Pencils and paper are optional. These rules apply to 1,140 University of Alabama students who are enrolled in the school's first computerized Math 100 course.
Students work at their own pace with computer software and individualized tutorial assistance.
The intermediate algebra course is a stumbling block for some students. Unless they are placed in a higher-level math class, undergraduate students must pass the course before graduation. Moving the course out of the classroom and into the computer lab has raised average student scores by one full grade level. The center has 73 computers where students complete homework and take tests. On a recent day, a young woman scribbled notes as she watched a teacher on her computer screen write problems on a chalkboard.