This volume makes the case that the weed–out dynamic is no longer acceptable if it ever was. Contemporary postsecondary education is characterized by vastly expanded access for historically underserved populations of students, and this new level of access is coupled with increased scrutiny of retention and graduation outcomes.
Chapters in this volume define and explore issues in gateway courses and provide various examples of how to improve teaching, learning and outcomes in these foundational components of the undergraduate experience.
This is the 180th volume of the Jossey–Bass quarterly report series New Directions for Higher Education. Addressed to presidents, vice presidents, deans, and other higher education decision makers on all kinds of campuses, it provides timely information and authoritative advice about major issues and administrative problems confronting every institution.
Table of Contents
EDITOR S NOTES 5
Andrew K. Koch
Part I. The Issue
1. It s About the Gateway Courses: Defining and Contextualizing the Issue 11
Andrew K. Koch
Part II. Data–Based Decisions and Actions
2. Guiding Early and Often: Using Curricular and Learning Analytics to Shape Teaching, Learning, and Student Success in Gateway Courses 21
Matthew D. Pistilli, Gregory L. Heileman
3. Putting the Evidence in Evidence–Based: Utilizing Institutional Research to Drive Gateway–Course Reform 31
Emily A. Berg, Mark Hanson
Part III. The Role of Academic Stakeholders
4. The Case for Intentionally Interwoven Peer Learning Supports in Gateway–Course Improvement Efforts 43
Johanna Dvorak, Kathryn Tucker
5. Fostering Evidence–Informed Teaching in Crucial Classes: Faculty Development in Gateway Courses 53
Susannah McGowan, Peter Felten, Joshua Caulkins, Isis Artze–Vega
6. Chief Academic Officers and Gateway Courses: Keys to Institutional Retention and Persistence Agendas 63
Roberta S. Matthews, Scott Newman
7. Why Gateway–Course Improvement Should Matter to Academic Discipline Associations and What They Can Do to Address the Issues 75
Julia Brookins, Emily Swafford
Part IV. Integrated Approaches and Systems
8. Intentionally Linking Gateway–Course Transformation Efforts with Guided Pathways 89
Martine Courant Rife, Christine Conner
9. Maximizing Gateway–Course Improvement by Making the Whole Greater Than the Sum of the Parts 99
Andrew K. Koch, Richard J. Prystowsky, Tony Scinta
INDEX 111
