Academic Development Program: Program and Learning Outcomes

The primary mission of the Academic Development Program (ADP) is to bridge the gap which exists between academically under-prepared students and the level of academic competency necessary for success in post-secondary studies by enhancing students’ skills in writing, reading, and  mathematics at the pre-college (developmental) level.

 

Due to the fact that the majority of the students served by ADP are those who traditionally would have either dropped out or flunked out of school during their first term, any student retained to the next semester or beyond is considered a success.

  Program and Learning Outcomes

 Goal 1:

Improve retention of first-time-freshman, at-risk students to the next term and to the second fall semester to be within 5 percentage points of the university average.

Assessment:            Freshman retention rates for ADP students are examined from fall to spring semester and from fall to fall semester.

Academic Development Program / University*

       Retention of First-Time Freshmen

Entry Term

 

Fall Cohort

# Students

# Return Next Term

% Return Next Term

# Return Next Fall

% Return Next Fall

1999F ADP

458

378

82.53%

272

59.39%

1999F TTU

1224

1047

85.54%

860

70.26%

2000F ADP

385

324

84.16%

214

55.58%

2000F TTU

1140

997

87.46%

782

68.66%

2001F ADP

369

287

77.78%

207

56.10%

2001F TTU

1125

945

84.00%

747

66.40%

2002F ADP

418

346

82.78%

260

62.20%

2002F TTU

1197

1039

86.80%

823

68.76%

2003F ADP

342

273

79.82%

194

56.73%

2003F TTU

1153

998

86.56%

832

72.16%

2004F ADP

354

304

85.86%

224 

63.28%

2004F TTU

1229

1134

92.27%

  894

72.74%

2005F ADP

294

237

80.61%

 

 

2005F TTU

1189

1053

88.56%

 

 

* includes ADP

Examples of How Assessment Results Have Been Used to Improve the Program

Although the fall to fall retention rates for freshmen ADP students have increased they still lag behind the University average.  This problem has been addressed in the following ways

1.             Inclusion of learning strategies instruction within each discipline.

2.             Beginning 2006 Fall, ADP will offer University 1030, Learning Strategies, as part of the campus-wide University 1020 orientation/retention initiative.

 

Goal 2: Improve pass rate of at-risk students in college-level classes to within 5 percentage points of the college-level course average.

             

Assessment:  

Mathematics: Monitor pass rate of ADP math students in Math1010, Math1130, Math1410, and Math1530. 

English: Monitor pass rate of ADP writing students in English 1010.

                         

                         Students Completing DSPM0850 2004F /Taking College-Level 2005S

DSPM0850 2004F to College-level 2005S

Totals

 

  Pass

ABCD

  % Pass

Non-ADP

 % Pass

After Changes

MATH1010

12

9

75.05

75.47%

 

MATH1130

63

33

52.4%

61.98%

 

MATH1410

10

7

70.0%

82.46%

 

MATH1530

30

17

56.7%

82.41%

84.20%

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOTALS

115

66

57.4%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      +  I, NF, W, WF, X [W= students who withdrew numbered in Not-Pass

 

 

1st-Time Students Completing DSPW0800 2004F and Taking English 1010 2005S Compared to 1st-Time English 1010 in 2004F

DSPW0800 2004F to College-level 2005S

Totals

English 1010 Pass

ABC

% Pass

1st-time DSPW0800 2004F & English 1010 2005S

 

125

 

93

 

74.4%

1st-time

English 1010 2004F

 

740

   

647

 

  81.1%

 

 

         Examples of How Assessment Results Have Been Used to Improve the Program

 

The pass rate of ADP students lagged behind the University average in certain mathematics classes.  To address this problem a special section of DSPM0850 Dev. Math II [ADPM0865] was developed to address the needs of students going into Math1530 Probability and Statistics. Students who took ADPM0865 as prep for Math 1530 improved the pass rate to 84.20%, actually surpassing the Non-ADP pass rate by 1.79 percentage points.  Plans for similar prep classes specifically focused for Math1410 and Math1130 are under consideration.

 

Attention has also been focused on improving success in writing courses.  The improvements have sought to incorporate more discipline-specific learning strategies and more emphasis on the importance of writing in the overall academic setting.