ISAAC MARTY
A College of the Marshall Islands “Accelerated Program” to reduce the number of students in the developmental level has shown positive results as a majority of 40 enrolled students passed the summer mid-term test recently.
The purpose of the new program is “to get them (students) up very quickly,” said CMI Executive Advisor to the President and Acting Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs Dr. Melinda Nish.
Most new students at CMI start in one of the three developmental levels offered by the college. Once they pass development, they can take credit level classes that count toward a degree.
Motivating CMI to speed the process of moving students through development courses is the problem of students exhausting their Pell Grant scholarship funding because of being in the developmental level too long.
The program compacted Developmental Level two and Level three courses and only accepts students from these two levels. The program adds extra student activities and homework on top of the normal curriculum. It’s an intensive approach, said Nish.
The students have a lot to do. After class they have CMI faculty members and tutors available to help. If students don’t make it at the end of the semester, it’s okay. There is a safety net. They will be given a second chance to prove themselves in the initial four weeks of the following semester.
If the pilot project works, it will be included during regular semesters, said Nish.
Read more about this in the July 28, 2017 edition of the Marshall Islands Journal.