Concurrent Enrollment Program Research Articles

Exploring the dynamics of concurrent enrollment in rural spaces through the narrative of a small community college

AbstractThis article describes the narrative of one small rural community college's concurrent enrollment program, seeking to highlight and make sense of the particular dynamics of operating this type of programing in rural spaces. Dual or concurrent enrollment options can offer students increased access to postsecondary options in rural education deserts, as well as contribute to the economic health of the region through workforce development. However, the same challenges and benefits of rural life also comprise the dynamics within which this programing must operate. The manuscript concludes with recommendations for practice, research, and policy, relevant to both concurrent enrollment program operation and the broader college mission of rural community development.

Public Humanities and Agents of Change: Have We Been Doing This All Along?

Abstract: Over the last several years, faculty have engaged students and community members in a series of collaborative projects with the goal of addressing complex issues such as identity, language, and belonging. I posit that the work we have been doing constitutes a broader innovative humanities project centered on cultural studies. To demonstrate as much, I explore current definition(s) of public humanities and outline activities that have comprised the endeavor in question. To conclude, I consider how reframing these events as a public humanities project, with students serving as agents of cultural change, could further contribute to the common good of the university, the campus community, and partners at dual and concurrent enrollment programs, while deepening engagement with local and state public institutions.

Formative Threads in the Tapestry of College Credit in High School: An Early History of the Development of Concurrent Enrollment and a Case Study of the Country's Oldest Program

While dual and concurrent enrollment (DE/CE) programs are a frequent part of a student’s secondary educational experience today, relatively little is known about how these programs came to be, what factors influenced their development, and what individual and institutional stakeholders were involved. This paper traces how DE/CE programs were created as one of many educational remedies to issues of articulation and duplication between high schools and colleges and the need for acceleration and enrichment for some students during the early and middle twentieth century. At that time, more students than ever were moving through the educational system, education attainment was increasing, and sociopolitical concerns required new ideas for the acceleration and enrichment of students. Additionally, this article also provides a historical review of the longest running CE program in the United States, the University of Connecticut’s Early College Experience Program. The historical review seeks to reflect and exemplify how the broader sociopolitical influences discussed in the first section of the paper influenced the creation of the first CE program in the country. Through understanding how one program came to be, the current landscape of DE/CE–as well as the evolution and future directions–can be better understood and contextualized.

Concurrent enrollment pathway: A model for ADN-BSN programs.

The purpose of this article is to share the collaborative planning and execution of these two public universities and one community college in developing an innovative program to increase BSN-prepared nurses. The aim of the collaboration is to offer a high quality, affordable, and time-saving pre-licensure, concurrent enrollment program (CEP) which allows community college ADN students direct access to BSN study, while maintaining excellent program outcomes, and increasing diverse baccalaureate-prepared nurses in practice. Key stakeholders in two public educational systems met to discuss the development of a regional collaboration between two state universities and one local community college. The group designed university-specific, concurrent curricular roadmaps for each university. Students admitted in ADN program chose if they want to attend a concurrent enrollment or a traditional plan of study. In Fall 2019, the CEP program was launched admitting 40 ADN students concurrently enrolled in one university. Subsequently, another cohort started in Spring 2020 with 39 students dually enrolled at the other state university. All students in both cohorts resided in the region. Over 75% of the total CEP enrollees came from diverse backgrounds, 49% Hispanics, 16%, Asians, and 8% African Americans and 4% native Hawaiians. Forty-four percent were first generation college students. The average age was 25 with a range of 21-39. Twenty percent of the students were male which is above the national average of 12%. After four semesters, students completed their ADN degree, passed the licensure exam, and transitioned to earn their BSN degree in the university for another two semesters. The literature reveals that BSN-prepared nurses contribute to safe patient care. The current number of cost-effective and accessible nursing programs are not sufficient to reach the IOM 80/20 goal, which contributes to the ongoing shortage of BSN-prepared nurses in the nation, including California. Creativity and open collaboration of nurse leaders, faculty, and staff across different levels of education was instrumental in the success of the students and the program.

A comparison of the university mathematics learning environment with its high school equivalent.

In light of rising college student debt, many states now offer multiple options for students to earn college credit while still in high school. Concurrent enrollment programs, which allow qualified high school teachers to teach college credit-bearing classes in the high school, are one such option. Because concurrent enrollment classes teach college-level material at college-level rigor, they offer an ideal way to compare the secondary and tertiary learning environments across identical academic expectations. This study sought to compare the university mathematics environment with its concurrent enrollment counterpart. The WIHIC was found to be valid and reliable for the university population. The comparison of 242 students in university classrooms with 260 students in concurrent enrollment classrooms revealed a statistical difference, with the concurrent enrollment setting scoring higher in Involvement, Teacher Support, and Student Cohesion and the university setting scoring higher in Task Orientation. This implies that earning college credit in a secondary setting is a viable, and possibly even preferable, alternative to earning it in a university setting. We examine the discrepancy in scores-particularly the large discrepancy in Task Orientation-and discuss the benefit of the flipped classroom as one path to improving the university learning environment.

For concurrent enrollment, collaboration, not alignment, is the better story

PurposeAs concurrent enrollment (CE) programs continue to expand in the USA, a growing share of English teaching at the first-year university level is taking place in secondary schools. Though much of the discourse surrounding CE courses relates to quality control, the purpose of this paper is to argue for a reconsideration of the terms by which these courses are valued, calling for a shift from alignment to collaboration as the crucial work for participating English teachers.Design/methodology/approachThis essay responds to scholarship and primary source documents related to CE programs in light of the author’s experience as liaison for a CE literature course at a Midwestern regional university in the USA.FindingsAn ethic of alignment pervades discourse about CE programs. The quality control promised by this “alignment story” presupposes a stable university course to be aligned with and the emulation of college faculty pedagogy as the high-priority intellectual labor. This alignment story is undermined by the variation within and between on-campus and high school iterations of the literature course. Rather than justifying an alignment ethic, this variation continually renews important questions about what constitutes college-level engagement with literature and how to best help students achieve it in a particular setting. These questions call for deliberation among a community of English teachers, not alignment of one constituency to another.Originality/valueThis essay builds on previous scholarship about the importance of alignment and the opportunity for collaboration in CE by exploring how an emphasis on the former misrecognizes the importance of the latter.

Experiences of graduates from concurrent enrollment programs in nursing

Experiences of graduates from concurrent enrollment programs in nursing

Exploring the Impact of Early Exposure to Research on Dual Enrollment Students: A Qualitative Single-Case Study

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) provides a concurrent enrollment model to high schools across the United States.  The concurrent enrollment opportunity offers science, technology, engineering, and mathematical (STEM) college-credit coursework taught by college-credentialed instructors on the student’s high school campus. One faculty member transitioned to Embry-Riddle’s main residential campus following seven years of service with ERAU's concurrent enrollment program. During his tenure with ERAU's concurrent enrollment program, in addition to instructing a variety of concurrent enrollment courses, he maintained an active research agenda that involved concurrently enrolled students. His transition was preceded by the matriculation of a subset of these students to Embry-Riddle’s main campus. Each of these students immediately reengaged in undergraduate research with the faculty member while he continued to serve in a strong mentoring role. This presentation explores the affect this opportunity had on individual members of this tight-knit cohort as they progressed through their concurrent enrollment and undergraduate studies, participated in a long-standing mentoring relationship, and undertook their post-graduation decision-making. The research showcases project-based learning as a scaffolding technique for meaningful undergraduate research and how it may illuminate a pathway for students who do not initially see STEM as a viable option.

Nature of learning environment in concurrent enrollment mathematics classrooms: a cluster analysis

Concurrent enrollment programs, which allow college credit-bearing classes to be offered in the high school taught by qualified high-school teachers, are a potential solution to the student debt issues impacting the United States and other countries. However, the learning environments of these rapidly-growing programs have never been studied. Because concurrent enrollment classes are taught in high schools with college-level rigour, they present a learning environment that is distinct from both high-school and college classrooms. This study had two broad goals of (1) determining if the What Is Happening In this Class? (WIHIC) questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument for the concurrent enrollment environment and, if so, (2) investigating the learning environments of 68 concurrent enrollment teachers’ classrooms using the WIHIC. The WIHIC was found to be valid and reliable, and cluster analysis of the concurrent enrollment classes revealed three distinct types of learning environments which we labeled ‘most conducive’ for learning, ‘conducive’ and ‘least conducive’. A follow-up discriminant function analysis revealed that the WIHIC scales of teacher support, involvement and student cohesion were most influential in determining cluster membership.

Collaborative Connections among Students, Teachers, and Professors in a Spanish Concurrent Enrollment Program (A Case Study)

Concurrent enrollment access is expanding across the country, policies and practices are evolving, and data-driven studies examining every measurable element are being undertaken, yet the role of the relationships among concurrent enrollment partners and participants is too often just mentioned in passing. This case study of a concurrent enrollment program in Spanish, comprising observations and lessons learned, is timely because world language programs are particularly active and expanding. This study provides a qualitative examination of the benefits that result from multidirectional collaboration among students, high school teachers, and professors. It examines the ways in which the building of relationships between and among participants in this program contributes to efforts to support and encourage students of diverse backgrounds, enhances creative professional development for both high school teachers and university professors, as well as heightens a sense of connection and accountability between local high schools and an urban university. Finally, this study provides guidance to departments that are launching or expanding concurrent enrollment programs.

Exploring the outcomes of standards-based concurrent enrollment and Advanced Placement in Arkansas

Accelerated programs (concurrent enrollment and Advanced Placement) are expanding across the US, yet there is little evidence on the relationships between participation in different accelerated programs, standards-based concurrent enrollment programs (e.g., accredited programs), and educational outcomes. This study used data from a cohort of Arkansas high school graduates and school-level fixed effects to assess how different accelerated programs predict students’ likelihood of enrolling in and being retained in an Arkansas college. We found that participation in concurrent enrollment and Advanced Placement predicts college access and college retention. However, we found no differences in college access and retention based on whether students participated in a NACEP-accredited concurrent enrollment program or not. The results suggest the need to expand access to both concurrent enrollment and Advanced Placement and the need for more research on standards-based concurrent enrollment programs such as those that are NACEP-accredited.

Extending Universal Design for Learning through Concurrent Enrollment: Algebra Teachers’ Perspectives

Concurrent enrollment refers to partnerships between postsecondary institutions and schools through which secondary school students can complete a university class taught by a qualifying secondary school teacher at their secondary school. We propose that concurrent enrollment programs are an under-recognized tool for extending the impact of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The context of our study is an equity-focused university course in algebraic mathematical modeling that is also offered through concurrent enrollment in over 30 secondary schools to over 800 secondary students annually in our state of Minnesota, U.S.A. This paper presents a qualitative analysis of secondary school teachers’ experiences implementing the inquiry pedagogy and the equity goals of the course. Several results are important for UDL. Teachers (1) describe equity in social terms of race, ethnicity, income, immigration, and language status in addition to measures of academic success; (2) perceive improvements in students’ attitudes towards mathematics, school, and university education; (3) perceive student academic growth through mathematical writing; and (4) report close relationships with students. If higher education faculty design their on-campus classes to incorporate UDL principles, concurrent enrollment offers the potential to improve inclusive pathways from secondary schools to universities.

Thirteen years and counting: Outcomes of a concurrent ASN/BSN enrollment program.

In their 2011 report, The Future of Nursing, the Institute of Medicine called for 80% of the nursing workforce to be comprised of baccalaureate prepared Registered Nurses by the year 2020. One suggested approach to achieve this goal is the creation of programs that allow students to progress through associate and baccalaureate nursing preparation simultaneously. This paper describes the University of Central Florida's 13-year experience after implementing a Concurrent Enrollment Program. Development and structure of the program, advisement and curriculum details, facilitators and barriers are described. Data on National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses pass rates, completion rates, comparison with traditional RN-BSN students, and progression to graduate school are also included. The Concurrent Program model described here between a specific university and state college partners, demonstrated positive outcomes that support achievement of the Institute of Medicine's goals.

Creating an online information literacy course for concurrent enrollment students: A collaboration with a state-sponsored online school

ABSTRACTThis article discusses a collaborative project to create an online one-credit library research course for high school students in a dual credit program. The project included a team of reference and instruction librarians at a midsize public university, the university's concurrent enrollment program, and an online state-sponsored school that provided courses to high school students. Current literature related to the information literacy knowledge gap, outreach to secondary schools, dual credit or concurrent enrollment programs, and for-credit online information literacy courses is reviewed. The process of creating the course will be discussed along with the benefits and challenges of the project.

Facilitate transfer, degree completion with concurrent enrollment program

Whether students start at two‐ or four‐year institutions, most of them share the same goal: graduation. Many students who start at community colleges plan to earn bachelor's degrees. But often, not all their credits transfer. Or they learn they did not take the right courses to be on track to graduation for their chosen major.

Facilitate transfer, degree completion with concurrent enrollment program

Whether students start at two‐ or four‐year institutions, most of them share the same goal: graduation. Many students who start at community colleges plan to earn bachelor's degrees. To help students complete the degrees they ultimately seek, officials at many two‐year colleges strive to develop clear pathways for their students to transfer without losing credits. And officials at many four‐year institutions work to eliminate barriers that prevent transfer students from completing degrees in a timely way.

Facilitate transfer, degree completion with concurrent enrollment program

Whether students start at two‐ or four‐year institutions, most of them share the same goal: graduation. Many students who start at community colleges plan to earn bachelor's degrees. But often, not all their credits transfer. Or they learn they did not take the right courses to be on track to graduation for their chosen major.

Implementation of a Generic Baccalaureate Concurrent Enrollment Program: Increasing the Percentage of Nurses Prepared at the Baccalaureate Level

Abstract The Institute of Medicine recommendation to increase the percentage of baccalaureate-prepared nurses to 80 percent by 2020 as well as evidence that supports better patient outcomes with nurses prepared at the baccalaureate degree or higher has prompted many schools of nursing to explore ways to increase student access to these programs. This article describes an innovative generic baccalaureate concurrent enrollment program developed through a partnership between a university and community college. The purpose is to stimulate thinking about the development of innovative programs to increase access to baccalaureate-level education for students at sites distant to university settings.

Strengthening Concurrent Enrollment Through NACEP Accreditation

This chapter describes how implementing the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships' 17 accreditation standards strengthens a concurrent enrollment program, enhances secondary–postsecondary relations, and benefits students, their families, and secondary and postsecondary institutions.

Principal, Teacher, and Counselor Views of Concurrent Enrollment

The purpose of this chapter is to describe teacher, counselor, and principal perceptions of a concurrent enrollment program collaboratively administered by a large, Midwestern community college and area high schools. Data come from surveys sent to these stakeholders as part of concurrent enrollment program accreditation through National Association of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships.