Studying Developmental Education in Higher Education

Effective Practices for Developmental Education

The following points are considered the most effective practices in Developmental Education from the text referenced below. In a subsequent post, I will discuss three of these practices in more detail.

Organizational and Administrative Practices:

1.1 Developmental education is a clearly stated institutional priority.

1.2 A clearly articulated mission based on a shared, overarching philosophy drives the developmental education program. Clearly specified goals and objectives are established for developmental courses and programs.

1.3 The developmental education program is centralized or is highly coordinated.

1.4 A comprehensive system of support services exists and is characterized by a high degree of integration among academic and student support services.

1.5 Institutional policies facilitate student completion of necessary developmental coursework as early as possible in the educational sequence.

1.6 Faculty who are both knowledgeable and enthusiastic about developmental education are recruited and hired to teach in the program.

1.7 Institutions manage faculty and student expectations regarding developmental education.

Program Components:

2.1 Orientation, assessment, and placement are mandatory for all new students.

2.2 Counseling support provided is substantial, accessible, and integrated with academic courses and programs.

2.3 Financial aid is disseminated to support developmental students. Mechanisms exist to ensure that developmental students are aware of such opportunities, and are provided with assistance to apply for and acquire financial aid.

2.4 Regular program evaluations are conducted, results are disseminated widely, and data are used to improve practice.

References: Boroch, D.; Hope, L., Smith, B., Gabriner, R., Mery,P., Johnstone, R., & Asera, R. (2010). Student success in community colleges: A practical guide to developmental education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.