IU to Launch Pilot Program on Dual-Credit Courses
Indiana University will soon launch a pilot program to assist high school teachers with providing dual-credit courses. The university says the program will help schools adhere to higher standards for those teachers.
The program, being run by IU’s Office of Pre-College Programs and the College of Arts and Sciences, will begin in the 2016-17 school year and will only be used in political science, mathematics and public speaking courses. Under the plan, IU faculty members will act as lead instructors for the courses that offer both high school and college credit.
The faculty members will be responsible for creating core course materials and delivering them to students. They will also provide regular training for high school teachers, who will lead organize and lead the individual classes.
"This pilot program allows high school instructors to take advantage of the expertise of IU faculty members to supplement their own deep knowledge of classroom teaching methods — all to the benefit of their students," said Michael Beam, director of pre-college programs for IU. "We believe this model will increase the quality and consistency of our dual-credit course offerings while allowing our valued high school instructors to continue to help teach these courses."
The Higher Learning Commission created new standards which require high school instructors to complete at least 18 graduate credit hours in the specific area they wish to teach. Those standards take effect in July 2017.
IU estimates 75 percent of high school instructors teaching dual-credit courses in Indiana do not meet the minimum requirements under the new standards.
"IU is fortunate to work with many talented high school teachers who deliver high-quality college-level content to their students, and we are committed to strengthening our partnership with them during this time of transition," said Beam.