Academic Development Center

200 Jaynes Hall
304-367-4596

The primary goal of the Academic Development Center (ADC) is to prepare students for their college-credit courses.  Academic Development Center courses teach not only basic skills but positive academic behaviors that will help students who want to be successful in college to be so.

The courses offered through the Academic Development Center are often called “remedialâ€� courses, but they are designed to help students develop the academic skills and behaviors necessary for college success; as a result, at Fairmont State University, along with most colleges nationwide, refer to these courses as “developmental skillsâ€� courses. Approximately half of all Fairmont State students have taken at least one developmental skills class. 

Students must complete their developmental skills requirements within their first 32 credit hours; furthermore, students are strongly encouraged to enroll in subsequent college-credit classes immediately after completing those DS requirements.

Placement Criteria

All placement tests are administered by an Academic Studies faculty, Mrs. Nancy Parks, in the college’s Advising Center, 218 Hardway Hall.

All developmental skills courses are "CREDIT" or "NO CREDIT" courses; they do not count toward graduation credits, but they do count toward a student’s full-time status for all other institutional purposes, including financial aid.

In addition to providing developmental skills courses, the Academic Development Center also offers all students a bright, comfortable, inviting area in which they may receive tutoring, encouragement, and academic support from peers, faculty, and support staff. The lab has personal computers for algebra tutoring and general academic work. The ADC also provides a conferencing/study area and a video/software lending library of course tutorials. Please explore our site to learn more about how the Academic Development Center can enhance your chances for academic success.