Paired course model combining academic skill building (doing) with lifelong learning development (becoming)

Design · All designs
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 1 study (1 causal), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description

A six-credit paired course design in which under-prepared first-year students are simultaneously enrolled in a reading support course and a content course, so that reading skills and study strategies taught in the reading course are applied directly to the content course material. The article frames this as a dual approach addressing both "academic skills, labeled as 'doing', and lifelong learning, called 'becoming'". Instructional time in the reading course was divided equally between the two strands, and the content course remained a traditional lecture-based course.

Design Implications

Context

Requirements

• Under-prepared students identified through low SAT critical reading scores
• Faculty coordination to structure assignments applying reading-course strategies to the paired content course

Constraints

• Evaluated at a single commuter campus with a small sample; the authors note findings are preliminary and warrant future replications

Target Learners

• under-prepared first-year full-time college students

Learning Goals

• college reading and study skills
• lifelong learning dispositions
• success in a content course

Claims

• Paired Course Significant Elli Gains Six Dimensions [+M]
• Paired Course Success And Retention Rates [+M]

Related Designs

Examples

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Key Sources

• Shaffer, S. C., Eshbach, B. E., & Santiago-Blay, J. A. (2015). A Dual Approach to Fostering Under-Prepared Student Success: Focusing on Doing and Becoming. InSight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching, 10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK5I_68g0X8

Page metadata

Field	Value
type	design
id	paired-course-dual-doing-becoming-model
title	Paired course model combining academic skill building (doing) with lifelong learning development (becoming)
description	A six-credit paired course design in which under-prepared first-year students are simultaneously enrolled in a reading support course and a content course, so that reading skills and study strategies taught in the rea...
status	review
generated	by process:settle-candidates on 2026-11-03
trust	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources	1 — shaffer-2015

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