Strategy V
To improve quality and increase efficiency, invest in
students by developing new partnerships with K-12 and community
colleges to insure students are ready for University study.
Education should be a seamless process: high school graduates prepared
for freshman level work in community colleges or universities; community
college transfers ready for a university major. It is not. Large numbers
of students repeat in college material they should have mastered in high
school, especially in foreign languages, math and science. Community
college transfers often find that they have not taken the right courses,
or enough courses, or what they learned does not match what they are
expected to know. Problems such as these lower achievement, increase cost
and cause delay. They should be eliminated. To do so we must deepen and
extend the already extensive collaboration our faculty have developed
with
K-12 and community colleges.
Recommendations
To Prepare Freshmen
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With K-12, coordinate teaching and learning in areas related to
university proficiencies or core areas of study, especially in the
following areas:
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Mathematics including general quantitative reasoning, pre-calculus and
calculus.
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Foreign language instruction, especially in the commonly taught languages of
French, Spanish, and German.
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Science instruction including chemistry, physics and biology.
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Writing composition.
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Extend partnerships between the University and K-12 to improve
professional training and development for teachers.
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Extend internship and tutoring programs which enable University
students to use what they have learned to help K-12 students succeed.
Experience shows that such programs enrich university education, benefit
K-12, and bring our schools closer together.
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Support the commission on student learning and outcome-based education
in K-12. In the end it is not what courses a student has taken, but
what
they have learned and can do that is important. The University has a
special responsibility to ensure that learning outcomes provide
preparation for college study.
To Prepare Transfers
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Improve articulation and transfer agreements with community colleges.
Students should expect a common agreement among all four year institutions
and all community colleges. A transfer agreement should ensure that core
general education requirements are met at the community college.
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Improve coordination between academic advisors at the University and
community colleges. Students should expect accurate and up to date
information on courses needed to prepare for transfer to the University.
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Support efforts by faculty in University departments to collaborate
with their colleagues in community colleges to coordinate curriculum
advising for transfer students.
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Collaborate with community colleges on the development of new transfer
degrees best suited to preparing transfer students for University majors.
The only transfer degree currently offered by community colleges is the
Associate of Arts degree which does not articulate well for students in
science. An additional transfer degree designed to prepare students in
science should be developed.
