Bethlam Forsa is CEO of Savvas Learning Company, a global next-generation provider of K-12 learning and college/career readiness solutions.
In today’s fast-paced, digital world, success after high school is more dependent than ever on students’ access to college and career training.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, 70% of jobs will soon require education or training beyond high school. Yet, college enrollment is decreasing and only 2 in 10 high school students believe they are career-ready, according to a 2021 survey by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
We’re at an inflection point where there is a critical need for innovative solutions to begin preparing high school students for their future.
Dual-enrollment courses can help fill this gap in college and career readiness by allowing students to simultaneously earn course credit for both high school and college. According to the Community College Research Center at Columbia University, students who participate in dual-enrollment courses are more likely to graduate high school, enroll in a four-year college and complete a college degree.
Why Technology Can Help Overcome The Challenges Of Taking Dual-Enrollment Courses
While the benefits are clear, too few students take advantage of dual-enrollment opportunities. Results from the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) High School Transcript Study found that just over one-fourth of high school graduates in 2019 took a dual-enrollment course during high school.
Low participation in traditional dual-enrollment courses is often due to logistical and geographical issues, such as the lack of transportation to community colleges (if there even is one nearby) where they are typically offered or qualified instructors able to facilitate college-level courses in high schools. Other challenges include a limited selection of course offerings, class size and enrollment caps, and credit transferability issues.
Because of this, dual-enrollment opportunities can seem out of reach for many students, especially those from rural and historically underserved communities.
So how do we make dual-enrollment programs accessible to more high school students, no matter where they live? The solution is simple: technology. With the help of the same digital tools we use in our tech-based work environments, schools can modernize dual-enrollment offerings to ensure more students can benefit from them.
Meeting Students Where They Are
Having to physically leave their high school campuses to access dual-enrollment programs at local colleges can be disruptive to students’ schedules. To increase access to these courses, it’s important to remove such barriers and meet students where they are—literally in their own school building.
When delivered online and asynchronously, dual-enrollment courses allow students to take college-level classes from the comfort of their high school, at a time conducive to their class schedule. Students benefit from the familiarity and support systems of their own school while engaging in challenging college coursework that prepares them for the demands of higher education.
Digital dual-enrollment courses can also be housed on a cloud-based platform, enabling any student with a computer to access course material anytime and anywhere—regardless of whatever learning management system their school uses. Additionally, having online lectures prerecorded allows students to rewind, rewatch and adjust lecture speed so they can more easily take notes and better understand the material.
Plus, online dual-enrollment solutions can come equipped with engaging, interactive features to increase interest in the subject matter and mastery-based learning functionality to better ensure they understand it. There are technological advantages for school administrators and teachers as well: Digital dashboards can allow them to monitor student progress and provide them with visibility that is generally lacking in traditional dual-enrollment programs.
Infusing technology into the dual-enrollment learning experience can also help prepare high school students for the potential of online learning in college and for the modern, tech-driven workforce. Just as colleges and the business world have embraced digital technology that has enabled remote and hybrid learning and work models, so can dual-enrollment courses.
The online approach—particularly one delivered asynchronously—can help ensure that students develop the necessary skills to take on virtual learning experiences.
Exploring New Academic Interests
School district IT departments will need to work with school administrators, teacher facilitators and students to ensure that the technical requirements of digital courses are met and supported. Once this occurs, students can reap the benefits of online dual-enrollment courses, including allowing high school students to:
• Earn credit on a real college transcript. Particularly if the program is accredited by a top university—that can be transferred to the college they end up attending—this can save students money on tuition. Helping reduce the financial burden of college is critical as student-loan debt, now nearly $1.8 trillion, continues to skyrocket.
• Avoid high-stakes, standardized tests like there are with AP courses. Students get college credit by earning a passing grade based on a more comprehensive assessment of their coursework, including performance on assignments and tests.
• “Try on” the rigor of higher education and see themselves as capable of success in college while also developing essential skills such as critical thinking, time management and self-discipline.
• Explore even more academic disciplines and professional fields online than they would otherwise have available at a local community college and, in some cases, take a class taught by an instructor from renowned institutions such as NASA and MIT.
High school educators as well as parents and caregivers can agree on a common goal: to see their students graduate and transition smoothly and successfully to the next stage of their life.
To ensure more college-bound students can achieve this goal, we need to employ a technology-driven approach to dual enrollment that combines rigorous coursework with quality instruction and allows students to easily explore future career possibilities without the hassles of having to leave their school building.
By leveraging technology, we can make dual-enrollment courses accessible to many more students who wouldn’t otherwise have this impactful opportunity.
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