Notes

Outline

Student Enrollment in Gateway Courses Preparedness Commitments, and Challenges

Gateway courses: Freshmen plus

Mirrors varied sources of new students

Majority of new students admitted conditionally

Academic preparedness varies widely

But that’s changing (slightly)

Many from families with limited higher education experience

Relatively few graduate in 6 years

Many do not last past the first year

Largely because they do poorly in their first-year courses

Large lecture courses are particularly a problem for conditional admits

Work commitments add greatly to the challenge

Many combine full-time work AND full-time school

Many have significant family obligations

Academics are a relatively small part of their overall time commitments

Academics are a relatively small part of their overall time commitments

There you have it… Students vary widely in academic preparation They have many (and varied) non-academic obligations And relatively little social support The classroom is the primary ‘point of contact’ with the university So what’s a gateway course instructor to do?