{"676257":{"#nid":"676257","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech\u2019s Unique Distance Math Program Celebrates 20th Anniversary and Exponential Growth ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThis fall, the twentieth cohort of students will begin the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/admission.gatech.edu\/dual-enrollment\/distance-math\u0022\u003EDistance Math\u003C\/a\u003E program offered through the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/math.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Mathematics\u003C\/a\u003E in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECollege of Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E. The program allows eligible high school students, who have already completed AP Calculus BC, to virtually take up to four advanced math courses at Georgia Tech. The 20th anniversary of the program also showcases another reason to celebrate: the exponential growth of the program since its launch. There are more than 1,100 students this fall compared to the 32 students in the original cohort two decades ago.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe beginning\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe Distance Math program was created long before distance learning became a global concept. Mathematics Professor Emeritus\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/math.gatech.edu\/people\/tom-morley\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETom Morley\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E designed the original concept when Georgia Tech was approached by administrators in five Fulton County schools to help high school students who had exhausted all high school math classes. He created a program that broadcast his math courses to classrooms of high school students as he simultaneously taught Georgia Tech students on campus. The design was similar to a television newscast, but leveraging two-way video so Morley could see the highschoolers when needed. Much like today\u2019s modern conference calls, students could ask questions via a microphone to participate in real-time discussions \u2014 a pioneering concept 20 years ago. Georgia Tech\u2019s professional education staff couriered any written assignments or homework between the students and Morley.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cI\u2019m really proud of what I started. For many years, it was the most successful recruiting outreach that Tech had with local Georgia schools,\u201d Morley says.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EOriginally called Distance Calculus, the program changed its name to Distance Math in 2016.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EDirector of Non-Degree Programs\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/admission.gatech.edu\/school-counselors\/dual-enrollment\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELaura Simmons\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E has been working in the Distance Math program for nine years. She says the program was cutting edge when it began, and the evolution of technology only further advanced the program. \u201cBack in 2005, it was unusual that we were beaming Georgia Tech classrooms out to high schools,\u201d she explained. \u201cThey used very large, very bulky equipment which was considered elite at the time. The pandemic in 2020 made it necessary to move to a more asynchronous program, but we were already poised to do that.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ECurrently, students are taught via recorded videos, allowing students more flexibility, and live \u201cstudio sessions\u201d give students the opportunity to ask teaching assistants questions.\u0026nbsp;However, the program maintains the tradition of students taking exams with pencil and paper while being proctored at the high school.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe best and brightest\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EMath Professor\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/michael-lacey\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMichael Lacy\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E,\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003Ewho currently teaches in the Distance Math program, says the students in the program are \u201ctypically, the best students in the state.\u201d He explained the high school students who enroll not only seek out but excel in\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003Eall\u003C\/em\u003E advanced courses, including every math course his or her school offers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThese are very strong students, highly engaged in the world around them,\u201d he adds. \u201cI had a student in F1 racing competitions; I had a National Student Poet in one of my classes. They come with interesting backgrounds and interests plus their own histories. It is a privilege to enrich their secondary education this way.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech\u2019s Director of Online Learning\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sites.gatech.edu\/gregmayer\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGregory Mayer\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E agrees. \u201cThese students are extremely bright with very, very bright futures so this feels like a dream to me, to get to teach in this program.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech student\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EAdi Krish\u003C\/strong\u003E was in the Distance Math program his junior and senior years of high school, and is now a second year computer science major who works as a research assistant in both the Techtonics lab and the Teachable A.I. Lab. \u201cDistance Math was a great experience that put me in a good position to start college,\u201d he says. \u201cPlus, I thought it was a good way to bond with a bunch of fellow nerds over math. We had multiple study groups including groups across different schools.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFrom then to now\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EFrom a start of only serving five Fulton County schools, the program now serves nearly 100 high schools across the state. Georgia Tech is the only USG institution to offer math at this level in a dual enrollment program. The tremendous success of Distance Math is credited to those who continue to put in long hours to make it work.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cI consider myself extremely lucky to be a part of this program,\u201d Mayer says. \u201cI enjoy answering questions from these students about what\u0027s next, how to choose college courses, and what I recommend for extracurriculars. I think it\u2019s wonderful to get to help navigate the landscape of what college is all about.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe 20th anniversary of the program, coincidentally, marks the intersection of distance learning and Distance Math. \u201cThis class entering into the fall 2024 cohort started high school online,\u201d Simmons says. \u201cThey were the students for whom there were no rules. There were barely any deadlines and not many expectations of whatever they were doing.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EHowever, she added, \u201cI have no doubt the students in this year\u2019s Distance Math program will continue to leave us in awe.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELong before distance learning was a global concept, Georgia Tech pioneered the Distance Math program for exceptional high school students. Now, in its 20th year, the program serves a record number of students.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech\u2019s Distance Math program, which allows eligible high school students to virtually take math courses at Georgia Tech, celebrates its 20th year of serving students. "}],"uid":"36609","created_gmt":"2024-08-26 19:51:16","changed_gmt":"2024-09-03 12:51:45","author":"acook304","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-08-28T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-08-28T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"674709":{"id":"674709","type":"image","title":"Georgia Tech Professor Emeritus Tom Morley created the original Distance Math program 20 years ago. Photo submitted by: Gregory Mayer","body":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech Professor Emeritus Tom Morley created the original Distance Math program 20 years ago. Photo submitted by: Gregory Mayer\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1724701908","gmt_created":"2024-08-26 19:51:48","changed":"1724701908","gmt_changed":"2024-08-26 19:51:48","alt":"Georgia Tech\u0027s Distance Math program was founded by Professor Emeritus Tom Morley ","file":{"fid":"258265","name":"Distance Math Founder Tom Morley.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/08\/26\/Distance%20Math%20Founder%20Tom%20Morley.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/08\/26\/Distance%20Math%20Founder%20Tom%20Morley.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":65332,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/08\/26\/Distance%20Math%20Founder%20Tom%20Morley.jpg?itok=JQX_gcTk"}},"674710":{"id":"674710","type":"image","title":"Distance Math is for high school students who completed all high school math courses, including AP Calculus.","body":"\u003Cp\u003EDistance Math is for high school students who completed all high school math courses, including AP Calculus.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1724702361","gmt_created":"2024-08-26 19:59:21","changed":"1724702361","gmt_changed":"2024-08-26 19:59:21","alt":"The Distance Math program allows students to virtually take math courses at Georgia Tech.","file":{"fid":"258266","name":"Distance Math is for high school students who completed all high school math courses, including AP Calculus.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/08\/26\/Distance%20Math%20is%20for%20high%20school%20students%20who%20completed%20all%20high%20school%20math%20courses%2C%20including%20AP%20Calculus.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/08\/26\/Distance%20Math%20is%20for%20high%20school%20students%20who%20completed%20all%20high%20school%20math%20courses%2C%20including%20AP%20Calculus.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2305255,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/08\/26\/Distance%20Math%20is%20for%20high%20school%20students%20who%20completed%20all%20high%20school%20math%20courses%2C%20including%20AP%20Calculus.jpg?itok=qXTAfFGd"}},"674711":{"id":"674711","type":"image","title":"The Distance Math program allows eligible students to virtually take up to 4 Georgia Tech math courses.","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Distance Math program allows eligible students to virtually take up to 4 Georgia Tech math courses.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1724702494","gmt_created":"2024-08-26 20:01:34","changed":"1724702494","gmt_changed":"2024-08-26 20:01:34","alt":"High School students who have exhausted all math courses, including AP Calculus, can apply to the program. 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