The Learning Resource Center (LRC), together with the College of Economics and Management (CEM), implemented a special online math bridge program (BP) for 107 incoming CEM freshies.
The special BP, held from Aug. 23 to Sept. 3, was apart from the regular BP for selected students of UPLB. It is also the second special BP held online since 2020.
The special BP aims to provide freshies taking up degree programs at CEM, namely: BS Economics, BS Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship, and BS Agricultural and Applied Economics, the necessary foundation and skills for MATH 25 or Fundamental Calculus this first semester.
The special BP is an offshoot of an observation of CEM that freshies who were taking up the College’s degree programs had a difficult time coping with Math 25 because they did not have sufficient background in pre-calculus in senior high school.
One hundred seven (107) new freshies completed the special 2-week BP in math handled by faculty members from the Math Division of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics of the UPLB College of Arts and Sciences.
The program adopted both synchronous and asynchronous learning wherein the students accessed the online learning platform for their modules and assessments, and attended virtual classes through Zoom and/or Google Meet.
It had four sections and covered topics such as basic algebra, equations, relations, and functions.
At the special BP recognition and closing program on Sept. 6, Dr. Agham C. Cuevas, dean of CEM, assured the students of support from their first to their fourth year through life-long learning opportunities. “We hope to produce graduates who are agile in thought, results, in people, and in self; graduates who are adaptive, collaborative, and innovative,” Dr. Cuevas said.
Shantel Anne Nicole E. Chavez, a participant in the 2015 Bridge Program and a graduate of BS Agricultural Economics, gave a testimonial on her experience in taking the special BP.
Chavez, who was the UPLB class valedictorian in 2020, shared practical tips and learning strategies to the participants such as making learning one’s passion, keeping organized notes, and enjoying oneself and learning to rest. According to Shantel, “you are more important than your grades; surviving college is a matter of having the courage to keep going; and this is possible if you keep yourself healthy physically, emotionally, and mentally.”
Alliah Kyla A. Lomibao from Mandaluyong City, an incoming BS Economics student garnered the highest rating in math. According to Alliah, the Math BP helped her a lot with math concepts that will be valuable in her first year in UPLB.
She said that she was able to overcome her anxieties about calculus through the help of the special BP and its instructors. “The program played a huge role in building my competencies in the subject, which can be a big factor in my academic success,” said Lomibao. (Joshua Michael G. Jonas)
(This article was first published in the UP Los Baños website on September 20, 2021.)