Competency-based instruction courses (CBI) are designed to provide meaningful learning opportunities that encourage mastery of the knowledge and skills you need to succeed in subsequent required courses or programs. Students with assessment scores lower than those required for college level math can learn or review needed math skills. With CBI you can move quickly through the material you already know, and take more time to focus on what you need to learn. With flexible schedules and instructors to help you stay on track, you can complete the classes at the pace that works for you.

Currently the math courses at NIACC offered in a CBE format are: PreAlgebra, Survey of Math, Elementary Algebra, and Intermediate Algebra.

NIAAC’s CBI math courses are designed to bring your math skills up to a level which will help you succeed in your college level course or programs.  The classes are offered at various times and durations to allow maximum flexibility of scheduling.

In a traditional course, you work at the instructor’s pace and have deadlines throughout the semester. In a CBI course, you may have a choice of which order you work on chapters. You will take exams only when you have mastered the skills covered in any given chapter.  The instructor will provide guidance on learning resources available to you, study skills, helpful hints on how to learn and practice skills, and how to maintain a pace that works for you.

Each class is set up in a way to help you succeed. There will be various learning activities (e.g., lecture videos, examples, handouts) to keep you engaged in your learning. The difficulty of assignments can be adjusted and increased until you are able to perform well at the level required for success. Practice assignments allow you to practice, practice, practice, as much as you need until you are ready for the section certifications and chapter tests.

You must set a pace that allows you to complete your course on or before the last day of the semester. Faculty will provide a schedule to serve as a guideline for completing the course during the 16-week semester. You are encouraged to pretest, if appropriate and by-pass having to certify in skills you already understand and are accurate in performing. That will leave you more time to practice and master skills which are more challenging to you. Since math is best learned a bit at a time, your instructor will help you pace your work to complete in a timely fashion.

When you start a chapter, you may review the material and take a pretest to see if you already have a mastery level of understanding of the skills covered. You will automatically certify sections in which you prove mastery. Then you will practice the skills covered in uncertified sections.  You must pass each remaining assigned section with a score of 80% or higher.  Sections passed will earn 100% of the homework portion of the grade. You are allowed unlimited attempts to reach that 80% level in assigned sections. So, each student will receive 100% for all homework completed to mastery. Once all sections are passed in a chapter you will practice for and take a test over the chapter. You must pass each chapter test with 65% or better.

Tests scores, Homework scores, and Participation scores will all be included in your final grade. You must pass your CBI course with a C, or 70% or higher to advance to the next course.

A CBI course costs the same as a traditional course.