This qualitative study explores how students navigate discourses in an undergraduate government class. To understand how content area literacy instruction may support a corequisite government course, qualitative data was collected over two semesters. Analysis revealed three prevalent themes: (1) Students struggle with developing a habit of mind as…

The goals of placement reform and the elimination of developmental education at community colleges were to decrease the misplacement of students and to provide students with quicker access to college-level courses to improve retention and student success rates. However, the new placement reforms may be preventing some nontraditional students from…

This study examined the implication of the Algebra Connection Essay in a developmental algebra course. Undergraduate students (n=18) in four Intermediate Algebra courses were administered a pre-attitudinal survey prior to receiving information on the essay about their chosen or desired program of study. After submitting the essay, the students…

Teaching students to think critically is one of the major goals of higher education. Many educators at the college level recognize this and expect students to demonstrate critical thinking early in their college experience, however for some students, a lack of preparation for these expectations poses an immediate and substantial challenge during…

The C4 Scholar program (Cross-Curricular Career Community) is a multi-semester, interdisciplinary learning community program at a comprehensive Midwestern university for underprepared students entering with three developmental placements in English composition, mathematics, and reading. The program, which includes course acceleration and…

In a traditional math classroom, a math teacher demonstrates procedures to solve a math problem from a math lesson on board. Students follow the same procedures using the same concepts to solve their homework or drill assignments. This method of math instruction is continued day after day (Ferguson, 2006). This route memorization of procedures…

Due to poor student success rates in developmental mathematics, many institutions have implemented various forms of redesign into their developmental math curricula. Since the goal of redesign is to increase student success, it is salient to explore all aspects of the redesign process. Many studies have focused on the positive outcomes of redesign…

This paper presents a pilot study aiming to evaluate the effects of a non-cognitive assessment instrument which was developed and tailored for a community college in the New York City area. The instrument was pilot tested on a group of developmental students and asked a series of questions to determine the campus support services that might best…

This paper outlines the results of a pilot study conducted to determine the impact on grade outcomes and self-efficacy from the incorporation of preparation-homework (pre-hw) in a developmental mathematics classroom. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. This study found that those students who reported doing pre-hw significantly…

Since high school students are failing to master writing proficiency, developmental writing programs at the college level have become increasingly necessary. This article explains the lack of readiness with which students are entering college and the workplace, examines the reasons students are having trouble writing, and describes elements of…

The purpose of this paper is to suggest ways that cross-disciplinary (non-ESL) faculty can help developmental immigrant students succeed in undergraduate programs. We present five key issues that faculty should consider when teaching these students and when reading their writing. Finally, we offer experience-based, practical suggestions on how to…

Currently, many community colleges are struggling with poor student success rates in developmental math. Therefore, this qualitative study focused on employing best practices in developmental mathematics at an urban community college in Dayton, Ohio. Guiding the study were the following research questions: What are the best practices utilized by a…

The internet is the defining technology for an entire generation. It requires the student to be able to critically evaluate information. It also requires the student to think critically about what information is contained in the information retrieved. How do we prepare developmental education students for these tasks? This article discusses the…

One of the most important topics for faculty in public higher education, especially at community colleges, is how to help developmental students succeed. Students requiring basic mathematics and English courses are the most at-risk college students in public education today. The authors received a grant from the Kresge Foundation that funded the…

Many organizations from legislative bodies to advocacy groups to research centers have recently "discovered" developmental education in much the same way as Columbus discovered America. In the middle of the first decade of the 21st century, private philanthropic organizations, initially led by the Lumina Foundation (n.d.), promoted a…