In our three-year, National Science Foundation funded WomenTech Project community college demonstration sites, we found that although the math, engineering and technology departments shared students, and their curriculums were integrally related, these departments had not collaborated or attempted to coordinate curriculums. Students were often required to take math as a prerequisite for technology courses, but courses were theory-basednot the applied math they'd need in the technology classroom. Math instructors taught a curriculum that would enable students
to transfer to a four-year college, yet students who did not plan to transfer were left without the kind of math they needed to be successful in their Associate in Science degree programs.
In two of our sites, facilitated meetings were held between the math, engineering and science departments. Meeting together began a dialog and a review of curriculums for better coordination and resulted in a joint set of goals between departments.
There are some pre-existing off-the-shelf math curriculums, some designed specifically for students with a fear of math. There is also math software that provides feedback to students and adjusts to their mastery level. Click the links in the More Information box in the above right to see some examples.
