Accommodating disparities in secondary school backgrounds in the university environment

Abstract

Exposure to computers in high school has become a widespread phenomenon, with several schools actually offering an integrated computer curriculum throughout grades K-12. Because of the urgency of needs and the quickness with which these programs are implemented, as well as the lack of a well-tried standard to follow, the students coming out of these programs have every manner of experience. The resulting differences in the background of entering university students has created a need for an enriched introductory course. However, assessing the preparedness of students for such a course presents its own difficulties. This paper describes a placement test being used at the University of New Brunswick to evaluate the knowledge of incoming students to determine those who have been adequately prepared for an enriched course. The placement test, including an initial analysis of the placement test as a predictor, is discussed.