Developmental Education at Eastern Kentucky University
The Developmental Education Program seeks to preserve and make possible educational opportunities for each postsecondary learner. The developmental education program at Eastern Kentucky University was designed to help students achieve academic success by developing or enhancing skills in three essential skill areas: reading, writing and mathematics. The development of these skills is needed for success in college-level coursework. At EKU and other colleges and universities nationwide, students must demonstrate college-level readiness skills in the three essential skill areas. Courses
in the Developmental Program include ENG 090 (Basic Writing), ENG 095 (Developmental
Composition), ENR 090 (Developmental Reading I), ENR 095 (Developmental Reading
II), ENR 116 (Strategies for College Reading), MAT 090 (Pre-algebra), and MAT 095 (Developmental Algebra 1). These courses
are offered through the Departments of English and Theatre and Mathematics and
Statistics.
The University measures skill proficiencies in writing, reading, and mathematics by student performance on the ACT, SAT and EKU placement tests. Initial course placement is based on the ACT or SAT exam scores. Therefore, all students are responsible for having ACT or SAT scores and subscores on file at the University. Placement in, and successful completion of, specified coursework is required of students who do not demonstrate proficiency through testing or college transfer course work.
The reading section of the ACT is used to identify students who may have difficulty
with college level reading material and are required to take developmental courses.
The following guidelines have been established.
- ACT Reading score 01-14 - placement in ENR 090
- ACT Reading score 15-17 - placement in ENR 095
- ACT Reading score 18-19 - placement in ENR 116
- ACT Reading score 20 or above or a sum of the SAT verbal/critical reading and mathematics score 870 or higher - basic reading skills are assumed
For more information about the Developmental Education Program at Eastern Kentucky
University, visit the Developmental Education web-page at http://www.developmentaleducation.eku.edu/.
The Developmental Reading Program
The Developmental Reading Program is administered through the Department of
English and Theatre, and coordinated through the department's General Education and Developmental Committee,
currently chaired by Dr. Milde.
Dr. Milde also serves as the Acting Developmental Education Coordinator. You may reach him at Case Annex 489, 622-3181, robert.milde@eku.edu.
Teaching strategies: follow this link to "Effective
Teaching Strategies for the College Reading Instructor".
For a bibliography of selected books and articles about developmental reading,
click here: Resources list
For a wealth of teaching resources from EKU's Teaching and Learning Center
click on: http://www.tlc.eku.edu/tips/
Syllabi: All instructors are required to include a number
of items in the course syllabus: for the university policy on syllabi go to:
http://www.policies.eku.edu/academic/course_syllabi/4.1.4_course_syllabi_bor_1.09.pdf
Additionally, developmental courses must include developmental education policies:
follow these links to sample syllabi (in Microsoft Word format) for ENR 090, ENR 095, ENR 112, and ENR 116. Be sure to include your EKU e-mail address and office address
under personal information. Course syllabi should be distributed to each student
during the first class period.
You may review all the Developmental Education Program policies at http://www.developmentaleducation.eku.edu/
For the academic calendar go to http://www.eku.edu/compass/
Textbooks: Faculty members are free to choose the textbook/s
for the ENR courses, although the General Education and Developmental Committee does select default textbooks
each year. These texts are chosen for their explicit instruction in and practice
of active reading strategies. The current default texts are:
ENR 090 Opening Doors, 5th ed. by Joe Cortina and Janet Elder
(McGraw Hill)
ENR 095 A Community of Readers: A Thematic Approach to Reading (2007) by Roberta Alexander and Jim Lombardi (Pearson Longman Publishers)
ENR 112 Making Sense: Essays on Art, Science and Culture, 2nd Ed., by Coleman, Brittenham, Campbell and Girard (Houghton Mifflin)
ENR 116 Textcerpts: Mastering College Textbook Reading (2007), 2nd edition, by Gene Winter (Pearson Longman Publishers)
To get copies of these texts contact Ginny Hunt, Senior Office Associate
in the Department of English and Theatre, Case Annex 467, 622-2093, or ginny.hunt@eku.edu
If you are interested in considering other texts, members of
the reading faculty have exam copies of many texts: contact Dr. Milde to look
at other options, or you may contact book publishers and request exam copies.
If you would like to suggest textbooks for consideration by the committee,
please contact Dr. Milde. The Department of English and
Theatre notifies all faculty members when textbook orders are due (generally mid-spring
for fall semester and mid- fall for spring semester).
In addition to the textbook, instructors also often choose a novel
or non-fiction book to encourage other reading in the ENR courses (See the link
to the Book List ENR 2006 for a list of suggested
high-interest titles). Some instructors also use the EKU Freshman book, in 2009
the book is Jeanette Wall's The Glass Castle (copies usually available from Ginny Hunt at ginny.hunt@eku.edu).
Some instructors also like to use resources such as USA TODAY in their courses. Go to www.usatodaycollege.com and find the button called Case Studies. After clicking on that button, 50 articles on the subject matter are available, presented with a newspaper-like appearance when downloaded (as .pdf documents). Each case study contains a set of "Discussion questions and future implications." Some subjects or case studies that might be particularly appealing to students are: "College Gambling," "Alcohol Abuse on Campus," "Money Matters for College Students," "Forensic Science," "Foodology 101," and "10 Hardest Things To Do in Sports." Students can download the articles without charge.
Here is the "Overview" provided by the site itself:
USA TODAY's case studies are somewhat non-traditional. They are designed to provide an introduction to and discussion of current issues as a starting point for more ambitious research projects. Each is comprised of an article or a collection of articles researched, written and published recently by USA TODAY. Each examines thought-provoking topics related to a broad range of issues with discussion questions developed in collaboration with professors and subject matter experts.
USA TODAY's Collegiate Case Studies ask students to understand and analyze the multiple facets of nuanced issues, explore solutions to complex problems, synthesize information, evaluate the logic, relevance and validity of arguments, and extend their own thinking beyond the topic at hand.
Like most case studies, the objective is to bring students to an understanding of an issue or event through the examination of real-life situations.
Representing diverse perspectives: The ENR Committee chooses
textbooks and supplementary reading materials that value diverse points of view.
Instructors are encouraged to acknowledge and value students' diverse backgrounds
by choosing texts that represent a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and
experiences.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:
Every syllabus must include the following standardized statement from the Office
of Services for Individuals with Disabilities (OSID):
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: If you are registered with the Office of Services for Individuals with Disabilities, please obtain your accommodation letters from the OSID and present them to the course instructor to discuss any academic accommodations you need. If you believe you need accommodation and are not registered with the OSID, please contact the Office in the Student Services Building Room 361 by email at disserv@eku.edu or by telephone at (859) 622-2933 V/TDD. Upon individual request, this syllabus can be made available in an alternative format.
Students who have registered with the OSID will present instructors
with a form from OSID requesting the necessary accommodations. Instructors
are required to make these accommodations. Any questions should be directed
to Teresa Belluscio, Assistant Director of OSID, SSB 315, 622- 2933 or teresa.belluscio@eku.edu
Attendance Policy: All ENR courses must comply
with the Department of English and Theatre attendance policy and must include
this attendance policy on the syllabus. This policy is included in all instructors'
Blackboard course sites. You may also access the policy on the department web
site at: http://www.english.eku.edu/attendance_policy.doc
Placement: any questions or concerns about the
appropriate placement of students in ENR courses should be addressed to Sue
Cain, Director of Transition and University Services, SSB 326, 622-2306, sue.cain@eku.edu.
Final Exam:
A common, departmental exam should be given to students enrolled in ENR 090
and 095 courses. The Reading Work Group develops the exam each semester and welcomes
input from all ENR instructors. If you would like to suggest testing formats,
look at copies of past exams and use them as practice exams with your students,
contact Dr. Rob Milde at robert.milde@eku.edu.
Standards of Achievement: students who complete
the Developmental Reading Program should have the reading skills and ability
to succeed in college level courses. The ENR 095 final exam provides one standard
of achievement.
A guide for English and reading standards expected by post-secondary
institutions in Kentucky is available at http://cpe.ky.gov/policies/academicpolicies/admissions.
A new report by the Carnegie Corporation of New York suggests
best practices for increasing adolescents' literacy skills and is a useful resource
for developmental reading instructors. http://www.all4ed.org/publications/ReadingNext/ReadingNext.pdf.
Faculty Support: Resources for new faculty may
be accessed through EKU's Faculty and Staff Orientation page at: http://www.eku.edu/facultystaff/orientation/.
The Department of English and Theatre sponsors occasional forums and lunches for an informal sharing of ideas related
to teaching and faculty life. These are announced via the department listserv
over the EKU e-mail account.
The Reading Work Group is also
available to suggest resources or to share ideas about teaching developmental
reading. For information about being matched with a mentor, arranging peer observation, or professional development opportunities contact Dr. Rob Milde at robert.milde@eku.edu.
Developmental Reading faculty members maintain a Blackboard site with current ENR materials and resources. All EKU ENR instructors should contact Dr. Jessica Bryant for access to this site: Jessica Bryant@eku.edu
Other Resources
There are many reading and study strategy sites on the World Wide Web. Some instructors link these to their Blackboard sites to provide extra resources for students. Examples of these may be found at:
http://www.ccis.edu/departments/writingcenter/studyskills.html
http://www.cerritos.edu/reading/tutorials.htm
http://www.isu.edu/~kingkath/readstrt.html
http://www.providence.edu/OAS/Shop/Reading.htm
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/success/reading.html
http://www.criticalreading.com
Speedreader, computer software that helps students practice reading efficiency, is available on computers in the Department of English and Theatre computer labs. To schedule time in the labs contact Barbara Szubinska at barbara.szubinska@eku.edu
Reading skills DVD's are available through the department by contacting Pat Roberts at pat.roberts@eku.edu.
Titles include:
"Reading: Main Ideas and Details"
"English Composition: Writing for an Audience (includes a segment called “Reading as a Thinker")
"How to Read a Textbook"
August 2009
