Depicting the reason for the mismatch between instructor expectations of students' performance in advanced courses and their actual performance has been a challenging issue for a long time, which raises the question of why such a mismatch exists. An implicit reason for this mismatch is the student's weakness in prerequisite course skills. To solve…

This study examined one strategy for dev-ed math reform, the Dana Center Math Pathways (DCMP) model. The DCMP model encouraged students to enroll in a college-level math course best suited to their field of interest and, at the time of inquiry, used a compression approach, condensing sequences of two or more developmental courses into a shorter,…

For millions of students at American colleges, freshman year starts off with an unpleasant surprise: despite graduating high school, students find themselves assigned to remedial classes in math or English, which they must pay for and pass before being allowed into college-level courses. Policymakers looking to increase postsecondary enrollment…

To improve outcomes in math, many Texas colleges are adopting mathematics pathways, which accelerate developmental math and tailor math courses to different majors instead of requiring all students to take algebra. This study examines whether students participating in Dana Center Mathematics Pathways (DCMP) developmental courses enroll in and pass…

The effects of offering and seizing optional learning opportunities rarely have been investigated. Thus, university instructors have no basis on which to decide whether offering optional learning opportunities to their students would be worth the effort and which students would seize and benefit from them. To target these questions, we designed a…

My dissertation evaluates two efforts to improve undergraduate economics education---the College Fed Challenge (CFC) competition and requiring intermediate algebra as a prerequisite for taking introductory economics courses. Using survey data of undergraduate students who participated in the CFC competition and a control group of students who did…

Increasing the rigor of courses taken in high school is a crucial part of education policy. However, existing knowledge about high school coursework is outdated. Using data from a recent nationally representative data set, this brief reports results that expand our knowledge base on the relationship between rigorous coursework and postsecondary…

Until recently, the vast majority of California's community college students--hundreds of thousands of students each year--started in remedial courses that slowed down or halted their academic progress. Attrition was high, particularly for Latino and African American students. Few students went on to complete the gateway courses necessary to…

Nursing schools face the challenge of improving student academic performance and completion rates. The current supply of newly graduated nurses fails to meet the increasing demands of society. In 2009, Cochise College responded by implementing a major change in their curriculum to improve student retention and academic performance. The problem…

Adaptive chemical behavior is essential for an organism's function and survival, and it is no surprise that biological systems are capable of responding both rapidly and selectively to chemical changes in the environment. To elucidate an organism's biochemistry, its chemical reactions need to be characterized in ways that reflect the normal…

A study was undertaken at California's College of the Canyons to determine outcomes for students who challenged course prerequisites and enrolled in courses requiring placement levels higher than recommended between spring 1993 and fall 1994. Data were gathered from analyses of 529 placement/prerequisite waiver forms and transcripts from 445…

In 1994, the Chancellor's Office of the California Community Colleges funded a study to determine the effect of pre-, co-, and advisory requisites on target course outcomes at nine community colleges. Quantitative data were gathered on student success in target courses and retention, while qualitative data were collected through spring 1994…

Provides San Diego Community College District English faculty views on the mandatory prerequisites now being enforced for several courses. Discusses the external factors in, and implications of, enforcing prerequisites, as well as potential outcomes.(YKH)