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Overview
NROC’s Developmental English program is designed to help students meet basic college entrance requirements. Combining highly sophisticated software with fundamental pedagogy, this online program integrates and reinforces the standard developmental English curriculum—reading comprehension, writing, vocabulary building, and grammar skills—to fully prepare students for credit-bearing courses.
Designed for use in any learning environment, NROC Developmental English provides a solid, integrated curriculum that allows students to practice strategies for reading and writing effectively. Media-rich presentations, comprehension exercises, and the “My Journal” feature support students through a variety of instructional approaches that engage and enhance a wide range of learning styles.
Developed and written by a team of subject matter experts utilizing state-of-the-art technology to deliver crucial pedagogical points, NROC Developmental English will help enhance and improve student performance and results.
Course Features
The curriculum consists of ten units, each following the same sequence of integrated reading and writing experiences. Students begin with pre-reading, move into reading and post-reading activities, and finish with pre-writing, writing, revising, and editing. This sequence helps learners to analyze content and rhetorical structures and build their vocabulary, and improve their writing mechanics with grammar, punctuation and usage exercises. Media-rich presentations and exercises model and develop strategies for reading and writing effectively.
Throughout this curriculum, learners experience similar strategies for both reading and writing. Fully integrated units allow the learner to apply these strategies directly within assignments and activities, while building vocabulary and grammar skills in the context of both reading selections and writing assignments. As the units progress, the reading and writing assignments engage students in progressively deeper analysis and synthesis of text and ideas, preparing them for first-year college classes.
Media-Rich and Diverse Exercises Help Students ACQUIRE Essential Skills
Each instructional unit follows a sequence of integrated reading and writing experiences.
Course Components Include:
- Unit Introduction: A short, multimedia presentation that introduces the unit themes and content overview.
- Foundations: Text-based lessons present the unit’s core concepts – grammar, punctuation, and usage – and replace the need for a separate handbook.
- Pre-Reading Presentation: A multimedia presentation that models effective pre-reading strategies.
- Active Reader: Enhances reading skills with self-assessment and supporting pedagogy, including audio narration, vocabulary in context, and grammar lessons.
- Post-Reading Presentation: A multimedia presentation that models post-reading strategies with comprehension exercises, creating a strong bridge from reading to writing.
- Pre-Writing Presentation: Introduces the specific writing assignment for the unit and models effective pre-writing strategies.
- Writing Center: An online writing workspace that supports the steps in the writing process with scaffolding, tips, and reviewing features.
- My Journal: This innovative feature allows learners to build a portfolio of writing in each unit by capturing all annotations to unit reading selections and all responses to comprehension and writing exercises. Thus, a portfolio of writing is waiting for the learners when they are ready to apply it to a specific assignment in the Writing Center. No one starts with a “blank page.”
- Assessments: Includes an initial diagnostic, mid-unit reviews, unit assessments, and a final summative assessment.
Design and Pedagogy
This collaboratively developed, innovative program of study is designed for students preparing for either college or a career. After conversations with developmental English instructors across the country and in-depth research into state and district studies, we elected to compress the standard developmental English curriculum—reading comprehension, writing, vocabulary building, grammar, punctuation and usage skills—to allow learners to accelerate into credit-bearing college courses and certificate or post-secondary training programs, or to enter economically viable career paths. The course also provides essential study skills, such as note and test taking, to build confidence and boost skills required for overall success at the college level and beyond.
This program integrates numerous media-rich instructional approaches into basic reading and writing strategies in an engaging and efficient environment. The prescribed reading selections provide models that “show” rather than “tell” students how to read, comprehend and then respond to the writing assignment.
The key is blending the reading and writing components so that students can combine critical reading with the writing process. This eliminates the redundancy that students often experience once they are classified as developmental learners. Institutions, instructors, and students can adapt and re-mix the content to meet varying program and learner requirements.
Accessibility Resources
NROC English VPAT™
The purpose of the NROC Developmental English Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, or VPAT™, is to assist Federal contracting officials and other buyers in making preliminary assessments regarding the availability of commercial “Electronic and Information Technology” products and services...
General Information
Overview - NROC English
Single page overview of NROC English. Includes scope and sequence.
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NROC Collections
This document contains a list of current content available from the NROC library as part of your membership. The document is updated whenever new collections are added to the library.
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Contributors
Special thanks to the subject matter experts, advisors, and production team who have participated in the development of this project.
NROC English Contributors
A list of the subject matter experts, advisors, and production team who have participated in the development of this project
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Case Studies
Case Studies
Texas - Victoria College Freshmen Needing Remediation - NROC English
All college-bound students in Texas are required to take the Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA) to determine if they are ready for college-level coursework. Approximately 25% of the students who enroll at Victoria College have TSIA scores that indicate they are not ready in reading or writing...
Case Study: Tennessee SAILS ACT English Prep
In Tennessee, nearly 70% of college freshmen are required to take remedial courses in math, English, or both before they are qualified to take college-level courses. Seamless Alignment and Integrated Support (SAILS) integrates the Tennessee Board of Regents learning support competencies and the Tennessee...
Getting Started
Getting Started
Members may access NROC English content in two ways:
- NROC English may be installed in a member’s Learning Management System (LMS).
- NROC English content is available through your institution’s customized HippoCampus.org website.
INSTRUCTORS
If you are interested in using NROC English in your LMS, you must contact the NROC Project Manager at your institution to arrange for LMS installation (per instructions below).
To link to content through your Institution’s HippoCampus website, ask your NROC Project Manager for the custom URL. If you are not sure who your NROC Project Manager is, you may email memberservices@nullthenrocproject.org.
Visit the Instructor Resources Tab for more information on resources to support this content.
LMS ADMINISTRATORS
The NROC English course must be installed in your LMS by an LMS Administrator with sufficient privileges to set up the course. If you are the LMS Administrator, you will need to have a login to this website to gain access to the installation files. Check with your NROC Project Manager if you need access to the NROC Network.
Please Note: NO FILES WILL BE SENT TO YOU. You must download and install the course.
Please go to the Installation Tab to access the installation file for your LMS and follow the detailed directions provided.
Installation
Installation Overview
NROC English is available for installation in your LMS as an IMS Common Cartridge v1.1 compliant package. A list of Learning Management System (LMS) vendors that support IMS Common Cartridge format can be found at http://www.imsglobal.org/cc/statuschart.cfm.
The media files are referenced via URL and displayed within your LMS environment from a remote (NROC) host location.
The person installing and setting up this course must have sufficient privileges in the LMS to install an IMSCC course file, create global LTI tools, and replicate the course for other instructors across the institution.
The BASIC steps you will follow are listed below. Specific instructions, Course Manager access, and IMSCC files are available only to select staff from member institutions. See below.
- Request an NROC Course Manager Admin account from NROC.
- Download and install the course in your LMS. (This course will serve as the master, and you will make copies of it for your instructors: one instructor per course.)
- Log in to your NROC Course Manager Admin account to get the LTI key and secret.
- Set up the LTI tool(s) in your LMS.
- Register the master course with the NROC Course Manager.
- Test and confirm that Unit links are working properly.
- Replicate the master course for each instructor/section.
- Provide each instructor with our PDF instructions to register their own course with the NROC Course Manager.
Please be sure to follow the detailed instructions provided in the installation file for your specific LMS.
If you have any difficulty or need additional assistance, please visit the NROC Help Center or submit a support ticket .
Course Installation Files
LMS Administrators and Technical Staff with appropriate access are able to access the required installation resources on this page. If you already have an Administrative/Technical account, please log in and then return to this page.
If you need an access code, please contact the NROC Project Manager on your campus. If you do not know who your Project Manager is, contact us.
NROC English Constructed Response Questions (secure)
This download is only necessary if you encounter a problem with "long answer" questions in your LMS-based quizzes.
Some LMSes are unable to correctly import (via IMSCC) the constructed response questions on the Placement and Unit assessments. They will appear in the LMS as “short answer” questions,...
Instructors
Essential Instructor Resources
A variety of resources are available for instructors to support their use of NROC English. The instructor guides and videos are also embedded in the course for easy access.
Instructor Tutorials - NROC English
We have provided a series of short video tutorials below to teach instructors how to use the NROC Course Manager.
How to Register your NROC English Course
Set Up Your Course (Basic) - NROC English
Set Up Your Course (Advanced) - NROC English
How to Monitor Student Progress - NROC English
Manage the...
Instructor Guides - NROC English (secure)
Instructor Guides for NROC English - includes curriculum overview, course objectives, features and components, assessments, and additional resources, as well as instructor guides for each unit.
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Supplemental Instructor Resources
While not necessary to use the course, these additional materials are available to supplement the course or provide more context.
NROC English Writing Assignments, All 10 Units
This zip file includes all the writing assignments for all 10 Units of NROC English. There is one writing assignment for each unit. Teachers of NROC English or those using EdReady English may find these supplementary resources helpful as their students work through the units.
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Accessibility Guide - NROC English
The NROC English Accessibility Guide explains how to navigate the NROC English course content using screen readers. The guide includes a button to download the NROC English VPAT, and a link to a video demonstration of using ChromeVox with NROC English.
You may also wish to share the following direct...
Study Guides and Review Packets - NROC English - Victoria College
Member Contributed Content
Victoria College prepared Study Guide Checklists for each unit that walk students through all of the materials in the unit and keep them on track to ensure they are learning the concepts. Students are asked to complete various activities in a paper/pencil notebook and check...
Supplementary Materials - NROC English - Jacksonville (secure)
Member Contributed Content
Jacksonville State University:
Supplementary Materials to Accompany NROC English
Carrie Kirk of Jacksonville State University in Alabama has been using the NROC English materials in her Academic Success Skills and Critical Thinking classes for over a year. She has created...
Foundation Lesson Links - NROC English - Nevada System of Higher Education
Member Contributed Content
This PDF of links to NROC English Foundation Lessons was contributed by Sam McCool of Nevada System of Higher Education.
Foundation lessons are included as part of the NROC English curriculum, incorporated into the multimedia section of the course. For your convenience, links...
Direct URLs to NROC English Grammar, Writing, and Reading Playlists (secure)
NOTE: This secure content is for NROC Members only. Do not share outside of your member institution.
This customizable file contains links to three sets of NROC English playlist content at HippoCampus.
Usage instructions:
All links in this file contain a placeholder ID: myXXXX.
Before using the links,...
Links to NROC Content at HippoCampus (by Subject) (secure)
NOTE: This secure content is for NROC Members only. Do not share outside of your member institution.
This customizable file contains links to all learning objects at HippoCampus, organized by HippoCampus Subject page. To find items in each spreadsheet quickly, columns may be filtered or sorted by:
Object...
Features to Support ELL Instructors - NROC English
There are many features in NROC Developmental English that support English Language Learners (ELL). This document describes in detail the features and how they can be used by ELL instructors.
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NROC Collections
This document contains a list of current content available from the NROC library as part of your membership. The document is updated whenever new collections are added to the library.
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Students
Student Resources
Accessibility Guide - NROC English
The NROC English Accessibility Guide explains how to navigate the NROC English course content using screen readers. The guide includes a button to download the NROC English VPAT, and a link to a video demonstration of using ChromeVox with NROC English.
You may also wish to share the following direct...
Student Orientation Video - NROC English
Developmental English Student Orientation Video
If instructors wish to share this video with their students, you may provide them with this link:
https://vimeo.com/thenrocproject/review/122672203/96f5c20797
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Webinars
Webinars
Additional webinars are available on the Webinars page.
3 Ways to Deliver NROC English
NROC’s Developmental English curricula can be delivered as a complete course in a learning management system, as supplemental instruction via HippoCampus playlists, or through EdReady, a web-based personalized learning system. Explore the benefits of each delivery method, and consider which best com...
NROC English Three Ways
NROC's curricular resources are media-rich, adaptable, and affordable. What's more, they can be delivered as complete courses in a learning management system, as supplemental instruction with HippoCampus links, or via EdReady's personalized learning pathways. Join CCCOnline instructional staff as th...
Using Data and OER to Individualize Instruction - Series
A Four-Webinar Professional Development Series Data-Driven Classroom Instruction: Leveraging EdReady to Meet Your Students Where They Are - Monday, May 14, 2 PM ET EdReady’s robust, real-time student performance reporting includes new features that help secondary, postsecondary, and adult educators ...
NROC Info Session: NROC Developmental English Overview
This session will introduce attendees to the NROC Developmental English course. We’ll review how NROC Members can implement the integrated curriculum and its common use cases. Session Slides http://vimeo.com/229182392
HippoCampus: NROC English Content and Playlists
In our April webinar, we shared some great examples of how NROC members are using the new NROC English curriculum installed in their Learning Management System for a fully integrated reading and writing experience. This month, we invite you to join us for a look at how everyone can access components...
Publicize
Publicizing NROC Resources to Your Instructors
- Point faculty to use cases from our member community that match your intended use.
- Schedule demonstrations of the installed courses.
- Share archived webinars for more in-depth information about using the NROC courses.
- Share instructor guides and member-shared supplements to support classroom use.