UA, Greensboro East High School Open First State-of-the-Art Math Learning Center

GREENSBORO, Ala. – Greensboro East High School, in collaboration with The University of Alabama, will be the first high school in Alabama to establish a state-of-the-art Math Technology Learning Center. The center replaces the traditional classroom lecturer with computer-assisted learning and one-on-one tutoring.

A $50,000 Math Technology Learning Center (MTLC) will be dedicated Jan. 30, 2003 at 4:30 p.m. in Room 104 at Greensboro East High School, 620 Carver Street.

The Math Technology Learning Center is a joint project of The University of Alabama’s College of Arts and Sciences, UA’s Black Belt Development Initiative and Greensboro East math faculty and was made possible with support from state Sen. Charles Steele Jr. and former state Rep. Tim Parker.

It is modeled on the highly successful, $1.3 million Math Technology Learning Center in the College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Alabama. Each year approximately 2,500 students at UA take their basic math and intermediate algebra courses in the MTLC, a 7,000 square foot facility that includes 240 computers and six tutoring rooms.

Since establishing the MTLC in 2000, UA has seen a 50 percent increase in the number of students who pass their math courses taken through the MTLC.

The Greensboro East High School facility consists of 25 computers and mathematics software installed by UA. High school faculty are receiving training on the system by UA faculty.

“Computer technology is changing the way students learn at The University of Alabama and throughout the nation,” said Robert F. Olin, dean of UA’s College of Arts and Sciences. “It has proven to help students learn more and more rapidly. It can provide instant feedback on exercises, quizzes, and tests. It can accommodate different learning styles, showing tasks in visual, linguistic, or numerical format. This is a form of teaching and learning that can be easily shared. We are delighted to be able to share with Greensboro East High School the innovative math learning technology that has proven so successful with students at the University. We believe that Greensboro students will see similar increases in success in the classroom.”

Like the UA facility, Greensboro East High School’s Math Technology Learning Center will enable students to work exercises and take quizzes that are instantly graded. The software alerts students to wrong answers and will guide them step-by-step to correct solutions. Free from the task of rote grading, teachers are able to provide individual tutoring as needed.

Future plans in Greensboro include an after-school computer laboratory being spearheaded by Rep. Bobby Singleton, said Samory Pruitt, assistant to the president at The University of Alabama. “The project in Greensboro, along with other initiatives throughout the Black Belt, is part of a focused effort by The University of Alabama to assist in improving the quality of life for the citizens in this region,” said Pruitt.

“The Math lab at Greensboro East High School is a wonderful example of how K-12 education, post secondary education, and government can come together to provide high quality educational programs for children,” said Frank Steegall, superintendent of the Hale County School System. “We greatly appreciate, and have come to depend upon, these necessary collaborations.”

“Greensboro students and teachers will see a number of advantages to the interactive, self-paced math center,” said Dr. Joe Benson, senior associate dean for mathematics and natural sciences in UA’s College of Arts and Sciences. “Additional exercises and one-on-one assistance in the math center will allow them to work on class lessons at their own pace. Independent learners may work alone. Learners who need individual tutoring have teachers to work with them. Working with the program, students also learn how to learn, a skill that can be used in many aspects of life.”

Benson and Dr. Jill Driver, director of UA’s College of Education In-Service Center, are UA faculty liaisons to the Greensboro project.

“We are excited about including computer based instruction in our lesson plans to reinforce objectives taught in the classroom,” said Kenneth Webb, chairman of the Greensboro East High School mathematics department.

“We are working with Dr. Jill Driver and Dr. Joe Benson from The University of Alabama to design a schedule and to choose software so that the maximum number of students can benefit from using the Mathematics Technology Learning Center,” Webb said. “We will be providing computer-based, after school tutoring for our students beginning February 1.”

UA’s College of Arts and Sciences has plans underway to establish mathematics learning centers with two other Alabama high school systems, Lowndes County High School and Tuscaloosa City High Schools.