About five years ago, when taking courses for my doctorate in political science, I took a graduate class on economic rights. In this course I read a famous book entitled, Development as Freedom, by Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen. Dr. Sen makes the point that economic and political freedoms are linked and that the more we support the economic development of a country, the more the political freedoms in the country will grow. Poverty makes people vulnerable to being used by others (government, regional hegemons, etc.) as it keeps education low, it reduces the opportunities for personal independence – especially for women – and it restricts individual and group advocacy for other human rights. I find myself recalling this book from time to time, especially when I teach my students on topics of identity and rights enjoyment.

 

As I write this article for our newsletter, the week of Thanksgiving, I am recalling the arguments of the book again in response to an editorial in the Chronicle of Higher Education

(11/5/2017) that argues concurrent enrollment (programs like UConn ECE) are contributing to inequalities for students. In his article, Dr. Erik Gilbert, from Arkansas State University, suggests that his introductory history class has lower enrollment than in past years because students are taking course” while in high school. The result, he concludes, is that he has fewer students and, he adds, there are “fewer middle-class, suburban, white students [in his class].” He argues that because of concurrent enrollment, he has fewer students, more of which are minority and adult students. On this basis, he argues that universities that provide such programs are contributing to social inequalities at the university and they should be ended.

 

Dr. Gilbert is imbedding many assumptions about the nature of inequality into his editorial, but the point I believe he is trying to make is that a heterogeneous group of students makes for more diverse classroom discussions. This is certainly true; however, his argument, which is anecdotal, only holds together if we limit the arena to select general education courses at a university. His observations that concurrent enrollment is contributing to inequality does not consider the arena of the high school nor does it consider the issue of being admitted to a university. It does not consider that when a university invests in a quality connection with high school faculty, staff, and students, the entire educational enterprise benefits. The more we develop the partnerships, the more diverse populations that can benefit from this option.

 

It is important to start the conversation with framing the original intention of our program, that is, to make the senior year in high school more interesting, engaging, and beneficial for both students and instructors. UConn is the oldest concurrent enrollment program in the country, so the national conversation starts here in Connecticut. In 1954 Provost Waugh suggested that if we can work with the best and most credentialed high school instructors in the State, we can create an educational system that transforms all levels of high school education so that lower level classes prepare students for UConn courses – whether they be taught at the high school or at UConn itself. Provost Waugh also wanted to combat the problem of seniorities, something he attributed to boredom in the classroom. When you look at education as being a lifetime pursuit and on a continuum, the ability to offer college courses while in high school often rescues students and instructors by offering differentiated learning. Using the arguments of Dr. Sen, we are increasing the development in the high school, which results in increased student access, an awakening of one’s own academic interests, and the ability to invest in different University classes before going to college. As we seek to work with all high schools at an affordable rate and waive student fees for those in need, we are investing in the development of Connecticut.

 

There are many studies that suggest that when a student changes majors in college that their time to degree completion increases, which increases student debt, and delays entry into the job market or a more advanced degree. When students earn credits through UConn ECE, they are earning a currency which increases their competitiveness

In the 2013-14 academic year, UConn Early College Experience hit what we thought might be an enrollment plateau. We reached the record high of 10,000 students enrolled in ECE courses. We then faced the challenge of decreasing overall high school populations, and the new and unfamiliar online Compass registration system was launched. Taking these challenges into account, we were satisfied with only a slight dip in enrollments for the 2014-15 year, bringing in over 9,800 students.

Not ones to rest on our laurels, our 2015 strategic plan looked at ways to continue to grow our program faced with the challenges at hand. The quest became two-fold. First, we sought to rebuild relationships and recoup enrollments lost by the transition to online registration. UConn ECE staff members made dozens of “house calls” this registration season to assist schools and students that were struggling with the new process. The second strategy was to grow course offerings by expanding existing programs, and by bringing new school partners into the ECE family.

The strategy worked! The 2015-16 academic year saw a record 10,812 students enroll in UConn ECE

courses. Many schools have increased enrollments due a higher comfort level with the online registration system while other schools have added new courses. We also have seventeen new or returning high schools offering ECE courses this year.

With more and more focus on the benefits of dual and concurrent enrollment at the state and national level, we will continue to expand our relationships and make process improvements to insure continued

growth and success for students for years to come.

by Brian A. Boecherer

When reading any newspaper or education journal these days, it is nearly impossible not to see an article on the importance of STEM education. A Google News search of STEM results in an average of 12.6 million news articles daily. This year alone, the Federal budget for STEM education was suggested to be $2.9 billion, an increase of 3.7 percent. The acronym does not even need to be defined in the news, because it is now an established part of our lexicon.

Naturally, in so many ways, the emphasis on STEM education is essential to our present success and comfort as well as our future development and longevity.  UConn ECE has worked for many years with the departments at UConn to establish diverse STEM offerings to our high school partners. We recently added engineering to our offerings, complementing our rich offerings in plant science, soil science, environmental science, math, biology, chemistry, physics, and other courses. On page 4 & 5 of the newsletter, you can see the breakdown of course offerings in these areas. We are proud of these

offerings as they support a diverse education as well as a gateway into many STEM and non-STEM majors.

As we all push to strengthen the STEMs in the country, we must also not forget the importance of the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS). Education in these areas is just as important. And while the acronym invokes images of the avocado, the humanities, arts, and social sciences benefit both science and our society; inspiring creativity, developing our culture, and allowing science to be applied in beautiful, functional, and engaging ways. Indeed, Human Development and Family Studies is a required

course for nursing majors. Likewise, math and science courses are required to graduate from the University.

By Brian Boecherer

In 1954, University Provost Al Waugh was out of control. That is, it seems, no one wanted to control him as he started the University on its academic development plan of the age. Provost Waugh was known

for many celestial things; building the first planetarium in Connecticut (1954), his foundational texts

on sundials, and his creation of UConn Early College Experience.

In December of that year, Provost Waugh convened a special committee of University leadership and three high school principals to express his distress over how less-motivated students get the lion share of time from good teachers. In high school, he believed, it created a space for academically talented students to waste their time and lose their motivation. For this reason he wanted to build a relationship with local high schools to establish UConn courses at the high school to fight what would eventually be known as “senioritis”. The program was called  The Cooperative Program for Superior Students. By September 1955 seven schools were able to get instructors certified and for the first time in the United

States, 108 students were taking university courses on the high school campus.

Most of our partners are aware that UConn ECE offers an excellent opportunity for high school students

to get a head-start on their college career, and at a very affordable price. What many are probably not aware of is that the UConn ECE program is self-supporting. The fees that UConn ECE students pay for classes, cover all of the administrative costs of the program. For the past several years,  UConn ECE has been able to support motivated students that could not otherwise afford to take ECE courses by providing scholarships for these students. In 2013-2014, UConn ECE funded more than 1,600 students state-wide.

But the need grows greater each year. The UConn ECE office is faced with increasing requests for student scholarships, classroom supplies, or to help cover the cost of an event or field trip. Unfortunately, because we operate within an increasingly limited budget, many of these requests will go unfulfilled. Through our new fundraising efforts, our goal is to be better able to support our students and partner schools. “We would love to say yes to every request we get. There are amazing students and classes at our partner schools,” said Wendi Richardson, Assistant Director. Program and giving information can be f o u n d o n o u r n e w s i t e www.ece.uconn.edu/donate. Please take a moment to check it out and consider a gift to support a student’s academic success!

Annually, UConn ECE con- ducts surveys of students who have gone through the program the year before and also four years out of the program. The last survey of the year was done on the 2008-2009 cohort. The results were extremely positive and add to the volume of results supporting the claim that concurrent enrollment greatly contributes to student success. Of the 605 responses, 100% continued their education beyond high school at a post-secondary institution. About 90% were able to successfully transfer some or all of their UConn credit to their new institution. Students reported that they graduated on average in 3.98 years with an average GPA of 3.53. Among the responses, 73% strongly agree or agree that they were better prepared academically for college and 64% strongly agree or agree that they were more confident about their ability to succeed in college as a result of taking UConn ECE courses in high school. Alumni rated their experience as excellent or good 85% of the time and 95% of respondents would recommend the program to current high school students. In many of the openended comments, students mentioned that the classes were very rigorous  and that they learned valuable college skills while in the course. For more information about these results and results of previous surveys, please visit ece.uconn.edu/research.

UConn ECE has completed a study which investigated how concurrent enrollment credits transfer to higher education institutions, the largest study of its kind ever attempted. Institutions responded that they accept UConn ECE credit about 82% of the time. From student surveys, the researchers discovered that the transfer success rate is actually higher. When students take an active role in the credit transfer process, when they contact university departments and send in a syllabus of the UConn ECE course to be examined, they are more likely to have that credit transfer. The researchers are confident the rate of transfer is about 87%. A mixed methods approach was used involving a student survey, a survey of registrars and admissions officers, and data-mining of policy information. Data was collected on the type of credit earned and rejected, student experience, and the perception of concurrent enrollment among higher education administrators. Armed with this information, the researchers developed strategies for successful transfer: educating students early about the credit transfer process, training high school staff to talk about it effectively, and providing an extensive portal of information online, which includes a public database of transfer frequency. The Credit Transfer Database will be available in early spring 2014 for students and parents to explore where UConn ECE credit will likely transfer before applying to college. The study was supported by a grant from the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (www.nacep.edu) and the results were presented in part at the National NACEP Conference in Jacksonville, FL in October. For more information about the results, please visit ece.uconn.edu/.

The Provost’s Award for Excellence in Public Engagement is a yearly award given to honor faculty, staff, students, alumni and programs that engage the public to address critical societal issues. The University community submits nominations and faculty and staff members of the Public Engagement Forum evaluate the candidates. The criteria used in the evaluation process are as follows

ECE’s rich history of excellence ensured that all criteria were thoroughly fulfilled, culminating in this prestigious honor. Originating in 1955 as the High School Cooperative Program, the program today has grown to enroll over 10,000 motivated students in approximately 160 partner high schools and is the nation’s longest running program of its kind. ECE ensures that students from all socioeconomic backgrounds are provided the opportunity to experience college while in high school by offering student scholarships to those who qualify. When UConn faculty perform site visits to view our certified instructors at work, they report that not only do ECE courses meet the rigor required of a UConn class, but also are often enhanced with hands-on activities – a beneficial addition to syllabi. In addition to courses, ECE sponsors educational events to enhance student engagement in various subject areas. Most recently, students across Connecticut attended an on-campus French Immersion Day and Quiz Bowl and this past summer played host to the third annual Biology Summer Institute. ECE alumni that choose to attend UConn are markedly successful, posting significantly higher first and second semester grade point averages than freshman admitted without ECE credits, and constituting one-third of all honors

students at UConn. UConn ECE is honored to have been selected for this award and incredibly grateful for all of the hardworking parties that made it possible.