Associate degree allied health programs (ADAHP) face multiple pressures to admit students who are likely to succeed and enter the workforce. In 2016, the Assessment Technologies Institute Test of Essential Academic Skills (ATI TEAS) was added as a required criterion of the supplemental program application at a community college in the southeastern…

Gatekeeper courses such as Anatomy and Physiology are often referenced in discussions regarding the national shortage of persons in allied health professions. In an attempt to bolster access to STEM professions, some community colleges are mandating prerequisite courses such as Natural Sciences and/or General Biology for STEM gatekeeping courses.…

Assessing a student's ability to be successful in courses and programs is an important and necessary aspect of student success. Two major practices exist to predict a student's likelihood of succeeding in a course or program: (1) Successful completion of prerequisite or advisory courses (as documented on transcripts) and (2) the assessment for…

In this study, the different types of research designs used to assess the impact of prerequisite courses are presented. Supported by an in-depth literature review, the challenges that are faced in the assessment of the impact of prerequisites, from statistical to political, are identified and their pitfalls are pointed out. In particular, the…

Drawing from research and observations at Lansing Community College (Michigan) (LCC), this paper argues that typical arithmetic courses do little to prepare students to master algebra, and proposes an alternative set of arithmetic skills as actual prerequisites to algebra. The first section offers a description of the algebra sequence at LCC,…

This study was undertaken to determine whether a biology preparatory course given at an urban community college was helping students to develop the proper skills and background necessary to successfully complete follow-up courses in biology. Data indicated a mathematics score was the main discriminator between pass/fail groups of the preparatory…

A study was conducted at Donnelly College, in Kansas, to determine whether taking a math course prerequisite affected students' final course grades in an introductory chemistry course. From a sample of 329 students who finished the chemistry course between fall 1985 and fall 1993, course grades were compared for 30 students who had completed the…

A study was conducted at Burlington County College to investigate the relationship between the academic characteristics and course completion of students enrolled in General College Chemistry (CHE 105) in fall 1985. The study involved an examination of students' academic records and a survey of students who did not successfully pass the course. Of…

A study investigated the relationship of scores in the Texas Academic Skills Program, a minimum competency test for college-bound students, and performance in freshman and sophomore courses, and uses for that information in setting course prerequisites. Data were drawn from 18 courses at one community college. Results showed existing course…

At Oregon's Lane Community College (LCC), all full-time students and students enrolled in English Composition (WR121) are required to take a 35-item writing placement test. Students with test scores deemed "marginal" (i.e, those scoring between 20 and 24 points) are advised to take a preparatory course (WR120) before enrolling in WR121,…