College makes changes to English coursework

Rashawn Jones was very discouraged when he found out he had to take developmental English courses at Lincoln Land Community College. 

“I was working full-time, paying bills, and taking courses that did not count for any college credits. I was very discouraged,” said the computer science major, who hopes to graduate in Spring 2020.  

Added Jones: “I always had low English and Reading scores, my ACT scores were low, and my placement test scores were low as well, so I started in English 098 and Reading 099.” 

Jones started taking a developmental course with Tameka Johnson-Tillman, assistant professor of English. The Lanphier High School graduate was one of the first students to also take EGL 100. 

Lincoln Land Community College has been piloting a move away from EGL 098 and EGL 099 developmental courses to using EGL 100 instead. A similar move is being made with developmental math courses, too.  

In EGL 100, students take the 1-credit-hour course to improve skills, while simultaneously taking EGL 101. The EGL 101 course has students who have test scores and GPA high enough to take it, as well as those needing additional help. Those EGL 100 students meet an extra hour each week to practice skills to be successful. 

Johnson-Tillman has been teaching the EGL 100-EGL 101 courses for three years as they prepare for a collegewide change happening this fall.  

This should “alleviate the stress of one–time testing to help students feel better about entering college,” Johnson-Tillman said. 

In “Time is the Enemy”, a report by Complete College America, it was found that 50.1 percent of students working toward their associates degree required developmental courses. Of those, only 9.5 percent would graduate within 3 years.  

“We’ve learned that students who enter 098 or 099 rarely graduate because it’s so discouraging,” said Johnson-Tillman. “We just want to help students.” 

The report recommends steering away from developmental courses to raise the graduation rates, currently at 13.9 percent for those seeking their first degree. They suggest “co-requisite and embedded support for those needing extra help, as developmental course just don’t see results.” 

As of the 2016-2017 school year, only 28.1 percent of first-time students graduate from our campus. Lincoln Land administrators hope this change will combat students’ frustrations from taking developmental courses and increase the low graduation rate. 

According to Johnson-Tillman, a student with a minimum GPA of 2.7 out of 4.0 can now be placed directly into EGL 101 without any support. Students with a GPA between 1.9 and 2.69 will need an extra hour of teacher support and will place into EGL 101-EGL 100 course. Students with a GPA lower than 1.9 will first need the EGL 099 developmental course. For those without a GPA, an ACT or SAT score can be used for placement.  

“I firmly believe in this process and think Mrs. Johnson did great creating this process,” Jones said. “Stay patient and do not get down on yourself because you’re in the class.” 

Jones added: “Getting rid of English 098 will mean fewer students feeling frustrated with the time it will take them to get through all the developmental English classes.”