Turning Gatekeepers into Gateways
We are partnering with Lumen Learning, Arizona State University, Carnegie Mellon University, Macmillan Learning, and others to develop and disseminate “best in class” courseware, which is instructional content scoped and sequenced to deliver an entire course through educational software.
Our goal is to develop courseware for 20 gateway (introductory) courses with high drop/fail/withdraw (DFW) rates, starting with Introductory Chemistry and Introductory Statistics. DFW rates for gateway courses range from 15% at public research institutions to 30-40% at comprehensive universities and 50-60% at community colleges. And there are significant disparities in DFW rates by race and Pell Grant status.
Redesigning these courses will help more of today’s students master key material and keep them on the path to a certificate or degree while also providing faculty and staff the tools they need to support students who are struggling with particular concepts. The redesign process specifically focuses on eliminating disparities in DFW rates by race/ethnicity.
Our goal is to develop courseware for 20 gateway (introductory) courses with high drop/fail/withdraw (DFW) rates, starting with Introductory Chemistry and Introductory Statistics. DFW rates for gateway courses range from 15% at public research institutions to 30-40% at comprehensive universities and 50-60% at community colleges. And there are significant disparities in DFW rates by race and Pell Grant status.
Redesigning these courses will help more of today’s students master key material and keep them on the path to a certificate or degree while also providing faculty and staff the tools they need to support students who are struggling with particular concepts. The redesign process specifically focuses on eliminating disparities in DFW rates by race/ethnicity.
Investment Priorities
Our grants reflect a growing emphasis on achieving scale through a national network focused on delivering tools, training, and technical assistance, including support for colleges and universities forced to rapidly shift to online and hybrid program delivery due to COVID-19.
Creating digital courses and programs
Create affordable, flexible, high-quality digital courses and programs that can help students move further, faster toward earning a certificate or degree.
Providing resources to faculty
Provide resources and support to faculty to adapt best practice in developing and delivering courses and programs and improve student outcomes by race, ethnicity, and income.