The focus of the course and seminar is on developing the problem solving skills, academic habits, discipline and attitudes that will allow students to succeed in science-based fields. Innovative Features PASS focuses not only on the development of problem-solving skills in a scientific context but also on giving students an understanding of the kind of learning that is expected in college, and help in gaining control over their personal lives as it impa cts on their studies. PASS recognizes that many students, used to succeeding through rote memorization, have not learned more complex reasoning skills. It addresses the problems of those who have never had to study outside of class and thus do not know how to manage time, create adequate study space, manage work and family demands, or exercise the self-discipline necessary to succeed in college. The instructional component of each section is taught by a science graduate student, while qualified counselors teach the seminars.
Undergraduate students lead the group problem solving tutorials.
All receive careful training and meet weekly with the project coordinators to discuss the progress of individual students as well as that of the program as a whole. Evaluation Groups of students requiring a preparatory science course had a choice between the PASS program and the long established parallel course, Chemistry 5. Students chose between the two on the basis of scheduling preference, word of mouth, or advisement. Project staff tracked PASS students on a variety of other measures, such as retention rates and success rates in science and math courses compared with the overall college success rates in the same courses. Staff evaluated the application of problem so lving strategies emphasized in PASS and obtained correlations between student and instructor evaluations of the attainment of skills and attitudes that were the focus of PASS, as well as correlations between performance in PASS and measures of changes in behaviors.