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EGCC teacher to host webinars
Photo
Cable
By Denise Dick
Youngstown
Changes that Eastern Gateway Community College made to its developmental education curriculum are going national.
Dawn Cable, an adjunct professor at the college, will host the webinars this fall showcasing EGCC’s redesign of its developmental education English curriculum.
Cable was asked to highlight the college’s curriculum by Pearson, an education and textbook company.
The redesign created more uniformity among classes, she said.
“Before the redesign, all the instructors used the same textbook and all covered the same chapters and same number of essays, but everything else was whatever,” Cable said. She listed tests and quizzes, their value to a student’s grade, their difficulty and how frequently they were administered.
Ann Koon, Eastern Gateway spokeswoman, said developmental education classes are for students, such as those returning to college after a number of years, who need to brush up on subject areas.
The college saw problems with attendance. Some students would attend class in the beginning, but then not show up again until the end of the grading period when they would try to catch up, Cable said.
“That was part of our pass-rate problem,” she said. “You’re not going to pass a class if you’re not there.”
The instructors started using MyWritingLab, a Pearson program, allowing students to learn via the Internet. They still have to attend class.
The realignment also including expanding technology, which the program also provided.
The college says that through the redesigned developmental education classes in English and math, it’s seeing improved pass and completion rates among this segment of students.
The redesign project was supported by a $743,000 three-year grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This was tied to the college’s Achieving the Dream Leader College work. It’s a program aimed at helping community college students earn degrees.