In the summer of 2023, Rowan College at Burlington County (RCBC) administrators and mathematics faculty came together to address a longstanding challenge in higher education: a majority of incoming students were being placed into non-credit math courses, delaying their entry into vital, credit-bearing courses. For many students, this meant spending additional time and resources on developmental coursework before they could begin earning college credit towards their degree.
To tackle this problem, the college partnered with Almy Education, a higher-education consulting firm, to reimagine its math pathways and create a more effective, student-centered approach. By Fall 2024, RCBC had implemented a comprehensive redesign of its math pathway to improve student outcomes, increase access to credit-bearing courses, and create a more positive experience for students taking math courses.
Dr. Taziah Kenney, RCBC’s Associate Dean of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), spearheaded the initiative. The work centered on four interconnected pillars:
- New placement testing: RCBC replaced its legacy multi-measures placement with a standard testing approach using ALEKS Placement, Preparation, and Learning (ALEKS PPL) for algebra-placed courses and a guided self-placement option for non-STEM courses that gave students agency to choose if they wanted clinic support alongside their 100-level course
- Pathway restructuring: Students can choose from STEM, Education, Business/precalculus, and quantitative reasoning/statistics tracks. Before, students encountered a single, undifferentiated set of courses.
- Corequisite support: Students who need additional support can enroll in a college-level course while taking a paired support clinic. This allows students to earn college credits while continuing to build their math skills outside the primary course.
- Faculty support and instructional redesign: Faculty received support to strengthen instruction in both the college-level courses and their paired clinics, creating a more connected learning experience for students.
More Students Are Starting in Credit-Bearing Math
The results show a significant shift in how students begin their college math experience.
Before the redesign, approximately 49-50% of first-year students who took math enrolled in a college-level course, while another 25-26% enrolled solely in developmental math with no college-level credit.
After the Fall 2024 rollout, college-level enrollment jumped to 70%, while developmental math enrollment fell to just 14-15%. That momentum continued into Fall 2025, when college-level enrollment held at 72%.
Individual course data also show the impact. MTH 107 reached 70% enrollment in a college-level course, up from 57% in Fall 2022, while MTH 113 reached approximately 69-70%.
Students Are Responding Positively
The faculty support baked into the redesign has also produced encouraging results. Eighty-eight percent of students believe their instructor genuinely cares about their success, while 87% said they would want the same instructor for both clinic and main courses.
Students shared their personal experiences with the redesigned math courses:
“I think the RCBC math program has gotten SO MUCH BETTER! This is like my 5th time taking a math class. Before Dr. Kenney took over, I cried every day. I went to her office in tears, asking for help, and she stayed with me.”
— MTH 113+013 student, Fall 2025
“What has mostly helped me during my math course is knowing that my professor doesn't ridicule students for not getting the questions right. Instead, he urges us to keep trying, be dedicated, and ask for help when we are stuck. He teaches in a way that students can keep up and understand by assigning us to small groups where we share ideas and associate, as well as including every student in participation whenever he can. He makes himself available for us when we need help, and that immensely helped me do better.”
— MTH 085 student, Fall 2025
“The modules in ALEKS are very helpful in staying sharp on your math skills. The professor was great with accommodations, having us take tests at home, and just doing lessons in class. He offered a very comfortable classroom experience to ask questions and understood that math is not every person's best subject.”
— MTH 107 student, Fall 2025
The Data Shows a Different Start Point
So what does all this data tell us?
Students are starting their college math experience in a significantly different way. First-year math students are enrolling in credit-bearing courses at much higher rates than before, reducing reliance on developmental, non-credit coursework and creating greater momentum toward degree completion.
The consistent trends seen in 2024 and 2025 also provide encouraging evidence that the redesigned pathways are having a sustained impact. In a survey of 483 RCBC students, 70% of whom were taking their first math course at RCBC, 79% reported feeling they were in the right course. Among students who selected their own course through guided self-placement, 88% felt their choice was right.
A Collaborative Effort
Great work is rarely accomplished alone. The success of RCBC's math redesign reflects the leadership of Dr. Taziah Kenney and the many colleagues across the college who embraced the vision, shared their expertise, and helped turn an ambitious idea into meaningful change for students.
The effort brought together Math faculty Jianene D'Alterio, Priti Mihalik, Bill Whitfield, Jonathan Weisbrod, Chris Cooper, Diane Veneziale, Crystal Bourne, and all of the math adjunct faculty, along with Task Force members Dr. Cathy Briggs (Enrollment Management and Student Success) and Dr. Martin Hoffman (Office of Information Technology), and Amanda Hartman and Carol Shapcott (Strategic Marketing and Communications). Academic deans in Humanities, Business, and Social Sciences and Health Sciences also played an important role in engaging their faculty and supporting the transition.
Their collective expertise, collaboration, and commitment to student success helped shape a more accessible, supportive, and effective math experience for RCBC students. Together they demonstrated what’s possible when colleagues come together with a shared goal: helping more students succeed.
Ready to take the next step?
Complete your math requirements and earn college credit from the start. To learn more about RCBC’s math pathways and STEM programs, visit rcbc.edu/stem or speak to your RCBC advisor at rcbc.edu/advising.
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