Meeting the Needs of FirstYear Students Through a
Transformed Curriculum
Dr. Jack Thomas
Dr. Sheila Otto
Dr. William Badley
Middle Tennessee State University
History and Background
Dr. Jack Thomas
Sr. Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
Charge from Tennessee
Board of Regents
• 2001 -Defining Our Future document
issued by TBR
– Move remedial and developmental
courses to community colleges
– Five year period timeframe for change
– Target - 2006 implementation
Steps Taken By University
• Fall 2003 – President
addressed Developmental
Studies faculty and staff
• Spring 2004 – meetings with
constituencies involved to
shape transition proposal
• Summer 2004 – Proposal sent to
TBR for approval
• Returned to university for
changes
• Fall 2004 – Departments worked
jointly on proposal
• Spring & Summer
2005 – meetings held
to redesign courses
and move faculty to
academic units on
campus
• Fall 2005 – meetings with
Developmental Studies
faculty, department heads,
deans, and president to
work out faculty transition
• Fall 2005-Spring 2006 –
new courses developed to
meet needs of students
unprepared for college level
courses
• Spring 2006-Summer 2006
English, Math, and Reading
course proposals approved
for implementation
• Fall 2006 – Developmental
Studies faculty transition to
academic units complete
Transition from
Developmental Writing
Program to Stretch Program
for Freshman Composition
Dr. Sheila Otto
Developmental Writing Coordinator
Academic Year 2003-2004
• Designed a “Studio
Course” to Mainstream
Developmental Writing
• Combined Developmental
Writing and Freshman
Composition
Studio Course
• Classroom Instruction:
3 hours per week
• “Studio” (small group) meetings:
1 hour per week
Placement Criteria for Studio
Course
• Holistically Scored Writing Sample
• ACT English Sub-Score
or High School GPA
or GED Score
Studio Course Data
Fall Semesters 2004 and 2005
• Students on Developmental
Writing Track:
22%
• Students on Freshman
Composition Track:
78%
• Pass Rate of Freshman
Composition Students:
97%
ENGL 1020 Pass Rates
( Second Semester of Freshman Composition)
• Overall Pass Rate of ENGL
1020 Students:
80.6%
• Pass Rate of Former Studio
Course Students:
83.3%
Lessons Learned
• Accurate placement of
students is critical
• Studio Course model might
not work for all students
Stretch Program for Freshman
Composition
Implementation in Fall 2006
• Two-semester sequence of
Freshman Composition:
– ENGL 1009: Introduction to
University Writing (elective
credit)
– ENGL 1010K: Freshman
Composition (general
education credit)
MTSU’s Stretch Program for
Freshman Composition
• Students work with same
instructor and same group of
classmates during both
semesters
• Modeled on the program at
Arizona State University
• Web Address:
http://www.asu.edu/english/compos
ition/cbw/stretch.htm
MTSU’s REVISED
MATH,
READING, &
UNIVERSITY SEMINAR
Dr. William Badley
Asst. Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
and Director of General Education
DSPM 0700 & MATH 1000K
• DSPM 0700 Basic
Mathematics: ACT Subscore
less than or equal 14 (SAT
less than or equal 340) Precollege credit
• MATH 1000K Essentials of
Mathematics: ACT Subscore
15-16 (SAT 350-390) Elective
credit
MATH 1010K & MATH 1710K
• MATH 1010K Transitional
Mathematics for General
Studies: ACT 17-18 (SAT
400-450)
• MATH 1710K Transitional
College Algebra: ACT 17-18
(SAT 400-450)
• Both fulfill General Education
3 hours college credit (41
credit hours)
READ 1000K & UNIV 1010K
• READ 1000K Reading
Skill Enrichment: ACT
12-18 (SAT 520-890)
• UNIV 1010K University
Seminar: Required for
students in two or more
K sections
• Both have 3 hours
elective credit
• Summary
• Questions &
Answers
Thank you for
attending our
presentation!
Dr. Thomas, Dr. Otto, and Dr. Badley
Middle Tennessee State University
Created by Janice Lewis