IU offers to expand role of faculty in dual credit high school courses

"I like the partnership. I like the requirement that we have a greater connection. I think both our students and the university will benefit," said Jan Bergeson, MCCSC's director of secondary education.

While high school instructors teaching dual credit courses are currently trained by IU faculty who observe the teachers and classes during the school year, IU's pilot program would mean university faculty will do more teaching and develop more course materials than they do now.

As lead instructors for dual credit courses, university faculty would provide lessons to high school students using online teaching tools such as videos and podcasts as well as developing core class materials, according to an IU news release. High school teachers would be charged with the face-to-face instruction of students and base classwork on materials developed by university faculty.

IU will try out the program starting with political science, mathematics and public speaking courses.

Dirk Ackerman, principal of Edgewood High School, says he still has questions about the new partnership, but hopes it will broaden opportunities for students to take college classes in high school.

"We have continued to add dual credit courses and (Advanced Placement) courses to our course offerings, so will embrace the opportunity to work with IU offering even more dual credit courses for our students," he said.

The pilot project could make it easier for schools to offer dual credit courses once a new requirement from the Higher Learning Commission kicks in next year. The HLC is a regional organization that determines accreditation for post-secondary schools in Indiana. To comply with the HLC's updated policy, by 2017 high school instructors are required to earn at least 18 graduate credit hours in the particular discipline for the class they are teaching in order for schools to offer dual credit.

About 75 percent of high school teachers in Indiana who instruct dual credit classes don't have the credentials in the HLC's new requirements, and about 14,000 high school students take advantage of IU's dual credit courses annually, IU's news release stated.