Summary
Week 3 of the Concurrent Enrollment Tool Kit is designed to facilitate discussion with students about how their concurrent courses are progressing. The importance of turning in all assignments and studying is highlighted, and students revisit their goal from Week 1.
Discussion Objectives
Understand course requirements and ensure students have the tools needed to be successful.
Ensure the student is on track to reach the goal they have set for themselves.
Materials List
CE Tool Kit, Week 3 (attached)
Student device with internet access (optional)
My Goal handout (from Week 1)
Pen/pencil
Topic Focus
What is needed to be successful in a concurrent course?
Conducting regular check-ins with the student provides support and and opportunity for the student to ask questions. It is beneficial to review with the student any upcoming assessments, papers, or projects and also ensure that the student has turned in any assignments that have already been due for the course.
Guiding Notes
Begin the meeting by greeting the student by name and inquiring about their classes and how they are going.
Make sure the student has their My Goal handout from Week 1 and discuss it together. Ask the student how they are progressing toward their goal and if they are struggling with them at all. If the student indicates that they are struggling with their class, work together to adjust the action steps to better facilitate achievement of the goal.
Before concluding the meeting, go over any upcoming assignments or other important dates and make sure the student doesn’t have any outstanding questions.
Discussion Starters
Consider starting the discussion by asking:
Have you turned in all assignments so far?
Do you have a dedicated time to study for your course(s)?
Are you aware of any major assignments that are upcoming?
Discussion Questions
To guide this week’s discussion, consider asking some of the following questions:
Do you have a dedicated time to study for your course(s)?
Have you reviewed the syllabus to ensure you are aware of important due dates?
Do you feel that you are on track to reach the goal you have set for yourself?
Next Steps
To prepare for next week, ask students to:
Bring a personal device.
Bring their course syllabus.
Inquire if their course instructor has a time recommendation for studying outside of class.
Research Rationale
Research shows a clear and strong link between concurrent enrollment and increased student academic performance (Jones, 2014; Dingess, 2018). Several studies have also found that students who participate in concurrent enrollment have time to acclimate to the college environment and thus earn higher grades in their postsecondary careers (Allen & Dadgar, 2012; Dingess, 2018). This opportunity to build momentum also provides an avenue for those students who might carry complex social and educational challenges from high school as they transition into the university setting (Wang et al., 2015). A consistent concern with students as they transition from high school to PSE is that many of them might have difficulty in fully acclimating to the rigor and expectations of university-level coursework (Taylor, 2015; Vargas et al., 2017). This is especially apparent when looking at students who identify as first-generation college students, as they might feel overwhelmed by everything from student support to the specifics of financial aid (Lee et al., 2022). Concurrent enrollment offers a bridge between the familiarity of high school and the frontier of higher learning, building on the initial benefits of concurrent enrollment in high school to build toward greater academic momentum fueled by a smooth transition from high school to university (Wang et al., 2015).
To expand on the inherent benefits associated with concurrent enrollment programs, these programs are most successful when students are provided with extra guidance in how to navigate this new academic environment (Witkowsky & Clayton, 2020). Though students in concurrent enrollment programs might be high-performing, it is helpful to remember that they are still high school students and stand to benefit from “wraparound” services that counselors can provide as a bridge between high school and university-level expectations (Witkowsky & Clayton, 2020). Whether partnering directly with specific higher education institutions as part of the concurrent enrollment program or not, wraparound services can still be designed with the university course expectations in mind.
These tool kits are designed as conversation starters to provide the kind of ongoing support that allows concurrent enrollment students to be most successful (Johnson et al., 2021; Lile et al., 2018). Spanning a range of topics between goal setting and writing expectations, each conversation serves as an opportunity for relationship building and mentoring with students. For students who might not know which questions to ask or which resources to look for, these tool kits can help concurrent enrollment coordinators set a foundation for success for students to draw on after high school.
Works Cited
Allen, D., & Dadgar, M. (2012). Does dual enrollment increase students’ success in college? Evidence from a quasi-experimental analysis of dual enrollment in New York City. New Directions for Higher Education, 11-19.
Dingess, E. (2018). The impact of the number of dual enrollment credits on racial minority students' completion time at five Virginia community colleges. ODU Digital Commons. https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/efl_etds/68
Johnson, J. M., Paris, J. H., Curci, J. D., & Horchos, S. (2021). Beyond college access: An exploration of the short-term impact of a dual enrollment program. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory, & Practice, 1–23.
Jones, S. (2014). Student participation in dual enrollment and college success. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 38(1), 24-37.
Lee, J., Fernandez, F., Ro, H. K., & Suh, H. (2022, January 4). Does dual enrollment influence high school graduation, college enrollment, choice, and persistence? Research in Higher Education, 63, 825-848. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11162-021-09667-3.pdf
Lile, J. R., Ottusch, T. M., Jones, T., & Richards, L. N. (2017). Understanding college-student roles: Perspectives of participants in a high school/community college dual-enrollment program. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 42(2), 95–111. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2016.1264899
Taylor, J. L. (2015). Accelerating pathways to college: The (in)equitable effects of community college dual credit. Community College Review, 43(4), 355-379. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091552115594880
Vargas, J., Hooker, S., & Gerwin, C. (2017, November 1). Blending high school and college can sharpen the focus of each. Phi Delta Kappan, 99(3), 13-18.
Wang, X., Chan, H., Phelps, L. A., & Washbon, J. I. (2015). Fuel for success: Academic momentum as a mediator between dual enrollment and educational outcomes of two-year technical college students. Community College Review, 43(2), 165–190. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091552115569846
Witkowsky, P., & Clayton, G. (2020). What makes dual enrollment work? High school counselor perspectives. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 44(6), 427-444.