Student-to-Student Support in Developmental Mathematics Courses

During the Fall of 2015, faculty and staff at a large community college district with an enrollment of 55,000 in the Southwest United States were encouraged to apply for Innovation Challenge Grants. The goal of these grants was to allow faculty and staff an opportunity to create, innovate, and share ideas, so that the college could strive to be one of the best organizations by developing an environment for students to learn and grow. The funding of this grant came from the district president allowing 5% of the budget from each division to be funneled into a pool of money, from which faculty and staff could apply for a grant. A committee would review each grant request and make recommendations as to whether to approve the funding. For developmental mathematics (DM), a group of three faculty members got together to brainstorm ways these innovation funds could be used to assist students enrolled in DM courses. The meeting focus was directed to students taking weekend DM courses as part of the Weekend College Program. The colleges' Weekend College Program offers alternative scheduling for those unable to attend college during a traditional time frame, desiring to augment a traditional class schedule, or add classes to their day, evening or online schedules.