Should Students Have Fewer Choices?

That's a title I'm sure will raise a fuss.  At least it should.  As a physics major, much of my program of study was prescribed, however, I was given freedom to choose which biology courses to enroll in, which humanities, social sciences, and modern language to study.  I even had some choice in which physics classes to take.  College is a time to explore; perhaps it's the only time a person has to intensely study a variety of disciplines.  Retirement may offer the chance, but I'm still two decades away from the experience.

However, providing fewer choice to students may be one way to increase student success.

The Nashville campus of the Tennessee Technology Center system offers a rigid academic program.

Rather than choose individual courses, students enroll—the majority full time—in programs with predetermined schedules. Classes meet every day for about six hours and last from several weeks to more than a year, depending on the program. Attendance is taken. Remediation is embedded in coursework. Though grouped together, students move through programs at their own pace.

What does the data show?  The graduation rate in the entire system of 27 campuses is 75%, and the job placement rate is 83%.  

Such achievements are even more noteworthy given the population the system serves: racially and ethnically diverse, low-income adults—students who tend to struggle in college.

Colleges are paying attention.  As the Chronicle of Higher Education reports, 

Administrators from community colleges around the country—the City Colleges of Chicago; the Ivy Tech Community College system, in Indiana; and the Texas State Technical College system, for example—are trekking to Tennessee…

One interesting characteristics of the program is that the curriculum is competency-based.  Students must demonstrate proficiency of the material before proceeding.  Another is that the curriculum is activity-based, the students practice what they learn.

Remediation, renamed technology foundations, is blended into the coursework.

Could such ideas work at Rio Hondo College?  I don't know.  This certainly violates my philosophy of education, but when we're looking at ideas to improve student success, let's not overlook something just because it looks different.

Note: The CHE article is behind a pay wall.  Contact me if you would like a copy of the article, or contact a college librarian for access.