Math can be a tricky subject for online learners. Textbooks and video lectures can be helpful...but sometimes students just need a live human explanation.

Western Oaklahoma State University has a solution: a blended math class that combines online instruction with a live teacher assistance. Here's a blurb from Campus Technology:

"According to math instructor Larry Huntzinger, the "stacked" class format allows the college to offer more choices to students, keeps classes fuller, and makes better use of faculty. Western Oklahoma, a two-year institution serving students in Southwestern Oklahoma and the surrounding area, is able to do that with software from plato learning called Academic Systems Algebra. The software uses animation, graphics, audio, video, and other tools to present math concepts in an online learning environment that can be accessed at any time via an Internet connection."

I hope more colleges begin to offer blended instruction. That way students can work at their own pace while still having immediate access to live help.