A Math Lab Study.

In order to make recommendations for improvement of the mathematics laboratory at Mira Costa College, questionnaires were mailed to 100 community colleges. Of the 40 responding, 17% had completely self-paced labs, 20% combined open labs with individualized instruction, 20% had no lab instruction, and the remainder had a variety of offerings. Courses ranged from one offering to eight, with arithmetic, elementary algebra, and intermediate algebra predominating. Funds were provided either by the district (n=13), special grant funds (n=13), or the student body (1). Of 15 colleges using audio-visual materials, a majority preferred texts supported by audio tapes. Students were encouraged to persevere in lab use by personal contacts, phone calls, or postcards. Facilities were variously housed in regular classrooms (13), separate centers (12), the library (6), or in separate tutoring or testing rooms. An instructor served as director in 15 colleges, with classified staff, instructional associates, or librarians serving as director in 11 institutions. Labs were open from four to 80 hours weekly. In addition to the questionnaire results, on-site visitations are reported for 11 campuses, and the combined information sources are utilized to recommend to Mira Costa College an increase in lab personnel, particularly classified aides, and increase lab space and/or open hours. (RT)