Weighing In: Faculty Recommendations for Policy and Practice at Post-Remedial Community Colleges

Abstract

ABSTRACT Considering the importance of faculty’s role in policymaking – especially when related to student success – this study provided a comprehensive analysis of faculty’s perceived obstacles to student success in post-remedial academia, as well as their suggestions for improving outcomes. This study analyzed survey feedback from faculty (N = 849) at 12 different colleges at the City University of New York (CUNY), from both 2-year and 4-year institutions, across a range of disciplines, from both tenured and untenured faculty, and from both part-time and full- time faculty. Respondents, overall, identified worsening academic literacies, a reduction in academic standards, and an overall reduction in student success since developmental education has been phased out. Faculty also suggested an array of policy, curricular, and classroom-level solutions that would help student outcomes in post-remedial academia. These included reinstating exam-based placement protocols, developing students’ academic literacies more rigorously, and re-offering pre-requisite (remedial) coursework.