Along with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, Carnegie is investing $2.5 million to form a research network focused around a single educational problem. The problem the foundation wants to solve is how to improve the success rates of community college students in remedial, or developmental, math courses. Taken by 60 percent of community college students, the noncredit courses are designed for students whose academic skills are not up to par. Students have to take and pass them before they can enroll in the courses that count toward their degrees. The problem is that many students get stuck there, with some taking as many as four or five courses before giving up on college altogether.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
National work on college remediation
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A large part of community college students are the ones who did not achieve as greatly in high school as did many of their peers. The logic behind many kids' attending community colleges is to help them "catch up" and obtain their basic gen ed requirements in a smaller, more individualized environment. I wonder if the fact that these remedial courses are noncredit contributes to the problem. I understand the logic behind making them noncredit, because you do not want an individual to continue taking them unnecessarily because they are "easier." However, it seems that making them completely noncredit is not motivational. Why would you put forth your best effort if you aren't getting credit for taking it? Short-sighted reasoning, yes; but we are talking primarily about 18 and 19 year old kids! I'm not sure what the remedy is, but I think if some type of credit were gained, it would improve student performance in these remedial courses.
ReplyDeleteJennifer Richmond