Chapter 2: Building Relationships for Success: Exploring the Experiences of Students and Faculty in Postsecondary Developmental English Courses

Educators continue to search for ways to effectively redesign developmental English programs to benefit college students. These noncredit courses, which strengthen students’ reading and writing skills, are often required courses designed to help underprepared students develop the skills they need to succeed in college level classes. At first glance, offering these courses can seem like a sufficient way to expand access to postsecondary education, yet the number of students who are required to take developmental education courses is high. According to a report by the U.S. Department of Education (2017), about one third of first-year students at undergraduate institutions enrolled in a developmental education course in 2011–2012. Furthermore, the completion and graduation rates for students who take these classes tend to be low. For example, only 5% of these students at two-year institutions graduate on time while just 20% of these students at most four-year institutions graduate on time (Data dashboard, 2017). The students who do persist through the required sequences of developmental education courses spend more time and money earning their degree than students who are not required to take these courses (Martinez & Bain, 2014).