Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Online courses let students get ahead in college credit hours

Campus manager of community education services hopes to start testing soon

Argen Duncan El Defensor Chieftain Reporter

Socorro High School is giving students more ways to access college classes, and credits, early.

Besides taking classes at New Mexico Tech, students can earn high school and college credit at the same time with online Western New Mexico University courses.

Also, in the spring, school distance learning and online coordinator Marian Royal expects to have a University of New Mexico-Valencia Campus program that allows college credit for high school classes with supplemental work.

Colleges waive tuition and fees. The high school pays for textbooks.

"So our student here is getting college classes and college credit without having to pay college tuition," Royal said.

The courses are options for fulfilling requirements instituted in a new state law that requires all high school students to take at least one online, dual credit or Advanced Placement class before graduating, starting next school year.

Early credit can save time and money and expose students to college courses early, Royal said.

Two students are taking one online Western New Mexico University class each this year.

"Our whole online learning environment has really taken off this year," Royal said.

About 13 students are taking a second year of German through the New Mexico Cyber Academy for only high school credits, as well.

For the Western New Mexico University courses, students can pick from any online course in the college catalog, as long as both schools approve it for credit.

Senior Brette Perry said her computer class online is convenient because she can work on it anywhere and somewhat at her own pace.

She said getting used to not having a teacher around was hard.

"Sometimes it makes it a little more difficult because unless you call them, you can't speak in person with them," Perry also said.

Perry said the Western New Mexico University program offers a bigger variety of classes than Socorro High students would otherwise have.

It also teaches self-discipline because students don't have an instructor pushing them to work, Perry continued.

"I mean, if you don't do it, then it comes back and bites you," she said.

Perry has taken two of the online courses so she can graduate in December and work as an intern in Brazil for six months.

For the planned University of New Mexico courses, branch campus staff would bring 10 computers and administer college math, reading and English placement tests to interested students.

If students performed well enough, they would qualify for dual enrollment.

"And they'll get the materials sitting in their classroom here," Royal said.

UNM-Valencia Campus Manager of Community Education Services Rita Gallegos Logan said she hopes to start testing in the next couple of weeks.

The courses are to start Jan. 22.

Students who pass the test can register Jan. 17 at Socorro High or earlier online if they pass the tests.

Logan said her program would offer credits for whatever classes the Socorro High principal and teachers submitted and UNM faculty approved.

She expected to see mainly advanced classes at the junior and senior level in subjects such as math, English, science and computer skills.

The high school teacher would submit a syllabus and textbook.

A University of New Mexico "teacher of record" would check to see if the material was sufficient for dual credit.

If so, the student would take the high school class but receive supplemental assignments from the teacher of record.

If Socorro instructors have a master's degree in the subject they are teaching, they don't need approval of their syllabuses and textbooks and can act as the teacher of record.

Royal said the program wouldn't require a lot of extra work.

In the future, the Valencia Campus program could allow Socorro High to offer classes open to the public in the evenings, if qualified teachers were available, Royal said.

Unlike the courses offered only within the high school, students would pay for those classes.

The Valencia Campus already offers some courses at Socorro High after hours.

Logan hopes the public will be able to use the placement test on the provided computers once or twice a semester in conjunction with those classes.

aduncan@dchieftain.com

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