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Time can be a challenge for students facing obligations and demands that divert attention from achieving their educational goals.
Madison College has found an effective solution by offering corequisite courses in foundational subjects of English and Math. Over the past four years, students have experienced success through this model. This initiative aligns with Madison College's Vision 2030 commitment to analyze data to eliminate significant academic success gaps in courses essential for student persistence and completion.
"Students are spending less money, less time, and achieving greater success through this initiative," emphasizes Madison College Provost Beth Giles-Klinkner. "This is a concrete example of how we have collaborated to evaluate the data's outcomes and implement measures that improve our results."
Saving time and money
The corequisite model saves students time and money by allowing them to enroll simultaneously in required courses.
Madison College offers four corequisite courses: English 1 (Accelerated Language Program, ALP), Math with Business Applications (Accelerated Business Program, ABP), Math Reasoning (Accelerated Reasoning Program, ARP), and Elementary Algebra with Applications (Accelerated Math Program, AMP).
These accelerated remediation pathways pair a credit-bearing English or Math course with an additional support course. This model allows students who would otherwise need developmental education to enroll directly in credit-bearing coursework, helping them meet their degree requirements more quickly.
Madison College math instructor Jodie Ryan says supported accelerated models provide more time for direct student interaction.
“In real-time, we help students with math problems that they would otherwise struggle with on their own, and that is something we do not have time to do in a two-semester sequence,” Ryan says. “This approach saves students time, and they recognize that up front and know that they will have to work hard, but most of them are willing to put in the work because they are saving a semester.”
Student success
Success rates—measured as the percentage of students earning a C or better—show similar outcomes between corequisite courses and standard degree courses without support, even considering that students in ALP, ABP, ARP, and AMP typically would not have been academically prepared for the degree-credit courses they are taking.
Madison College instructor Paul Barribeau says the model has been transformative for students, providing additional support during the course, fostering community among students, and allowing instructors to offer timely interventions.
“One of the advantages of this model is that students connect and build a community with the other students who are in ALP, so they know they are not alone on their learning journey,” Barribeau says.
Students enrolled in the ALP-English 1 course have seen significant success. More than twice as many students in ALP completed English 1 compared to similarly prepared students who followed the college’s traditional route of Academic Writing 5/6 or Intro to College Writing. Moreover, students beginning in ALP are more likely to complete English 2 than those on the traditional path.
The college will build on this success by expanding AMP and ALP courses. This expansion will involve accelerating from developmental education to degree credit in a carefully managed process to ensure the continued success of the corequisite model.
