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Developmental courses at Thomas Nelson Community College are offered to help prepare individuals for enrollment in the occupational-technical and university-parallel/college-transfer courses in the college. If students either have not completed appropriate educational courses or have compiled weak records in their past educational endeavors, developmental courses will help these students learn the basic skills necessary to succeed in the credit programs of the college. Developmental courses also serve the needs of students who wish to upgrade their job skills or to study for self-improvement. Advisors place students in developmental courses on the basis of students’ high school transcripts, the Virginia Placement Test, and other available data concerning their achievement levels. An up-to-date listing of prerequisites for entrance into curricula and courses is available from advisors and from the Counseling Center.
Each developmental studies course has been designed to meet specific objectives essential for entry into regular curriculum courses. Tests and other diagnostic techniques are administered to draw profiles of students’ strengths and weaknesses, to measure academic progress, and to determine students’ achievement of established course objectives.
In all developmental courses, special efforts are made to work with individual students in areas in which they are weak. Students’ skills are assessed frequently and instructional assistants are available for students needing additional help.
Some students in developmental studies may be taking all of their work at the developmental studies level while others may additionally be enrolled in some curriculum-level courses for which they are qualified. In general, developmental studies courses do not count toward graduation, but upon approval of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, some developmental studies courses may provide credit applicable to certificate programs. For their benefit, students are urged to complete all developmental work at the earliest possible opportunity.
While taking developmental studies courses, students must consult with their faculty advisors to select appropriate courses for successive academic semesters. Also, students are urged to consult with the advisor in the academic division of their intended curriculum for additional guidance or information.
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