HutchCC students have new math option for enrollment

By Paige Asberry
Staff writer

Good news is on the horizon for the Hutchinson Community College students that are not looking forward to having to take a higher math class. 

Contemporary Math, which is sometimes called Modern Math or Quantitative Reasoning, is being introduced as an alternative to Statistics (MA108) and College Algebra (MA106), and will soon be one of the three required math credits taught at HutchCC.

Contemporary Math, unlike College Algebra, is meant for students that are not planning to enter any kind of STEM field in the future. It covers topics that are more general and applicable to life situations.

“It will include statistics, probability, logic and reasoning, personal finance, measurements, and graph  interpretation,” said HutchCC Department 4 co-chair and chemistry professor Erin Beavers. “It will also touch the surface of basic math knowledge that will be helpful to many different career areas.”

And as new as this sounds, it is not a new class for many of the other states and colleges.

In the next couple of years, Contemporary Math will become an option for all colleges in the state of Kansas. It has been available in many other states and colleges for years.

“Kansas is catching up,” Beavers said. 

The curriculum for this course is textbook driven, and will be taught by the various math faculty. It will be one of the three possible options for a student to complete their math requirement – Statistics and College Algebra will be the other options.

Advisors will enroll students in the class that fits best for their area of study.

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