Summary
Week 7 of the Concurrent Enrollment Tool Kit is designed to help guide students in the way they look at their progress so far in their university-level courses. Students will evaluate their current standing in the course, identify their expected grade for the semester, and work to figure out what they need to do to receive that grade.
Discussion Objectives
Assist students in identifying their current progress in the semester.
Help students in predicting a realistic end grade based on current progress in their course.
Guide students to determine necessary steps to take for achieving their desired grade.
Materials List
CE Tool Kit, Week 7 (attached)
Topic Focus
What progress have students made?
This discussion is meant to help guide students in the way they look at their progress so far. By encouraging thoughtful questions and early reflection, students will be able to start considering whether or not they are on track for the grade they want.
Guiding Notes
Begin the meeting by greeting the student by name and inquiring about how their classes are going.
It can be helpful to consider how, as a university student, you might have thought about progress at this point in the semester. Was there any advice that might have been helpful for you to consider? Were there any specific pitfalls or concerns you want to warn the student about? Use your personal experience as well as the student’s specific situation to discuss their progress with them.
Before concluding the meeting, make sure the student does not have any outstanding questions or concerns.
Discussion Starters
Consider starting the discussion by asking:
How has the semester gone so far when you think back on the last several weeks?
How are you feeling about things in your course so far?
Have there been any unexpected challenges in terms of the assignments you have completed up to this point?
Discussion Questions
To guide this week’s discussion, consider asking some of the following questions:
Generally, how have you felt about the grades you have gotten so far in your courses?
How much of your total grade have these assignments counted for so far?
If you received this grade at the end of the semester, would you be alright with that?
What can you do to either improve your grade or maintain the grade you currently have?
Next Steps
For next week, ask students to:
Consider which strategies they have used to study so far in this semester.
Have these been effective?
Think about any improvement goals they have for the remainder of the semester.
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.