posted on March 25, 2013 10:47
Book by Eric Hofman and Daniel Voloch
Review by
Laurie Roberson
College of Engineering
Tennessee Technological University
Cookeville, TN
As academic advisors receive a new class of freshmen each year, many of these students will enter the university or community college with dual enrollment credit. Advisors have a difficult task determining if a student has mastered the content in a course earned through dual enrollment credit as a prerequisite for the subsequent course in the curriculum at the community college or university level. These freshmen will have variations in experience and academic rigor from their dual enrollment courses. Which leads to the question answered in chapter 2, “What do we know about the effectiveness of dual enrollment:” (p. 11).
The institution most featured in the book is City University of New York (CUNY) as it has the nation’s most comprehensive dual enrollment program, College Now, which includes college preparation courses and workshops and summer programs (p. 13). Other institutions outlined in the book are Kennesaw State University, the California Community College System and a study of Early Colleges in North Carolina. The authors and researchers share models from their institutions and the impact of dual enrollment.
A valid argument in the book is the maintance of high admissions standards for students to qualify for dual enrollment programs which may exclude the very students whom benefit the most from this program (p. 104). Research shows minority students, first generation students and students from lower socio-economic backgrounds can attain college readiness through dual enrollment. “The positive association between dual enrollment participation and postsecondary outcomes is strong for groups who are particularly struggling in postsecondary education, especially males and low-income students” (Golann & Hughes, 2008, p.10). Examples of other college readiness factors outlined in the book are transitioning from high school to college, anticipatory socialization, academic preparation and college placement exams.
Academic advisors thinking about reading this book may wonder if Advanced Placement (AP) is addressed. The authors of chapter seven address the differences between dual enrollment and AP. For instance, who is teaching the students? AP teachers are not required to have any background, even an undergraduate degree, in the subject taught. For dual enrollment instruction, most college and high school faculty hold a master’s degree in the subject they teach (p. 61). Golann and Hughes (2008) explain “ while both secondary and postsecondary faculty can teach dual enrollment courses, differences in teacher certification for secondary and postsecondary instructors can post an obstacle” (p. 14). Geographic location and size of school are determining factors for the availability of AP instruction for students. Since AP and dual enrollment serve diverse student populations in various settings with different needs, they should not be matched against each other as pointed out by the authors of chapter seven (p. 67).
This book is an important read as it provides insight and a historical perspective of dual enrollment for academic advisors, academic coaches and other first year experience personnel on the research, implementation process, impact on the institution, learning outcomes and measurement of success for students. As emphasized in the book, it is an on-going process for educators and administrators both at the high school and collegiate level to keep abreast of the research findings to offer this generation of students’ successful dual enrollment programs to aid in academic success.
Referenfce:
Golann, J.W. & Hughes, K.L. (2008, August). Dual Enrollment Policies and Practices. Earning College Credit in California High Schools. Insight, the James Irvine Foundation.
Strategies, Outcomes, and Lessons for School-College Partnerships. (2012). Book by Eric Hofman and Daniel Voloch. Review by Laurie Roberson. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 114 pp. ISBN #
978-1-1184-0523-9