Dual Enrolment Implications for Community College Leadership

Community colleges have historically played a significant role in expanding access to higher education in the U.S. In the past one decade or so, the colleges have sought to increase access to post-secondary education even more by partnering with secondary schools to enable high school students enrol in college courses while still attending high school (An, 2015). This has resulted in what is referred to as dual enrolment (Pretlow & Patteson, 2015). Dual enrolment programs ease the transition from high school to college, which remains a major concern in education (Kanny, 2015). Secondary learning institutions have extensively been criticised for inadequately preparing students for their college careers, thereby significantly contributing to poor college outcomes (An, 2015; Karp, 2015). With dual enrolment programs, high school students are introduced to college life quite earlier, which may contribute to better outcomes at both the secondary and the post-secondary level. In spite of their benefits, dual enrolment programs present crucial challenges and concerns for community college leadership. This paper addresses these issues. The paper specifically focuses on the growth of dual enrolment, the benefits of dual enrolment, as well as challenges and implications for the leadership of community colleges.

Dual enrolment gained prominence in the U.S. in the 1990s (An, 2015). As of 2003, there were about 1.1 million high school students participating in dual credit courses (An, 2015). The number has grown to approximately 2 million (or 11.4% of the overall high school population), an almost double increase, with community colleges being the major providers of dual credit courses (Karp, 2016). Today, virtually every community college offers some form of dual enrolment (Pretlow & Patteson, 2015). For one to be eligible for the program, they must meet certain requirements. Generally, they must be enrolled in a school in the respective state, fulfil course requirements of the college in question, not have attained a high school diploma (or its equal), and maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 and above (An, 2015).

One of the important benefits of dual enrolment relates to the transition from secondary to higher education. Colleges throughout the U.S. have historically grappled with undesirable college outcomes such as poor college completion, in large part due to poor preparation of students at the secondary level (An, 2015). High school students go to college without adequate preparation for the requirements and complexities of college life, which may often predispose them to poor academic outcomes. Indeed, even though college enrolment rates have been on an upward trend, the rate of degree attainment has not increased proportionately. In 2011, for instance, 68% of high school graduates immediately enrolled for college after graduation, though only about 59% of these students completed their bachelor's degree programme on time (An, 2015). Cognizant of this challenge, colleges, in collaboration with high schools, have increasingly advocated for the exposure of high school students to college learning experiences through initiatives such as dual enrolment.

Dual enrolment introduces high school students to challenging academic experiences while still in high school, consequently easing the transition from high school to college and raising the rate of college attendance (Pretlow & Patteson, 2015; Karp, 2015). When high school students participate in dual credit courses, they are better placed to meet the more complex requirements of college coursework, curriculum, and assessments. For instance, college courses demand greater critical thinking, analytical, research, problem solving, organisational, and time management skills. These skills are important for tackling the more challenging content and assignments. Exposure to college-level experiences at the high school level can be crucial for building these skills.

Exposure to college experiences at the high school level can have an even more important impact on college outcomes. A study that utilised data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education, a longitudinal survey of first-year college students, found that dual enrolment was positively associated with GPA during the first year of college (An, 2015). The study particularly found that students who were dually enrolled were more academically engaged and motivated than those who were not. Dual enrolment enables students to undertake and enjoy challenging courses, be more engaged in learning, as well as take part in activities and practices that contribute positively towards their academic outcomes such as collaborative learning and student-faculty contact. Nonetheless, this does not necessarily imply that dual enrolees do not encounter difficulties in their college learning. Instead, even though college is generally overwhelming for most students, dual enrolment may give one the advantage of perseverance (Kanny, 2015). It gives participants more hardiness for transitioning into college and surviving the associated pressures. This is why Karp (2015, p. 105) describes dual enrolment as "a powerful college completion strategy."

Due to better academic performance, dual enrolees are less likely to undertake remedial courses during college education compared to the typical college student (An, 2015). This means that participating in dual enrolment may reduce the incidence of college dropout and increase college graduation rates. As put by Karp (2016), participants of dual enrolment programs tend to have the academic momentum needed to complete college education as they are more likely to score better grades once in college. In essence, dual enrolment may be important for college success in terms of not only GPA, but also persistence and degree completion.

Whereas dual enrolment may have a positive impact on academic performance at the college level, it is important to acknowledge that little research has been conducted in this area. Indeed, dual enrolment is a fairly recent phenomenon. More scholarly attention is required to determine if dual enrolment actually improves academic performance. Furthermore, as shown by An's (2015) study, dual enrolment was found to be positively associated with academic performance only during the first year of college. It is quite unclear whether dual enrolment participants would remain academically engaged and motivated throughout their entire college life. More importantly, academic performance and educational attainment in general are predicted by a combination of multiple factors such as demographic characteristics, cognitive factors, and teaching methods, and not necessarily dual enrolment.

The benefits of dual enrolment can as well be viewed from the perspective of socialisation. Becoming a college student may not be as straightforward as often thought. It is a process that may require more than just academic preparation. Generally, certain attitudes and behaviours are vital for managing constantly occurring situations during college education. These attitudes and behaviours are best learned via experiences. Dual enrolment provides an ideal opportunity for socialising high school students into college life (An, 2015). It offers a transitional episode during which students learn the norms, attitudes, and behaviours associated with college life, ultimately making the process of navigating the college system easier (Karp, 2015). Therefore, dual enrolees may be better placed to meet the expectations of the college environment compared to typical college enrolees. Indeed, dual enrolment facilitates the development of both academic and non-academic skills.

Dual enrolment can also reduce the time and costs associated with college education. College education remains a time consuming and costly undertaking for most students. Indeed, one of the factors that have negatively affected college enrolment rates is cost. The cost of college education has soared significantly over the years, making it quite unaffordable to most low-income populations (Karp, 2016). This challenge is further compounded by the length of college degrees. Since credits earned from dual enrolment can be transferred to college, students can spend less time and costs on college education, making college education attainable for more high school graduates. Dual enrolment can save families hundreds or thousands of dollars in college fees (Karp, 2015). Dual credit courses can as well earn students up to 2 years of postsecondary credits prior to joining college (Ferguson, Baker & Burnett, 2015). Indeed, dual enrolment offers a valuable way of saving money as well as completing college education faster. However, this may not always be true. Some commentators have actually termed the argument that dual enrolment saves time and cost as an exaggeration (Karp, 2016).

In spite of the benefits it may have, dual enrolment presents significant challenges and concerns for post-secondary institutions, especially community colleges. Since dual credit courses are taught either at high school or campuses, an obvious challenge is that high school educators may not have the necessary qualifications for teaching college-level courses (Karp, 2016). While it is generally required that dual credit courses be taught by college instructors or approved high school teachers, this is a particularly important challenge. Furthermore, though high school educators that deliver dual credit courses ordinarily have Master's qualifications, and collaborate with their partner institutions, colleges tend to be sceptical of courses taught by high school teachers. This is in fact a widely-acknowledged challenge. In their study, which sought to examine the perceptions of faculty members regarding dual credit courses, Ferguson, Baker & Burnett (2015) show that faculty members view dual credit courses as of low quality and rigour compared to their equivalents at the college level. This scepticism may be justified to some extent, and it serves to offset some of the gains of dual enrolment.

If dual enrolment is to be more successful, it is crucial for high school educators to be equipped with more skills and knowledge. It is also imperative for colleges to be more receptive to courses taught by high school educators. College administrators can play a vital role in this regard. They can work together with high schools, policymakers, and other key stakeholders to prepare high school educators for teaching college-level content, and to champion for the acceptance of dual credits. Even if the problem really lies with the perception of high school teachers as incompetent for delivering college content, colleges can revise their partnerships with high schools to ensure college courses are undertaken only in campuses alongside college students as opposed to high school classrooms. This approach has the advantage of increasing confidence in dual credit courses on the part of not only colleges, but also among the participating students (Kanny, 2015; Karp, 2016).

Another challenge associated with dual enrolment relates to the transfer of credits (Karp, 2016). The whole notion of dual credit courses is to transfer credits earned at the high school level to college qualifications. A closer look at dual enrolment programs, however, reveals significant differences in how states and post-secondary institutions treat the issue of credit transfer. In some states, for instance Ohio, the underlying policy framework mandates particular courses undertaken under the dual enrolment program to be recognisable at any public institution (Pretlow & Patteson, 2015). This means that credits earned under the programme would be readily transferrable to any public higher education institution. However, in other states such as Virginia, dual credits can only be accepted at a post-secondary institution if that institution allows such an arrangement (Pretlow & Patteson, 2015). In other instances, the transferability of credits may be limited to the state in question, meaning that credits earned in a particular state may not be accepted in another state.

The difficulty inherent in transferring credit is further compounded by lack of clarity over the value or significance of dual credit courses on the part students. As explained by Karp (2016, p. 11), a considerable disconnect exists between what students are told about dual enrolment programs "and the fact that college credit really needs to add up something in order to graduate." It may be a waste of time if high school students accumulate credits that may be of no value when pursuing their college majors. Indeed, students may contemplate dropping out of college if they realise their dual credits carry no tangible significance. Though the issue of credit transfer has received little scholarly attention, there is evidence of students losing up to a quarter of their credits upon joining college (Karp, 2016). Colleges can play a significant role in easing the problem of credit transfer. This is particularly true for contexts that lack an overarching policy framework for mandating the acceptance of dual credits. In such contexts, it is important for colleges to duly recognise dual credit courses, further underscoring the contribution of college administrators.

Credit transfer difficulties can be attributed in large part to lack of a proper guiding policy framework. The policy framework under which dual enrolment operates remains quite underdeveloped. According to Pretlow & Patteson (2015), the understanding of dual enrolment tends to vary significantly from state to state, especially in terms of structure and implementation. In Virginia, for instance, dual enrolment is implemented under a centralised framework that provides stakeholders a shared storehouse of information relating to dual enrolment. This is unlike Ohio, where stakeholders are compelled to gather information from multiple sources as there is no centralised information repository. There are also differences in eligibility requirements as well as funding (An, 2015). For instance, dual enrolment is funded by the state government in some states, while in others public funding may not be available. Differences in the structure and implementation of dual enrolment may equally mean differences in outcomes across states. For instance, states with less eligibility requirements may provide more opportunities compared to states with more eligibility requirements.

Whereas the structure and implementation of dual enrolment programs is more of a policy matter as opposed to leadership, it has important ramifications for college administrators. Without a centralised framework, for instance, it may be quite difficult for college administrators to run the program. In addition, a policy framework that promotes competition for students amongst colleges as opposed to cooperation may hinder access to college. It is imperative for college administrators to work together to advocate for state-wide policies that encourage collaboration.

Another important issue relates to college selectivity. Due to the association of dual enrolment with academic performance, colleges may start showing preference or prioritising dual enrolees when it comes to selection. In other words, colleges may become more selective, with dual enrolees benefiting more from college selectivity compared to the rest of the college enrolee population. This may be particularly true for historically selective colleges. Whereas this appears an unlikely scenario, it cannot be ignored altogether. Exhibiting preference for dual enrolees may unexpectedly increase discrimination in the selection of college applicants. This may challenge the primary role for which community colleges were established -- expanding access to education. College administrators must ensure a level-playing field for all college applicants, irrespective of their dual enrolment status; however, achieving this may not be as easy as it may seem (Karp, 2015).

Pretlow & Patteson (2015) reiterate the significance of ensuring equitable participation in dual enrolment programs for all categories of students. Generally, the rationale behind dual enrolment programs is to prepare as many high school students as possible for college rather than just the traditionally high performing student. In some cases, however, it is quite unlikely that this is being achieved as the set eligibility requirements somewhat lock out some categories of students. Consider a state like Virginia, for example, where eligibility is often restricted to high school juniors and seniors (Pretlow & Patteson, 2015). Dual enrolment in such a state may be discriminatory to some extent compared to a state like Ohio, where dual enrolment is open to every high school student with a GPA of 3.0 and above. If dual enrolment is to successfully achieve the intended outcomes, it must foster equitable participation. College administrators have an important role to play in this regard. They must advocate for and reinforce equitable participation.

Educator preparation, credit transferability, policy, structure, and implementation and other aforementioned issues mean that community colleges must adapt their systems and processes to the new educational paradigm. The fusion of secondary and post-secondary education is a fairly new phenomenon. The phenomenon is expected to gain even greater prominence in the future as institutions, policymakers, and governments commit to improving college enrolment and college completion rates. However, greater success in the achievement of these outcomes through dual enrolment is likely to be achieved if colleges adjust to the new form of collaboration between high schools and colleges (Karp, 2015). This essentially underscores the need for change. Colleges must lead in this change process. They must change how they function as well as relate with secondary institutions of learning. Whereas collages have so far done a commendable job in integrating college content into secondary learning, there is still significant room for improvement, especially in terms of creating and maintaining structures, processes, and practices that favour dual credit courses. It is an undertaking that calls for a change in course delivery and college leadership as a whole.