Stephanie Natale-Boianelli
Assistant Professor of Developmental English
Richard Russell
Assistant Professor of English
Leila Crawford
Assistant Professor of English
Traditional
ENGL080
Students
(AtD Cohort)
Gateway Course Success
No. of Students
1503
English 101 Completion Rate
45%
English 102 Attempt Rate
30%
English 102 Completion Rate
26%
Students who place into Engl080 by completing Engl070
or the ESL program are not currently eligible for ALP.
Community College of Baltimore ALP Model
ENG 101
ENG 052
A
L
P
ALP Advantages (Baltimore model)
reduces stigma
improves attachment
provides stronger role model
encourages learning communities
changes attitude toward developmental course
allows individual attention
allows time for non-cognitive issues
allows coordination of the two courses
A
L
P
The Accelerated Learning Program
The Triad Model
Once a week, ENGL099
meets in a computer lab.
ENGL099 & ENGL101 are
both three credit courses.
ALP
080
Backward design
Traditional course
The goal is for students to pass
the college-level course.
The goal is for students to
pass the developmental
course.
Developmental course is
taken concurrently with the
college-level course.
Developmental course is
taken as a prerequisite to
college-level course .
Teacher is expected to both
teach and mentor the
students.
Teaching is the only
expectation.
Focus on
non-cognitive issues
No formal focus on
non-cognitive issues
Two critical ALP features: Both courses are taught by the
same professor. Eleven of the students in the collegelevel course placed into credit-level English.
ALP Syllabus
Student Learning Outcomes/Objectives, similar to ENGL101
syllabus, with important additions:
 Students will learn the value of being an active participant in a learning
community: how to prepare for/attend classes; actively participate;
respectfully/responsibly interact with learners; ethically collaborate/study
for other classes.
 Students will choose a program path for the next two years, study the
schedule in the tabloid, make effective decisions for scheduling an
academic semester. Students will discuss the pros and cons of
shortened summer semesters and of online classes.
 Students will become familiar with the college culture: make use of
available and appropriate resources; meet with the instructor to discuss
individual program; learn about essential services/procedures for
registration and about extracurricular activities; etc.
What ALP Students Need
Early in the semester:
 Understanding of ALP (I don’t really know how I
ended up here… The advisor recommended I take
this class.)
 Buy-in of the program (Save money! Save time!)
 Buy-in of the professor (This professor
authentically wants me to succeed.)
 Introduction to ins and outs of their school
Faculty must complete one full day of training and work
with a mentor during their first semester teaching ALP
After a few weeks, they need
 Check-ins on their other courses and professors
(mid-term evaluation form).
 Additional work on writing skills introduced in
Composition class, acknowledging the relevancy of
the work:
 sample annotated readings and annotation practice in class
 sample essay outline with starter sentences.
 ALP student leads ALP class in creating works cited page
for their essays together
 complex thesis creation by writing (and answering)
probing questions after a reading
At end of semester, they need
 A sense of what’s ahead (introducing Comp IIspecific skills like database-use, evaluation of
websites, and argumentation techniques)
 Guidance in crafting work/school schedules,
choosing degree programs, selecting classes
 Clearer sense of self and capabilities (letters to self
through snail-mail or futureme.org)
Curriculum Planning
 First day of each week: discuss questions from previous week





in 101 and/or reading/writing concerns from other classes.
Instructor consideration: What should be reinforced in both
101 class and in ALP? What should be addressed in only
ALP?
Design “just in time” exercises/group activities within learning
communities.
Sometimes student-generated concerns supersede planned
activities.
Active learning; NOT drill and practice.
Personalize/contextualize learning for ALP students.
A Sample Week
English 101
Day 1––Start The Alchemist. Read
“The Prologue.” Discuss the four
obstacles Coelho identifies. Discuss
vocabulary terms (alchemist;
narcissist). Discuss the Myth of
Narcissus. Discuss age/characteristics
of the protagonist (Santiago). Discuss
geographical context for novel.
Day 2––Review Paper #1 options.
Review MLA style. Lecture/powerpoint
and/or discussion and inductive
activity.
ALP
Day 1
In-class writing: “What is your personal
legend? How will you achieve it? What
obstacles might deter you?”
Preview next day’s reading.
Day 2 (computer lab)
Generate MLA (and APA) citations for
three sources (article, movie, novel),
using a style guide or online citation
generator (Knight Cite).
Scaling Up: Timeline
Spring
2012
Fall
2012
Spring
2013
4 triads;
3 campuses;
81 students
Effie
Russell
pilots
program
with
11 students
Fall
2013
Spring
2014
6 triads;
108 students
4 triads;
53 students
4 triads;
51 students
Fall
2014
Spring
2015
10 triads;
180 students;
4 adjuncts;
part-time
students
eligible
7 triads;
126 students;
first evening
triad
Traditional
ENGL080
Students
(AtD Cohort)
ALP
Students
Fall 2012 &
2013
No. of Students
1503
172
English 101 Completion Rate
45%
81%
English 102 Attempt Rate
30%
62%
English 102 Completion Rate
26%
53%
Gateway Course Success
From “Replicating the Accelerated Learning Program: Preliminary But Promising
Findings” study conducted by the Center for Applied Research. You can access a
copy of the study here: http://alp-deved.org/2014/02/findings-from-a-nationwide-alpstudy-just-released/
From “Replicating the Accelerated Learning Program: Preliminary But Promising
Findings” study conducted by the Center for Applied Research. You can access a
copy of the study here: http://alp-deved.org/2014/02/findings-from-a-nationwide-alpstudy-just-released/
From “Replicating the Accelerated Learning Program: Updated Findings” study
conducted by the Center for Applied Research.
Triad Model Advantages
Students
Faculty
Administration
• Merging from two sections of Engl101 allows
students to compare academic experiences.
• Larger class size fosters class discussion,
creates a typical classroom environment, and
allows for more diversity among the students.
• Merging from two sections of Engl101 allows for
authentic discussions of the diversity of the
student experience.
• Scheduling is easy: two days, three classes in a
row; a full load for adjuncts; 9 credits total is
3/5 of a full-time load.
• Class size is comparable to the developmental
course.
Triad Model Challenges
Students
Faculty
Coordinators
• Gaps can make the course schedule
inconvenient.
• Reaching every student individually in a
single class session is difficult.
• Two Engl101 experiences must be united.
• Triads are complicated and difficult to
schedule.
• Finding and training faculty can be
difficult, especially part-time faculty.
Discovering Campus
with Scavenger Hunts
Discovering Campus:
Student Handbook Project
 Step 1.
Review/discuss the
official student
handbook.
 Step 2. Brainstorm
topics that should be
in our handbook.
 Step 3.
Research/explore
topic in pairs.
 Step 4. Create the
handbook page.
 Step 5.
Presentation/peer
review.
 Step 6. Revision and
publication.
ALP
Wellness
Project
“The
Stressors
That Make
Students
Quit (And
How to
Defeat
Them)”
Brainstorming
 What’s the connection
between health and wellbeing, health and success,
health and happiness?
 What are the mental
health and well-being
issues that afflict college
students?
 What stands in the way of
getting help?
Wellness Work Goals:
 to find out about a specific issue




that afflicts college students—
statistics, warning signs, issues
with diagnoses/treatment
to locate campus resources and
contact people
to locate local/nationwide
resources and contact people
to locate a professional event,
video, or source that is
educational and supportive
to inform others about this issue
Wellness Project
 Create a document, slideshow, pamphlet, poster,
or some combination that addresses all five goals
above. Address the goals explicitly please.
 Be prepared for ten minutes for each person’s
presentation of information plus ten minutes for
Q&A.
 Note: From Sp ‘15, topics included addiction, single
motherhood, time management, anxiety and
depression.
Self-Assessment:
Reflective Writing
 ICW (Week 1): Besides
getting “good grades,”
what are your goals for
this semester? How
will you ensure that
you are working
towards these goals?
 Students will revisit these
goals and their progress
throughout the course.
 Students write a short
reflection/letter to me to
submit with Paper #1.
 ICW (Week 3): Discuss
your writing process.
What was the most
difficult part about
writing Paper #1? What
are the strengths of
your paper?
Self-Assessment:
End-of-Term Reflection
 I. What are
characteristics of “good
writing”? Use specific
examples read for class
and explain what made
them effective.
 II. What are your
strengths as a writer? Use
specific examples.
 III. What are you still
working on in your
writing?
 Some variation used for
the “final exam”
Self-Assessment:
End-of-Term Reflection
From “Ending at the
Start” (David Gooblar),
The Chronicle of Higher
Education, 29 April 2015:
 Write a letter to a future
student of this class.
 What do you wish you
would have known
before taking this class?
 What should future
students know about this
class or professor?
(Advice.)
Thank you!
“I always felt like I was one step ahead of all the other kids in English 101 because
of the extra work with the same professor.”
“I felt like the transition of coming into college was very smooth because I learned
a lot here academically, but I also learned all my resources at the campus.”
“I felt more like a student at ACCC because I learned so much about not only
English as a course but this college as a whole.”
“ALP greatly helped my confidence in 101. At the beginning, I didn’t know or
thought I didn’t know anything about reading and writing…ALP is awesome for
becoming part of the Atlantic Cape family and meeting students at similar
levels…Best class ever.”
www.atlantic.edu/alp