Ball State seeks $5 million for 20 classrooms

Interim BSU President Terry King cited the school's math emporium as an example of "these interactive learning spaces" that restructure classroom space, add technology and change the method and practice of teaching.

The cost is $250,000 per classroom.

"These are courses that typically have high rates of withdrawals, D's and F's, and we use it primarily for intermediate algebra, pre-calculus … courses," King told the Indiana House Ways and Means Committee in Indianapolis on Wednesday. "We piloted this in 2015 and it's now up and running full time. The success is pretty obvious."

The project increased the passing rate for intermediate algebra by 13 percent, and similar increases have been seen in the passing rates for pre-calculus and algebra.

"Probably the most important factor is in standardized testing of these courses we've seen a 41-percent increase in students receiving B's and A's, and that's important because these are the foundational classes students need to be successful in subsequent areas," King said. "This is a line item to remove those roadblocks to graduation."