Transitional Courses and Programs Glossary

Increasing Student Success

Transitional Courses and Programs
This category describes the wide array of approaches for meeting the academic and social needs of students as they make the transition from secondary to postsecondary education. Two new terms provide an umbrella for these approaches: transitional courses and transitional programs. Some approaches have been recently created to replace remedial-level and developmental-level courses, which are out of favor with many policymakers and college administrators.

academic preparatory academy

1. Definition: An equivalent high school education program that contains core academic content, including a college preparatory curriculum. This approach is now more prevalent in the United Kingdom. Previously, these academies operated in the United States before the creation or junior colleges or community colleges.

2. Compare with ACCESS EDUCATION and DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION.

accelerated developmental-level course

1. Definition: Condensing academic content to be completed in less than a traditional academic term. However, the total time spent to complete the course usually includes extra instructional/contact hours.

2. Compare with ACCELERATION THROUGH CURRICULAR REDESIGN, ACCELERATION, COMPRESSED DEVELOPMENTAL-LEVEL COURSE, CO-REQUISITE PAIRED COURSE, and GUIDED PATHWAYS.

acceleration

1. Definitions: (a) “Reorganization of instruction and curricula in ways that facilitate the completion of educational requirements in an expedited manner” (Edgecombe, 2011, p. 4). Other terms used to describe this approach include intensive, compressed, condensed, and time-shortened; and (b) Multiple courses in an academic sequence may be completed within the same academic term.

2. Compare with ACCELERATION THROUGH CURRICULAR REDESIGN, ACCELERATION THROUGH MAINSTREAMING, COMPRESSED DEVELOPMENTAL-LEVEL COURSE, EMBEDDED ACADEMIC SUPPORT, GUIDED PATHWAYS, and MODULAR LEARNING.

acceleration through curricular redesign

1. Definitions: (a) “Reduction of time to complete developmental-level course requirements by decreasing the required courses. Course reductions are accomplished through the elimination of redundant content and modification of the remaining curriculum to meet learning objectives. For example, the curricula of multiple developmental-level courses may be consolidated into a single-term course. Often, these new courses require additional instructional contact hours and therefore are offered more credit than their legacy courses. However, this is not common for all redesigned courses; and (b) Elimination of developmental-level courses and incorporation into college-level courses of basic skills development” (Edgecombe, 2011, p. 14).

2. Compare with ACCELERATION, ACCELERATION THROUGH MAINSTREAMING, COMPRESSED DEVELOPMENTAL-LEVEL COURSE, EMBEDDED ACADEMIC SUPPORT, GUIDED PATHWAYS, and MODULAR LEARNING.

acceleration through mainstreaming

1. Definitions: (a) Placement into college-level courses of students who are close to required placement scores on the assumption that these students are similar or indistinguishable from their college-ready peers (Calcagno & Long, 2008); (b) This curricular approach is also called an ACCELERATED LEARNING PROGRAM; (c) Admission of students into college-level courses despite ASSESSMENT scores placing them in DEVELOPMENTAL-LEVEL COURSES while providing additional assistance through a required CO-REQUISITE COURSE, INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY lab sessions, or other learning supports (Edgecombe, 2011); and (d) Provision to all of the beneficial academic support embedded into class sessions through INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY modules, in-class tutors, and out-of-class resources such as COURSE-BASED LEARNING ASSISTANCE, LEARNING ASSISTANCE, LEARNING ASSISTANCE CENTER, DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAM, REMEDIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM, LEARNING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, or other means.

2. Compare with BASIC ACADEMIC SKILLS.

access education

1. Definitions: (a) A program of study for STUDENTS HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED to prepare for postsecondary admission; and (b) A term used to describe programs in Europe and other locations that are comparable to U.S. DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION.

2. Compare with ACADEMIC PREPARATORY ACADEMY and DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION.

bridge program

1. Definitions: (a) “Programs designed to facilitate the transition from adult basic education, programs to postsecondary educational institutions. Through participation in transition programs, learners build academic literacy skills, social capital, and acquire strategies for success in college and vocational training” (Collins & O’Brien, 2011, p. 53); Support students through multiple transition points throughout secondary and postsecondary education. Often these programs serve students who may be first-generation college students, historically-underrepresented, economically-disadvantaged, and lacking social capital commonly held by privileged students.

2. Examples: TRIO programs such as Upward Bound, Student Support Services, and McNair Scholars program.

3. Compare with FIRST-YEAR COLLEGE PROGRAM, TRANSITION PROGRAM, and TRIO.

college access

1. Definition: Coordinated gateway path of GATEWAY COURSES to prepare students for postsecondary institutions that are well aligned with student's interests and capabilities (Page & Scott-Clayton, 2015)

compensatory education

1. Definitions: (a) Educational activities that amend a previous state of discrimination due to their demographic profile such as being economically disadvantaged; and (b) Activities and services provided through civil rights legislation for students who are eligible for participation due to past discrimination because of their ethnic, social, or economic group.

2. Example: TRIO programs such as Upward Bound, Student Support Services, and McNair Scholars Program.

3. Compare with DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION, DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAM, DISABILITY SERVICES, REMEDIAL EDUCATION, and REMEDIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM.

compressed developmental-level course (or compressed skills instruction)

1. Definitions: (a) “Combination of multiple, sequential DEVELOPMENTAL-LEVEL COURSES in one academic term instead of two or more. Typically, the content of a single course is compressed into a seven- or eight-week segment, followed immediately by the next course in the sequence, also taught in a compressed format. Notably, students register for at least two sequential courses at the start of the term to normalize enrollment in the subsequent course. Although the course length is shortened, the instructional contact hours are the same as in a traditional 16-week course. Therefore, depending on scheduling, class periods tend to be longer and require instructors to modify lesson plans. Students receive grades for each compressed course. If students do not pass the first course, they are not permitted to move on to the second” (Edgecombe, 2011, p. 8); and (b) COMPRESSED COURSES refers to most any academic course that lasts less than the standard academic term (semester or quarter) and often lasts six to eight weeks in length.

2, Compare with ACCELERATION, ACCELERATION THROUGH CURRICUL...