Identifying Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills

Most college catalogs and course syllabi list the prerequisite courses for a given course, but how helpful is this when students are making decisions about whether they are prepared to take a course? What if students are transferring from another institution? What about non-traditional students who took the prerequisite courses years ago? A course in "Document Design," for example, may list as a prerequisite "Writing for the Workplace." But if that prerequisite were taken in 1993, would it really prepare a student for this course in 2003?

A more helpful approach is to analyze the skills and abilities that are expected of students entering the course. Sometimes these skills will be obtained from previous courses. In other instances, they may be obtained through exposure to technology or through other life experiences.

Here are some questions to guide you in analyzing the skills that are expected of students as they enter your course.

• What knowledge or skills are assumed of students entering the course?
  
  
  • Consider students who have done well in the course and those who have struggled. Were there differences in the skills they had upon entering? In the coursework they had completed?
  • Look back at the course objectives outlined in the previous section. On what foundation do these objectives build?
  
  
• Are these abilities necessary for succeeding in this course?
  
  
• If students do not already possess recommended knowledge or skills, are there suggestions for remediation?
  
  
  • Are there specific courses that would prepare students?
  • Are there on-campus or community resources available to help students obtain the prerequisite skills?
  • Example of Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills

Rationale:

Identifying the prerequisite skills and knowledge that are needed to succeed in a course is just one more way of clearly defining the expectations. Students are able to determine if the course is a good match for them or if there are skills they should obtain prior to enrolling in this course.

How students benefit:

• Students transferring from other schools can better assess whether the courses they have taken have prepared them for this course.
  
  
• Non-traditional students who may have taken prerequisite courses years ago can still determine if they have the skills necessary to succeed.
  
  
• All students are better able to assess whether this course is a good match for them.