What is a CoReq?

The most basic definition of a CoReq is this: A course of study that provides students the support and empowerment to develop college-ready skills while also earning college credit. In LAHC, this revolves around reading and writing skills.

In this KB article, I’ll cover the way in which the function of the CoReq drives its structure.

First, what we call “a CoReq” is actually a package of linked sections:

• an INRW section (developmental ed)
• a college credit section, and
• another college credit section of the same course as the previous credit section (i.e., both sections have to be the same course)

Typically, the package is built around Comp 1, since so many of our students who need college-ready skills are working on reading and writing, or HUMA1301GQ, which is itself a college-readiness course as well as a humanities credit. Those students need both the credit course and the additional scaffolding and support that they get in a developmental ed course, from professors who are trained to do this work and who have collaborated with the credit professor to create a supportive, progress-oriented curriculum; and they earn college credit in the process.

Those students don’t just turn up: Their skills are carefully assessed and they are onboarded into an appropriate CoReq package by our CoReq team. But we also believe it’s important for these students to interact with “traditional” students who already have college-ready skills. These goals for students give the CoReq package its distinctive characteristics.

A typical CoReq package consists of three sections:

• an INRW section that provides the scaffolding and support, paired (blocked) with
• a Comp 1 section for college credit. This comp 1 course is called the “primary” course in the CoReq, and it is combined with
• another comp 1 section, which we call the “mirror” section.

Note that the INRW and the primary college credit course are paired (blocked): Students must take both, and enrollment is restricted to those who go through our assessment and onboarding process — which is why the petition flag must be set on both these sections. 

Also note that the primary credit section has combined enrollment with the mirror credit section of the same course. This is so “trad” students can take the mirror section, just as they would any other college credit course, to satisfy their degree requirements. 

So, when we build a CoReq package, several things have to happen:

• The INRW section has to be paired with the primary credit section.
  • Example: a section of INRW0340 is paired (blocked) with ENGL1301 and the petition flag is set for both
  • This ensures that trad students can sign up for the mirror, just as they would for any college credit course they need. This also means they will be mixed into the class with the CoReq students.
• The primary credit section has to be combined (enrollment) with the mirror section
  • Example: The section of ENGL1301 above (the primary) is combined with another section of ENGL1301 (the mirror). This section does not have the petition flag set.
  • This ensures that students are assessed and onboarded by the CoReq tesm to enroll in both sections. This also ensures that they can’t drop one of the sections without going through our CoReq team for advising.

This is the recipe, in the simplest terms:

• A CoReq package is three sections, linked together like this:
  • an INRW section paired with a primary credit section
  • a mirror section combined with the primary section of the same course

For the CoReq to perform its function of supporting our students, these packages have to be built around the way the curriculum functions. And that’s why we’re so particular about how these sections are linked.