“Many students who begin postsecondary education drop out before completing a degree. According to the Lumina Foundation, an estimated 60 percent of students at public institutions fail to complete degrees within five years, and half of these students leave during the freshman year. As shown by research by the Policy Center on the First Year of College at Brevard College (NC) and others, the first year of college is the most critical to a college student’s success and to degree completion.
Successful completion of introductory courses is critical for first-year students, but typical failure rates in these courses contribute heavily to overall institutional drop-out rates between the first and second year. Although success rates vary by institutional type and by subject matter, Research I universities commonly cite a 15 percent drop-failure-withdrawal (DFW) rate in introductory courses. Comprehensive universities’ DFW rates range from 22 percent to 45 percent in these courses. Community colleges frequently experience DFW rates of 40 percent to 50 percent or more.
Most of the weaknesses attributed to large introductory courses are generic in nature and have as their source the limitations of the predominant form of instruction in U.S. colleges and universities: the didactic lecture. An overwhelming body of research shows that students do not learn effectively from lectures, and testimony from the field corroborates the literature.
What’s wrong with the lecture? The lecture method treats all students as if they were the same, as if they bring to the course the same academic preparation, the same learning style, the same motivation to learn, the same interest in the subject, and the same ability to learn. The reality is that students with weak skills need more individual attention and more opportunity for interaction, particularly at the beginning of the term. At the same time, students with strong skills are locked into a fixed time frame for completing the course. The large, impersonal lecture format simply cannot accommodate the broad range of differences among students.
Most lecture courses are notoriously ineffective in engaging students. The lecture format neither encourages active participation nor offers students an opportunity to learn collaboratively from one another. It does not provide adequate tutoring assistance, and consequently, students receive little individual attention. Even though individual help may be available during office hours, only a small fraction of students take advantage of this help. Most students simply study the text, turn in their homework, and take quizzes and exams.
The primary alternative structure for large-enrollment courses, the multiple-section model, suffers from problems of its own. In theory it allows greater interaction with students, but in practice, sections are often quite large and are dominated by the same presentation techniques as used in larger courses. In addition, the multiple-section model suffers from a lack of coordination. As a result, course outcomes vary considerably and, more important, are not always consistent with students’ abilities.”
Clearly, making significant improvements in first-year courses can have a major impact on student success and retention.”
More at http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/jaln/v8n1/v8n1_twigg.asp