Making sense of developmental education in the two-year college is difficult, particularly in the shadow of the fear that it is not working very well. There is no choice, however, but to examine openly a serious problem. The "story" about developmental education in the two-year college that most educators would like to believe is that of…

In October 1986, the Kansas State Board of Education included basic skills education as part of the role, scope and mission statements of the state's community colleges. In 1988, a study was conducted to assess the status of postsecondary remedial/developmental education. Study findings, based on semester enrollment figures for fall 1987, included…

This report presents findings from the third of a series of studies of the Upward Bound (UB) program. The study was conducted between April, 1978, and September, 1979, to investigate long-term educational outcomes of UB program participation. The Upward Bound program was designed for low income high school students with potential for successfully…

The University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire has attempted to solve the problem of underprepared freshmen by offering adjunct classes to freshman level content courses. Currently ten adjunct classes in seven departments are taught and are used to integrate the teaching of learning and study skills into the teaching of the regular course content. Two…

Santa Fe Community College (Florida) has used computerized adaptive testing with students placed in developmental reading, writing, and mathematics courses. Computerized adaptive testing utilizes the capabilities of microcomputers to adapt examinations to the abilities of individual students, may be less threatening to students, is preferred by…

Examines the literature regarding the cost of delivering postsecondary remedial education. Describes five studies that offer statewide and national estimates of such costs. Offers insight into the limited amount of research available on the topic, the considerable difficulties involved in collecting information, and the opposing philosophies and…

Examines the use of "type 2 discussion," in which the teacher creates an online conversation with the class. Suggests that, by adding type 2 discussions to a face-to-face developmental education class, faculty help students build their own knowledge base. Adds that the online component gives all students equal access to this knowledge…

Suggests that verbal and visual metaphors help academically underprepared students make conceptual connections between their own knowledge and classroom learning. Describes an exercise involving writing about art that helps develop metaphoric thinking. States that in this exercise, students used their senses, prior knowledge, and imaginations to…

Examines the effectiveness of two writing-to-learn formats in helping developmental students master biological information and in decreasing writing anxiety. Objective measures showed a small but significant decrease in writing anxiety over the quarter, unrelated to writing format. Writing format also had little effect on content knowledge, based…

To examine the effects of developmental and remedial course participation on student retention and academic performance, Sinclair Community College, in Ohio, undertook a study of outcomes after 3 years for the 1,798 first-time, degree or certificate students who enrolled in fall 1990. Students were grouped based on need for remedial coursework and…

Project AFFIRM (African-American First Investment Return Module) was established at Evergreen Community College in fall 1989 as a comprehensive academic and support program to help African-American students achieve their college transfer or associate degree goals. AFFIRM courses combine career and economic prosperity components into life plan…

A study was done of the specific program characteristics of remedial and developmental programs at institutions of higher education in the 15 states of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). The data and findings were part of a larger survey of public and private colleges and universities by SREB which examined remedial enrollment and the…

In 1987, Rockland Community College (RCC) established a Developmental Studies Department to serve students in need of remedial/developmental services. This report describes the services of the department and two special related projects. Part I focuses on the Developmental Studies Department, covering assessment, placement, and advisement; college…

An evaluation is presented of the remedial programs in each of New Jersey's 32 public colleges and universities. The academic outcome of full-time students entering in fall 1984 is tracked over four semesters. This analysis combines measures of the colleges' administrative efficiency in testing and enrolling students in needed remedial courses,…

Two main points should be noted concerning strategies recommended for teaching basic writing students. First, teachers can develop only those strategies that are consonant with their own personalities and that will enable students to develop their own writing strategies. Second, whatever strategies are selected should lead students beyond the…