ACADEMIC
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
TENNESSEE
TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
PROGRAM
EVALUATION 2005
MISSION STATEMENT
The 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, and
§ to provide academic support for College of Education students preparing to take the PPST/PRAXIS I exams for admission to upper-division education courses.
Faculty and staff provide a supportive environment through classroom, technology, learning laboratory, and counseling services and through individual and small-group tutorials, while maintaining the high standards of the university.
Litigation brought by Rita Sanders Geier, et al., in 1984 against the State of Tennessee [Geier vs Alexander] was settled with several stipulations (primarily Geier IIF and IIK), which specified that the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR)
§ “provide developmental education programs” and
§ “develop a plan designed to address retention, performance, and progression of students at all public institutions.”
Developmental Education is
a
field of practice and research within higher education with a
theoretical foundation in developmental psychology and learning
theory. It promotes the cognitive and affective growth of all
postsecondary learners, at all levels of the learning
continuum. Developmental education is sensitive and responsive
to individual differences and special needs among learners.
Developmental
education programs and services commonly address academic
preparedness, diagnostic assessment and placement, development
of general and discipline-specific learning strategies, and
affective barriers to learning.
Developmental
education includes, but is not limited to:
q all forms of learning assistance, such as tutoring, mentoring, and supplemental instruction
q personal, academic, and career counseling
q academic advisement, and
q coursework.[1]
Findings from major, statewide studies of the effectiveness of Remedial/Developmental (R/D) programs in Tennessee show that:
Ø R/D program completers were retained at a higher rate (82.6%) than their non-program counterparts (77.5%)
Ø The R/D program produced positive retention results for all students regardless of age, sex, race, or enrollment status. However, the most pronounced effect was with the students 21 years of age or older
Ø The 1991 Ad Hoc Committee reported that the “program had been effective in bringing about a higher than usual retention rate of initially high-risk students” (p. 3). The 4-year retention rate rose from a pre-R/D Program level of 24% for at-risk students to 34% by 1990 with the statewide program firmly in place.[2]
The TBR Operational Guidelines (A-100) specify assessment and placement procedures to identify students at risk academically and to place them in courses that provide opportunity for success and increased retention. Initially, the A-100 Guidelines mandated academic assessment and placement by AAPP [Academic Assessment Placement Program Test] and later by COMPASS™. Beginning with Spring Semester 2003, students with valid ACT scores (less than 3 years old by the first day of classes) are placed by ACT sub scores [English less than 19, Mathematics less than 19, and/or Reading less than 19]. Students who wish to challenge ACT Placement [and transfer students who lack credits in college-level English Composition or college-level Mathematics] may take the COMPASS™ Test.
The Basic levels (remedial or 0700 levels) of Developmental Studies (DSP) courses are no longer offered at TTU. Students whose ACTs place them into the basic level may be denied admission to TTU until completion of basic requirements.
In 1995, TTU mandated placement in UNIV1050 for freshmen who have below a 2.9 high school GPA and/or students placing in 2 or more developmental curriculum areas. As of 2003M, the 3-credit-hour UNIV1050 has been replaced by a 1-credit-hour UNIV1020, First-Year Connections. Completion of UNIV1050 or UNIV1020 completes the requirement for DSPS0800 Developmental Learning Strategies.
Based upon the TBR vision of developmental education’s role in addressing “the retention, performance, and progression of students,” TTU’s Academic Development Program provides services to enhance skills in mathematics, reading, writing, and learning strategies. These services include
From the cohorts of 1st-time freshman students enrolled in one or more developmental classes at Tennessee Technological University from 1986 to the present, TTU has awarded over 2700 degrees ranging from AAS and AS (117) to BA, BFA, BM, BS, and BSI (2290) through EDS, MA, MBA, and MS (298). These figures do not take into account the students who began their academic careers at TTU and completed their degree(s) at another Tennessee higher education institution; nor does it take into account students who began as R/D students at other institutions and completed their degree(s) at TTU. Through 2005S, ADP has served 9409 students in one or more R/D classes. An additional 1974 [for 2001F-2005S] are approaching the point at which they will begin to be included in the calculations for students who have graduated [71 people from the 2000 Fall cohort and 11 from the 2001 Fall cohort have graduated].
One of the major difficulties in providing irrefutable evidence of the enormous impact of Tennessee’s developmental education program on the State’s overall population is the fact that students who need academic assistance must often space out their education over a more lengthy period of time than the four to six years usually referred to as “normal” progression through the higher education system. Also, there is virtually no tracking of students between institutions, even though anecdotal information derived from transferring placement scores would indicate that some students attend as many as four other institutions in the State before finally completing a degree—usually not at the institution of initial enrollment.
Of the TTU total of approximately 1257 incoming 1st-time freshmen in 2004F, 354 (28.16%) were enrolled in one or more DSP classes; 273 (77.1%) needed only one developmental class. Only one student required a class in each of the three developmental areas. Of the 354 1st-time students enrolled in developmental classes, 304 (85.88%) returned to TTU for the following term (2005S).
TTU’s total developmental population for 2004F included 354 1st-time freshmen, 101 continuing, 50 transfers from 2-year institutions, 11 transfers from 4-year institutions, and 25 others. Six majors provided 67.23% (238) of the 1st-time freshmen taking classes with the Academic Development Program: agriculture, business, general curriculum, multi-disciplinary studies, nursing, and sociology. [Regulated Admissions has been phased out at TTU and is no longer a classification for incoming students beginning 2004F.] Only about 2.8% (10) were not residents of Tennessee; 18.64% (66) of the 354 1st-time freshmen taking developmental classes came from Putnam County schools. 194 (54.80%) came from a 10-county area including Putnam, Davidson, Macon, Hamilton, Knox, Overton, Warren, White, Williamson, and Wilson Counties. Only 6 (1.69%) of the 354 1st-time freshmen were married; 5 (1.41%) listed disabilities; 182 (51.41%) lived on campus; 332 (93.79%) were full-time students; 166 (46.89%) are female/188 (53.11%) are male; 31 (8.76%) are African-American/282 (79.66%) are white. Eighteen were over the age of 20 at the beginning of classes in 2004F.
The Academic Development Program, which is housed on the 4th floor of Foster Hall at 55 University Drive, typically serves approximately 30% of TTU’s 1st-time freshman population each academic year.
The
specialized instructional demands of developmental courses
require that program faculty have appropriate background,
training, and experience. TTU’s Academic Development Program
is currently staffed by six full-time, tenured faculty, each of
whom is highly proficient in his/her academic area. The
Academic Development Program is a division of the College of
Education at TTU. As such, its members serve on various College
of Education committees and are representatives in several
University-level committees. In addition to teaching full loads
of developmental courses within the Program, ADP faculty also
serve in various other capacities both on and off campus:
Ø
Dr. Debra Bryant,
who holds the rank of Associate Professor (Math), coordinates
the mathematics division of the Program, teaches courses within
TTU’s Mathematics Department, and is also director of the
Cumberland Plateau Regional Science and Engineering Fair.
Ø
Mr. Steve Coble,
who holds the rank of Instructor (Math) and is certified as a
Developmental Education Specialist, is currently in the process
of completing his doctorate. He is an Executive Committee
member of Upper Cumberland Dismas House and serves as a
panelist with a U.S. Department of Education grant.
Ø
Mr. Hank Duvier,
who holds the rank of Instructor (Math), coaches youth football
and works with the Boy Scouts in the Upper Cumberland area. In
addition to his developmental classes, he also teaches geometry
(for removal of A89 geometry deficiency).
He is a certified statistician and occasionally teaches
courses with the College of Engineering Industrial Technology
Department.
Ø
Dr. Pam Harden,
who holds the rank of Assistant Professor (Math), teaches
courses with TTU’s Mathematics Department and works with a
grant program to help elementary teachers attain Highly
Qualified Status in mathematics.
Ø
Ms. Ann Lewald,
who holds the rank of Instructor (Writing), took on the
additional duties of teaching developmental reading when the
Program’s reading faculty retired. She reads for Advanced
Placement and SATII Exams, teaches with the English and ESL
Departments, is a member of the TBR’s ESL Taskforce, and
presented at the 2005 NADE Conference [National Association of
Developmental Educators]. She is an accomplished poet and
co-author of Developing College Writing Skills.
Support staff for TTU’s Academic Development Program include:
Ø Dr. Elizabeth Ojo, Coordinator of the CRLA certified Academic Development Learning Center, oversees tutorial services in the ADLC Math Lab, the ADLC Writing/Reading Lab, and the ADLC Computer Lab, as well as coordinating PPST/Praxis I tutorials with Academic Support Services in the College of Education.
Ø Ms. Lydia Kendall, Secretary III, oversees and coordinates the day-to-day operations of the Program’s Main Office, maintains the Program budget, manages student workers, and provides clerical assistance and support for Program faculty and staff.
The Academic Development Learning Center (ADLC), a supportive unit of the Academic Development Program, has been in existence since Fall 1985. The ADLC coordinator oversees the center’s equipment and tutorial services and supervises the hiring, training, and work assignments of student assistants who work as tutors in the Learning Center. The coordinator reports to the College of Education’s Assistant Dean of Student Support Services rather than the Academic Development Program Coordinator.
The ADLC was created to facilitate learning for students in Academic Development Program course work. Students receive individualized assistance in mathematics, reading, writing, study skills and word processing. Besides tutoring, the center also offers reference books, computer tutorials, video and audiotapes, other instructional materials for student use, and a small reading library of novels. The ADLC also provides individualized tutoring for students preparing to take or retake the PPST/Praxis I test for admission to upper-level education courses.
The ADLC is located on the 4th floor of Foster Hall: Room 411 is the Math Learning Center; Room 409 is the Writing/Reading Center; and Room 414 houses the 30-station Computer Lab with access to the Internet and facilities for word processing and printing.
Tutors for the Learning Center are certified through the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) and operate under a Code of Ethics for Tutoring. The ADLC is evaluated by the Academic Development student body each fall and spring semester through a 10-question survey covering such areas as receiving needed assistance, clarity of explanations, availability of tutors, and likelihood of return visits.[3]
STATUS
OF PLACEMENT, PROGRESSION, RETENTION, AND
TABLE 1 (PLACEMENT)
|
Year |
Incoming Freshmen |
Tested |
% Tested |
Enrolled |
% Tested Enrolled |
RADM |
1998F |
1071 |
485 |
45.28% |
368 |
75.88% |
121 |
|
1999S |
97 |
73 |
75.26% |
53 |
72.60% |
16 |
|
1999F |
1224 |
616 |
50.30% |
458 |
74.40% |
99 |
|
2000S |
99 |
78 |
78.795 |
52 |
66.67% |
14 |
|
2000F |
1140 |
574 |
50.35% |
385 |
67.07% |
75 |
|
2001S |
80 |
67 |
83.75% |
42 |
62.69% |
18 |
|
2001F |
1125 |
466 |
41.42% |
369 |
79.18% |
79 |
|
2002S |
74 |
33 |
44.59% |
46 |
139.39%* |
12 |
|
2002F |
1197 |
692 |
57.81% |
418 |
60.40% |
65 |
|
2003S |
85 |
97 |
114.18%* |
47 |
48.45% |
7 |
|
2003F |
1153 |
321 |
27.84% |
342 |
106.54%* |
39 |
|
2004S |
56 |
18 |
32.14% |
31 |
107.22%* |
7 |
|
2004F |
1257 |
305 |
24.26% |
354 |
116.07% |
0 |
|
2005S |
48 |
30 |
62.50% |
48 |
160.00% |
0 |
*Number of Enrolled Students
includes students tested at sites other than TTU OR those who
did not challenge ACT Placement.
|
Term |
1DSP/% |
2DSP/% |
3DSP/% |
4 DSP/% |
Total Cohort |
UNIV105/
1050/1020 |
1998F
|
207 / 57.7% |
98 / 27.3% |
14 / 3.9% |
48 / 13.4% |
367 |
493 |
|
1999S |
31 / 58.5% |
18 / 34.0% |
3 / 5.6% |
1 / 1.9% |
53 |
150 |
|
1999F |
247 54.0% |
139 / 30.4% |
30 / 6.5% |
40 / 8.8% |
456 |
415 |
|
2000S |
29 / 55.8% |
14 / 26.9% |
5 / 11.6% |
4 / 7.7% |
52 |
219 |
|
2000F |