Describes a study of student writing completed in one basic writing program. Measures the effectiveness of individual papers written in the program's two-course sequence by rating each against a modified "primary-trait" scoring scale. Finds that students made gains in the trait areas examined. (EMH)

Presents findings from a study entitled "Developmental Students' Perceptions of the Factors that Contribute to Academic Success." Focuses on the factors students identify as being significant in creating, nurturing, and maintaining commitment. Specifies the influence of role models, goals, personal circumstances, and the observation of the…

Reports on the need for developmental education to prepare students for success in higher education. Looks at the performance of developmental students and their characteristics. Describes the role community and technical colleges play as providers of developmental education, characteristics of a successful developmental program, and ways to…

Shares the author's beliefs about the practice of teaching developmental writing in an attempt to get colleagues in other academic settings involved in a dialogue about the writing philosophies in their practices. Presents an interest in the beliefs and theories that form the foundation of what others do in their writing programs. (VWC)

A current project for the Allegany College of Maryland Mathematics Department is using spreadsheets in some of their General Education Mathematics courses. It is important to note that one of the key features of this project is that is does not require an introductory computer course as a prerequisite for any of the mathematics courses that will…

Community colleges can strengthen their ability to provide academic support to both developmental and college-level students by offering traditional remedial programs with a complementary, centralized unit of student success and retention services.

This article describes die development of a mandatory library instruction program for developmental education students in the community and technical college setting. Some considerations for orientation development and helpful hints for success are discussed.

In few places is higher education so ingrained in a region's economic vitality as in New England. Students from all over the world enroll in New England's institutions of learning and research, bringing resources to finance their education and living expenses that reverberate throughout local and state economies. Human capital-based industries…

If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a strong network of committed colleagues to launch an initiative like "SENSE." From its conception in fall 2006 to the first national administration in fall 2009, the Survey of Entering Student Engagement ("SENSE") has been supported by key individuals and groups, without whom there would have been…

Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, this issue of "Data Notes" looks at student developmental education and gateway course outcomes by gender. The data show that more than half of students were referred to developmental math, with female students being more likely to be referred than male students. Females were more…

It has long been established that self-assessment and goal-setting are regular features of the writing process of experienced writers. It has also been demonstrated that students develop more power and control over their writing when they are encouraged to become their own evaluators. Therefore, to help beginning writers think and act more like…

This study was commissioned by the California Community Colleges System Office to identify effective practices in basic skills programs. The Center for Student Success (CSS), which is affiliated with the Research and Planning (RP) Group for California Community Colleges, was selected to conduct the study. There are three major components of the…

Background/Context: This essay reviews recent demographic literature on school transitions. I describe how a demographic perspective, by which I mean using methods that are standard in the study of population processes, is a useful way to examine differences in access to and completion of post secondary schooling in the United States.…

The transition from secondary school to postsecondary education poses numerous challenges for first-year university students. Two hundred and fifty second-year students attending a small Canadian university were surveyed regarding the ease or difficulty with which they adjusted, in the previous year, to the next phase in their formal education.…

First-year students taking developmental courses need the kind of guidance a freshman seminar can provide when the advice is directly relevant to their progress. An alternative to assigning a heterogeneous group of students to an academic advisor is to offer a course which enriches the key elements of a freshman seminar while applying the standard…