three campuses.
These labs offer free tutoring for math concepts used in classes like chemistry, physical science, and nursing. Any student who needs additional help outside of regular class time can visit the math support labs to receive personal tutoring, and an appointment is not necessary.
 “I haven’t had a math class in nearly 30 years when I decided to come back to college, so I am having to re-learn just about everything,” said Alison Heafner, an education major from Batesville. “I would have an 'F' for sure if it wasn’t for tutoring in the math lab.”
Heafner, a 49-year-old non-traditional student said she uses the lab at least three to five times a week and has already seen improvement in her math skills by receiving “A’s” on both of her first two intermediate college math tests.
“Its such a convenience to know I can go to the lab whenever I want to get help on my homework or to clear up things I might have missed in class. I can’t believe more people don’t use it,” she added.
Trey Hall, a freshman secondary education major from Charleston also uses the lab on a regular basis.  
“I haven’t had an algebra class since my junior year of high school,” Hall said. “I would be up a creek without the extra tutoring offered by the math lab.”
For students who need reinforcement of their math skills, math refresher workshops are offered free of charge each summer on the Senatobia and Lafayette-Yalobusha campuses. Students can attend review sessions and are allowed to take the placement test in hopes of improving correct placement in math classes.
“Some students come to college and they may not have taken a math class in two or three years,” Alexander said. “The refresher workshops offer them just a little review before jumping back into college level math.”
Northwest also developed a “Math Across the Curriculum” committee that blends the subject of math with other areas of study. Last spring, Kristie Waldrop, a math instructor, presented a lesson to Dr. James Reed’s philosophy class to show how the two subjects were related.
In addition, Mu Alpha Theta, a mathematics honor society, was established as part of Northwest’s QEP to spark an interest in math and to help students recognize that achievement in mathematics can lead to success in many chosen fields of study.
The club participates in two competitions a year including the Student Math League Competition and the Georgia State College Mathematics Tournament. Members of the club also attend the Dalrymple Lecture at the University of Mississippi in the fall and the Erdos Lecture at the University of Memphis in the spring.
Full implementation of Northwest’s QEP program began in October 2006 after it was approved by the SACS on-site peer review committee.
The college went about the business of improving math skills by the following strategies: Frequent Assessment, Advising and Placement, Improving Attitudes in Mathematics, Technology in the Classroom and Help Through Support Labs.
“College-level math can be scary for a lot of students, and we realize that,” Alexander said. “But if students will make use of the things offered by our QEP, hopefully getting their required math credits won’t be such a nightmare.”
For more information about the SACS or the QEP program, visit the website at http://www.sacs.eku.edu/qep/

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