SUNY Old Westbury recently received a State University of New York grant of $20,000 to support the development of co-requisite courses in writing utilizing the “Accelerated Learning Program” approach. The College was one of fifteen state institutions to be awarded a grant to participate in the SUNY Developmental English Learning Community.
Focusing on development of a co-requisite model for developmental writing as stressed in the ALP approach, the new Old Westbury courses will offer students an opportunity to receive more personalized attention on their writing and time to practice effective reading and writing strategies while enrolled in English composition courses. The ALP approach was developed by Peter Adams, Professor Emeritus, Community College of Baltimore County, and has been adopted by more than 100 universities nationwide.
“The co-requisite model will be an important part of Old Westbury’s academic success initiatives, providing foundational building blocks in our students’ education while also increasing student confidence in their ability to read, write, and think critically at the college level,” said Dr. Jacqueline Emery, campus lead and faculty facilitator on the grant.
Drs. Emery, Linda Camarasana and Margaret Torrell of the English Department wrote the grant, and will take on various roles in its campus implementation into offerings of English Composition. Emery and Camarasana (pictured) were on-hand at the SUNY Developmental English Learning Community kick-off event last month at Onondaga Community College to learn about the benefits of ALP directly from Adams. The event also included several informative breakout sessions on faculty training and development, co-requisite and administrative issues, and project metrics.