class before they are admitted for the fall semester. Boylan (2004), Dolores Perin (2001), and Vincent Tinto (2007) point out that when it comes to improving students' learning skills, one size does not fit all. Boylan cites Parker Palmer, who notes that university faculty members “. . . always apply the same solution to whatever problems they confront . . . it's called addacourse. If students have trouble writing, we add a writing course; if they have trouble thinking, they add a critical thinking course” (p. 2). Boylan admits that developmental students, particularly those who place in the bottom half of developmental courses, most likely need the structure and organization imposed by a 16-week course. On the other hand, he, along with Tinto and Perin, note that developmental courses alone are not an adequate solution to the needs of students. Perin (2001) points out that while a large number of students need the kind of intensive practice on basic skills, the problem is that “. . . the content of [such] instruction cannot usually be perceived by students as meaningful and immediately applicable” (p. 56). She adds that research indicates that
... for instruction in basic reading, writing, and math skills to be effective, it must be seen by the students as serving a larger purpose, related to the accomplishment of specific job, educational, and family goals.... It is likely that when students are asked to engage in academic learning not clearly connected with their longer-term goals, they lose motivation, and stop attending (p. 56).
Boylan and Tinto advocate developing and coordinating tutorial assistance in labs devoted to reading, writing, and mathematics, with freshman seminars and learning communities that emphasize collaborative learning. In accord with that recommendation, KSU students in QEP-designated developmental courses will be required to participate in two additional "lab" hours of supplemental instruction each week for each developmental course in which they are enrolled. Each cohort of 15 students will also benefit by having a trained student Supplemental Instructor live with them in the residence hall as part of their learning community. The Supplemental Instructors (SI), who are an important part of the KSU AWA plan, are students with at least sophomore status and at least a 3.0 in the subject tutored and a 2.8 cumulative GPA who attend all class sessions of at least one section of a course (e.g. MAT 095, ENG 088). They must have completed with a grade of B or higher ENG 101, 102, and 211 (or higher literature course), or MAT 115 and 120 or 125, or BIO 101 and 111 or 112, or CHE 109. The SI's are trained initially by the ACE certified SI facilitator, and they receive further training through faculty and Instructional Counselors assigned to the project. The SI's attend and take notes for assigned course lectures, labs, and tutorials; provide learning assistance at labs and tutorials; and assess and record student attendance. SI's model the appropriate attitudes, habits, and level of academic achievement that will encourage academic success for the QEP students.
Throughout the 20th century, many colleges and universities have provided some type of orientation to new incoming students. In the 1970s John Gardner pioneered the "Freshman Seminar" concept to provide a more comprehensive approach to the needs of first-year college students (Gardner & Jewler, 1992). As an integral part of the First
44