Developmental Education

The field of developmental education supports the academic and personal growth of underprepared college students through instruction, counseling, advising, and tutoring. The clients of developmental education programs are traditional and nontraditional students who have been assessed as needing to develop their skills in order to be successful in college. "Developmental education is the integration of academic courses and support services guided by the principles of adult learning and development." (Boylan, 1999) National Center for Development Education (NCDE)

Developmental Education programs and services commonly address academic preparedness, diagnostic assessment and placement, affective barriers to learning, and development of general and discipline-specific learning strategies. Goals include:

1. To preserve and make possible educational opportunity for each postsecondary learner.
2. To develop in each learner the skills and attitudes necessary for the attainment of academic career and life goals.
3. To ensure proper placement by assessing each learner’s level of preparedness for college course work.
4. To maintain academic standards by enabling learners to acquire competencies needed for success in mainstream college courses. To enhance the retention of students.
5. To promote the continued development and application of cognitive and affective learning theory