and formatting
appropriate to
and clearly
supporting the
purpose of the
writing.
66 | D e v e l o p m e n t a l E d u c a t i o n C o u r s e R e d e s i g n W o r k G r o u p Miles Community College
Students who haven’t taken the ACT or SAT are placed into developmental classes based on a Compass score. Students have the option of retaking the Compass twice each semester. Students have the option of retaking the Compass after completing one course in any of the three sequences of developmental courses to attempt to test up a level. Students are made aware of their ability to re-take the Compass by faculty and advisors.
Developmental Reading at Miles Community College
We offer two developmental reading courses, and two ways to complete the lowest level of developmental reading:
Current Course Names/Levels Pre-Common Course Numbering Course Names/Levels
NC 017: Developmental Reading
ED 015: Developmental Reading ED 015 Reading Lab ED 105: Reading & Study Skills ED 105 Study Skills
NC 017 is offered as a non-credit, free to students, equivalent of ED 015. The class is taught in the Center for Academic Success. Instruction is provided by the ABLE staff who coordinate with the instructor of the for-credit sections to ensure consistency.
Prior to Spring 2013 both ED 015 and ED 105 were taught by other adjuncts. I am now the
Developmental Reading and Writing Instructor and am responsible to teach all sections of both ED 015 and ED 105.
Developmental Writing at Miles Community College
We offer two developmental writing courses, and two ways to complete the lowest level of developmental writing:
Current Course Names/Levels Pre-Common Course Numbering Course Names/Levels
NC 016: Developmental English
WRIT 015: Developmental English CA 015 English Lab
WRIT 095: Developmental Writing CA 100 Composition Review
NC 016 is offered as a non-credit, free to students, equivalent of WRIT 015. The class is taught in the Center for Academic Success. Instruction is provided by the ABLE staff who coordinate with the instructor of the for-credit sections to ensure consistency.
Starting Fall 2012, WRIT 015 was changed from a mandatory pre-requisite to an optional co-requisite with WRIT 095 and WRIT 108. Students with English Compass scores of 46 or less can take WRIT 015 concurrently with either WRIT 095 or WRIT 108, depending on their program track.
67 | D e v e l o p m e n t a l E d u c a t i o n C o u r s e R e d e s i g n W o r k G r o u p Logistics of the change:
o Catalogs were updated.
o One box in Banner was changed.
o Based on information gathered so far, this change did not impact Financial Aid.
o WRIT 095 may require two sections, especially in fall semesters.
WRIT 015 students could register for any section of WRIT 095 or WRIT 108 o Advisors were made aware of the change.
Two students elected to take WRIT 015 and WRIT 095 concurrently Fall 2012. One student withdrew from school in the first week of classes for personal reasons. The second student successfully completed both courses and is taking WRIT 121 Spring 2013.
Developmental Mathematics at Miles Community College
We offer three developmental math courses at MCC:
Current Course Names/Levels Pre-Common Course Numbering Course Names/Levels
NC 015: Developmental Math
M 065: Pre-Algebra MA 090: Pre-Algebra
M 090: Introductory Algebra MA 095: Beginning Algebra M 095: Intermediate Algebra MA 102: Intermediate Algebra
NC 015 is offered as a non-credit, free to students, equivalent of M 065. The class is taught in the Center for Academic Success. Instruction is provided by the ABLE staff who coordinate with the instructor of the for-credit sections to ensure consistency.
Over half of our students enter the college unable to place into College Level Math.
Each semester we offer an online section of each of these classes and two to three face-to-face sections of each of these classes.
We utilize MyMathLab software in teaching all sections of our developmental courses. How it is used varies by instructor. At least one of our instructors mainly has the students use it at home for home assignments. I use it extensively in class time as well- lecturing for about 15 minutes to break the ice on a topic and then allowing them to use MyMathLab for the rest of the period. Both Stan and I use the MyMathLab data along with attendance data to identify students needing at-risk reports very early in the semester and to suggest very specific areas in which students may improve. We have too few students here at MCC to detect anything other than a massive improvement in retention from such a change – and there has not been that. We are heartened that at least we are getting the vast majority of our at-risk reports out early – by 4 weeks into the semester – and this at least gives the students a fighting chance to turn their performance around before they have fallen too far behind to catch up.
An increasingly popular method of delivering developmental math at other community colleges has been the Emporium Model where a computer lab is dedicated to math instruction and students
68 | D e v e l o p m e n t a l E d u c a t i o n C o u r s e R e d e s i g n W o r k G r o u p
progress through developmental math by taking a generic “developmental math” lab and working on what they need to accomplish in the computer lab. At this time, MCC has made a conscious choice not to go with the Emporium model out of concern that we could not adequately staff the lab for such a model and could not accommodate those students who need a more traditional method of delivery. If we had the resources to staff such a lab and offer one face-to-face section and one online section of each of our developmental offerings each semester, I would be in favor of adopting the Emporium Model.
Another idea gaining traction at other colleges is offering an intensive review session at the beginning of the school year in order to improve the placement of students. For the past three summers we have offered such an intensive review for students who place in pre-algebra and introductory algebra. The attendance has been small – usually around 8 or 9 students in the two groups combined. Most of those passed the intensive review and moved up a level in placement. About half did not take advantage of that placement. Most of those who did not take advantage of the placement were taking vocational math classes that did not require it. One student simply delayed starting math until Spring, thus not being able to take advantage of the placement and one student was a high schooler who did not attend MCC in the Fall. The numbers of students who placed and took advantage are around a dozen. Many of them passed the following course and some did not. The failure rate among them was not high enough to deem that they were overplaced by the intensive review process. I wish more students took
advantage of the intensive reviews and have considered some ways in which that might happen. Some things to look into here are expanding the intensive reviews to include Intermediate Algebra, conducting some sort of distance version of the intensive review (many of our students live far away and coming to the intensive review is most inconvenient). Another possibility may be delaying the start of math courses until about three weeks into the semester and putting any developmental students into a
“placement period” of intensive review.
There is a standing agreement among Montana’s colleges. Math courses that require Intermediate Algebra as a pre-requisite are accepted in transfer as college level math courses while those that do not require Intermediate Algebra may or may not be accepted. Students could succeed at Introductory Statistics, Contemporary Math and the Math for Elementary Teachers sequence without the material taught in Intermediate Algebra. We maintain M095 as a prerequisite for all of those courses to ensure transferability. This stems from a desire in the Mathematics community that we only grant degrees to people who are capable of completing Intermediate Algebra or its equivalent while not offering it as a college course or denying college to those who enter without that level of proficiency. If it were entirely up to me and I was assured the courses would transfer, I would strongly consider not requiring M 095 for entry into Stats and Contemporary Math. I would likely wish to maintain the status quo in Math for Elementary Teachers – discouraging entry into the teaching profession for those unable or unwilling to master Algebra at the Intermediate Algebra level.
69 | D e v e l o p m e n t a l E d u c a t i o n C o u r s e R e d e s i g n W o r k G r o u p University of Montana and Missoula College
Developmental Education Summary
Writing WRIT 095 Basic Writing -- Missoula College
WRIT 095 basic writing classes meet for 80-minute sessions, twice a week. This model allows students comprehensive in-class discussions about writing and an extended period of time to complete writing assignments. Although WRIT 095 classes gather in a classroom setting, they are not lecture-driven.
Writing faculty attempt to create a learning environment in which students are required to read and discuss texts on a variety of subjects, including writing studies, and to write multiple drafts in a variety of genres. Students participate in a significant amount of collaborative small-group work. The writing curriculum supports students as they begin to locate themselves as writers in academic, professional, and civic communities. A portfolio system determines final semester grades.
Other models to consider
To eliminate the present model, which “segregates” students and awards them no credit, there are other models under consideration. These models allow all students to enroll in credit-bearing first-year composition classes. Options include a “stretch” model, an “accelerated” model, and a “studio” model.