REMEDIATION BEYOND DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION: THE USE OF LEARNING ASSISTANCE CENTERS TO INCREASE ACADEMIC PREPAREDNESS IN COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Abstract

A qualitative case study in 15 community colleges across the country found that learning assistance centers and specialized skills labs are an important means of increasing students' academic preparedness for postsecondary study. Since these facilities provide instruction or support in reading, writing, and math skills, it appears that they play a valuable remedial role. Most of the assistance occurs in the form of tutoring and computer-assisted instruction, and some of the centers also provide specialized learning workshops and self-paced remedial courses. The majority of colleges have several learning centers and labs, and duplication of services may explain the lower than expected demand for assistance services seen in some of the sites. However, the institutions consider the learning centers to be effective, and report positive outcomes including retention in college English and increase in GPA. Because, in some cases, recipients of learning assistance services display severe learning difficulties, tutors may benefit from professional development in instructional strategies for special-needs students. It is recommended that future research compare the effectiveness of learning assistance services and developmental education courses in boosting students' basic academic skills.

The research reported in this paper was supported by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to the Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University. Special thanks to the 15 community colleges that served as sites in this project; to Vanessa Smith-Morest and Thomas Bailey for their support and guidance of the project; and to Kerry Charron and Heather Crose Nanni for their assistance in data collection and analysis.

Notes

¹Although the terms “remediation” and “developmental education” imply different philosophies of instruction, they are used interchangeably in this paper.

²Fictitious names are used throughout this report to protect anonymity of sites, learning centers within sites, and personnel.

³The study also investigated state and institutional policies for assessment and remedial placement, and the nature of developmental education in the study sites. The findings are reported in Perin (forthcoming); and Perin & Charron (forthcoming).

⁴Many of the sites also had learning resource centers from which students could borrow ancillary materials to support course work. Learning resource centers are different from learning assistance centers, and are beyond the scope of the current study.