A recent survey indicates that community college students are concerned about their own readiness to perform at the collegiate level. This is noteworthy, since freshmen are often reluctant to admit such shortcomings, particularly when told they must take developmental instruction. College teachers and academic advisors report that many students are flabbergasted when informed of their lack of preparation—as measured by various assessment instruments.
Good grades in high school are not necessarily a great predictor of college success, unfortunately. College math teachers express concern that, even if more students in Texas high schools are taking Algebra II (due to raising the "default" curriculum), for instance, it doesn't mean much if the content is watered down.
The survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of the Pearson Foundation in August and September 2011 among 1,205 community college students. Here's the official press release, which explains the group's methodology.
The report has a number of interesting findings regarding online instruction, course availability, and various other subjects. But the part faculty will likely notice most concerns students' perceived lack of preparation:
The survey reports on widespread concern among students about their college readiness. Findings show that more than half of community college students who are recent high school graduates (52%) felt their high school did not properly prepare them for college-level academics and could have done more by placing a stronger emphasis on basic skills (48%), offering more courses (52%), and offering more challenging courses (49%).
And:
Seventy-one percent of recent high school graduates say they are working harder in community college than they did in high school, particularly those who say their high school did a fair or poor job at preparing them for college-level courses.
And:
Students agree that while online courses can be convenient (81%), they can also be more difficult than in-person courses (61%).
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