Remedial/Developmental Instructions in an Actual Classroom Situation: Interfacing Social Science, English, and Reading.

This paper emphasizes the importance of faculty attention to instructional improvement practices and curriculum development for underprepared college freshmen. Instead of downgrading course content instructors must devise college level instruction that has the following characteristics: (1) interdisciplinary content; (2) student focus; and (3) programmatic approach. Such a curriculum model was successfully integrated into a social science course for college freshmen which directly interfaced the social science subject matter with English and reading courses. The remedial/developmental model was accepted by the faculty as a means of preserving the quality of academic instruction while addressing the needs of underprepared students. The students in the course expressed an openness about their deficiencies as learners and a willingness to focus on overcoming these inadequacies. Most students made use of tutoring and the other supplemental services offered by the program. Improvements were made in achievement and in attendance. (VM)