Developmental Studies

The mission of the Developmental Studies Department is to provide a program to improve students’ academic skills and preparation for future coursework.

Developmental Studies courses exist as prerequisites to General Education courses. Please see the section “General Admissions Requirements for Curriculum Programs” for information concerning placement testing. Students who do not remove prerequisites through test scores or prior credit must take the appropriate math, reading, or English courses in Developmental Studies prior to enrolling in certain General Education courses. Developmental Studies classes are offered day and evening to accommodate every student who needs them. Grades earned in Developmental Studies are not included in the student’s grade point average, and credit hours earned do not count toward graduation.


COMPETENCIES

Randolph Community College is committed to continuous improvement through program evaluation. One part of the evaluation is to assess program competencies. While our program contains many competencies for students to achieve, each year a select few are chosen for assessment purposes. This year, program competency assessment will focus on these:
1. Students who complete MAT 070 will be prepared to perform successfully in an entry-level college mathematics course (MAT 115, 120, 121, and 140).
2. Students who completed RED 090 will be able to read at a level that is appropriate to entry- level college classes.
3. Students who complete ENG 090 will be prepared to perform successfully in an entry-level college English course (ENG 111).
4. Students who complete SCI 095 will be prepared to perform successfully in an entry-level college science course (BIO 163 and 168).
5. Students who complete MAT 080 will be prepared to perform successfully in an entry-level college mathematics course (MAT 171 or 175).


The Developmental Studies Department uses a different grading scale than the other departments. That scale is as follows:

A 93-100
B 85-92
C 77-87
F 76 and below

All courses with the Developmental Studies Department have a two-fold pass requirement. A student 1) must have a passing grade at the end of the course—meaning a grade of A, B, or C from the scale above AND 2) must pass the exit exam given at the end of the course. Students who meet both requirements complete the course with a passing grade and receive course credit. Students who do not complete both requirements must retake the course.

Academic and other support for Developmental Studies students is available in Student Support Services, which is located in the Student Services Center.



Developmental Studies Courses Offered


Hours/Week
Sem Hrs
Class
Lab
Credit
ENG 085 Reading & Writing Foundations 5 0 5
ENG 090 Composition Strategies 3 0 3
MAT 060 Essential Mathematics 3 2 4
MAT 070 Introductory Algebra 3 2 4
MAT 080 Intermediate Algebra 3 2 4
RED 090 Improved College Reading 3 2 4
SCI 095 Developmental Science 3 4 5

Faculty

Department Chair Matthew Price (336) 633-0229
English Instructor David Heskett (336) 633-0123
Reading Instructor Jane Lisk (336) 633-0323
Math Instructor Angelia Miles (336) 633-0324
Math Instructor Susan Teague (336) 633-0316
Math Instructor Melissa Earliwine (336) 633-0316