Developmental and Enhancement Studies Program

Developmental and Enhancement Studies

The Developmental and Enhancement Studies Program is housed in Academic Affairs. Year-round academic support classes and student support services which include peer tutors, computer-assisted instruction, and support labs are offered.

Developmental and Enhancement Studies’ purpose is to plan, supervise, and teach preparatory courses in English, mathematics, and reading. Students failing to score at an appropriate level with a subtest score lower than 17 on the ACT or at a corresponding level on the SAT are placed in intermediate classes to assist them in reaching a level of proficiency to be successful in their regular academic classes.

Students applying to state-supported institutions of higher learning in Mississippi who fail to meet one of the four admission criteria, participate in a nine-week summer program to increase their chances of being admitted.

Qualified students take coursework in reading, composition, and mathematics. This program includes classroom instruction, as well as computer-assisted tutorials. These courses do not count toward graduation and cannot be used as substitutions for elective or major courses. 

Descriptions of Developmental Courses

ENG 103  English Composition I with Co-requisite Support  (3 Hours)  
Prerequisite: Students who earned less than 17 on the ACT or the corresponding score on the SAT in English.  

English Composition I with Co-requisite Support is an accelerated course designed to engage the student in the essentials of English writing and grammar through the Intermediate English refresher followed by the credit-bearing college-level Freshman Composition I course. Emphasis will be placed on the various writing styles and techniques, beginning with paragraph structure and writing to the fundamentals of essay structure. English Composition I with Co-requisite Support will progress with the writing-intensive Freshman Composition I, which will strive to collectively infuse interdisciplinary, collaborative learning, and provide exposure to research development, practice standard forms of essay development to encourage an intelligent expression of ideas through prewriting (including, brainstorming, outlining, and gathering information). Emphasis will be placed on drafting, revision, peer review, editing, and the final draft. Ultimately, English Composition I with Co-requisite Support will help students improve writing skills, prepare for oral discussions and develop well-written papers. The course will also enhance the students’ appreciation of the variety of writing styles and themes available to hone the student’s ability to write clearly and effectively.

MATH 103  College Algebra with Corequisite Support  (3 Hours)  

This course is a corequisite Math course in which the Intermediate Math course is coupled with the credit-bearing College Algebra course (IHL Policy 608E). Students will engage in extra time for mandatory labs and tutoring to help them master the content necessary to successfully complete MATH 103. Upon successfully completing this course, students will receive credit for the Intermediate Math and the College Algebra course. The course will consist of an accelerated refresher on linear equations and inequalities and their graphs, absolute value equations and inequalities, exponents, and polynomials, factoring, rational expressions, radicals, and quadratic equations; followed by an analysis of graphs and functions; polynomial functions; rational, power, and root functions; inverse, exponential, and logarithmic functions with integrated refresher content as necessary.

RE 103  Intermediate Reading  (3 Hours)  
Prerequisite: This course is required for all incoming Freshmen whose ACT score is less than a 17 in the Reading subsection.  

RE 103 is an individualized course designed for any student desiring to increase the speed of reading and improve study skills.

GNST 101  ACADEMIC SUPPORT I  (3 Hours)  

This course is designed to assist conditionally admitted, as well as other volunteer students with their freshman courses. The goal of this course is to provide individualized support for ¿marginally¿ prepared students in regular academic credit courses.

GNST 102  ACADEMIC SUPPORT II  (3 Hours)  

This course is the second part of the year-long academic program which is designed to continue to offer individualized support for ¿marginally¿ prepared students in regular academic credit courses. Emphasis is placed on study skills, learning to learn strategies and lifelong skills.

GNST 200  LEARNING TO LEARN  (2 Hours)  

This course is designed to give students a chance to put failure in perspective and take charge of their future. It will assist students in determining what obstacles are interfering with their learning, in overcoming their problems and in gaining self-confidence and self-determination. (For students on probation.)

GNST 201  ARMS I  (1 Hour)  

Academic Readiness and Monitoring Program, is an initiative designed to address the needs of a special population of student athletes who are identified as at risk as a result of their transitional status (Freshman and/or Transfer). This course will cover a variety of topics useful for all incoming students, but will have a special emphasis on the issues that impact the success of JSU student-athletes.

GNST 202  ARMS II  (2 Hours)  

Academic Recovery and Monitoring Program, is an initiative designed to address the needs of a special population of student-athletes who are identified as at-risk as a result of their previous semester term GPA. This course will expand on the acquisition of scholarship skills begun in ARMS I and will cover a variety of topics useful for at-risk students, but will have a special emphasis on the issues that impact the success of JSU student-athletes. Student-athletes will gain a better understanding of the academic rigors and expectations that their individual academic departments have of them as university students/scholars.