By Jamie Lemmer
They’re called "dummy math," and "those English classes that don’t count," and many students cross their fingers during placement testing in hopes of not having to take them.
According to members of the college staff, however, those courses that are considered a waste of time and tuition money are grossly misunderstood. A major goal of the newly formed Student Retention and Success Task Force is to change student attitudes toward developmental education so the students can receive the help they need to succeed.
Marianne Dzik, co-chair of the task force, explains: "Not everyone is prepared for college level work right off the bat. That is where the developmental classes can help a student. Learning is life long and everyone has a part of their educational background that they need to improve."
Dzik, who serves as Special Populations Coordinator, stresses that, "We have help for students at all skill levels -- if they’re returning to school and need to clear away the cobwebs, if they can’t remember where to put the commas, or if they want help studying more effectively."
Two of the most important areas in developmental education, according to Dzik, are critical thinking and study skills.
"Many mature students who are returning for job retraining were never taught critical thinking or study skills," she said. "It’s great when a student comes to us and their grades really start improving."
Dzik explained that developmental education courses are self-paced, allowing a student to move quickly through the areas they know and spend more time on the areas they need to improve.
Dr. Harriet Custer, vice president of academic affairs, stressed that "these (developmental) courses are designed to help the students succeed at college level courses."
Custer, who has been watching the number of students who leave IVCC without graduating, said, "There is a concern among administration about how many students give up because they are having a hard time and don't know what help is available."
Custer said 49 percent of the students who registered in the fall semester did not return for spring and that does not include the students who graduated.
The new software system the college is now using will allow the college to track those students to see if they left because they accomplished their educational goals or because they didn’t get the help they needed.
Director of Development Bonita Dahlbach said the college has applied for Title III grant funds, a large portion of which would be used for developmental education.
"If we receive the grant, some of the programs that will benefit include Reading, Writing and Study Skills Lab, Special Needs Educational Support Services, Math Learning Center and Peer Tutoring," she said.
Dzik said the college should be notified about the grant in May.
The 14-member task force is co-chaired by Kelly Conrad, director of admissions and records and reports to Dr. Custer and to Dr. Robert Marshall, vice president of student services. The group will be looking at programs college-wide to determine what can be done to help students to succeed at IVCC.
Back to top of this page