Dual Enrollment: An Essential Part of a High-Quality, Industry-Aligned Pathway in Montana.
Amy WilliamsDual Enrollment and Career Pathways
Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education-Montana University System
High SchoolCollege
& Career
Dual Enrollment College Exploration
& Participation
Big Sky Pathways Career Exploration
& Participation
Complete College Montana: Impact on High Schools
• Complete College America’s Game Changers and specifically, concepts from Guided Pathways to Success, are refining the way we work with high schools in two early start programs: Big Sky Pathways and dual enrollment.
• Reframing our approach to dual enrollment programs to develop packages of credit in meta major-like pathways.
• Pivoting our Big Sky Pathways program to build opportunities and activities that support career exploration within a meta major pathway.
• Promoting growth in dual enrollment courses with high value in pathway exploration and high industry demand.
Why Dual Enrollment?
MUS dual enrollment students outperform non-participating peers in key postsecondary success areas:
• 16% higher rate of first year retention (84% DE, 68% non-DE) • Higher freshman GPA (3.06 DE, 2.8 non-DE)• Earn more credits in their first year of college• The benefits are independent of high school GPA, and often “B” and “C” students make larger
gains than “A” students when compared to non-participating peers.
Dual enrollment is a research-based strategy with demonstrated positive impact student’s postsecondary education engagement, readiness, persistence, and completion.
Dual Enrollment Helps Keep Montana Students in MontanaDual Enrollment Students Choose the MUS:
• 63% of DE students choose the MUS (vs 38% of Montana high school graduates)
MUS Graduates Choose Montana:
• The majority of Montana residents who are first time freshmen enrolling in a Montana public higher education institution choose to work in Montana after graduation:
• 85% two-year graduates• 75% four-year graduates
Dual Enrollment: Pathway to the Workforce
We knew… Could we...
DE students choose the
MUS
MUS graduates choose
Montana
Use a great intro course to
increase exposure to
priority fields
Use dual enrollment to
increase students pursuing
related degrees
Increase the number entering
priority fields
?
Tech Growth & Skilled Labor
Rapid growth in high-tech fields, particularly computing • The state is attracting and growing companies large and small.
• Tech growth 7x the state average for all sectors • Tech sector generated 1.5B in revenue in 2016
Industry consistently reports a lack of qualified employees • Dire workforce need for computing professionals at all levels
• In 2012, 400 computing jobs went unfilled• In 2016, 940 new high-tech jobs were created, 960 projected for 2017
• High-tech industry salaries are more than twice the state average but lag regionally.
• Growing a Montana workforce is an attractive option for industry.
Employment and wage data from Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research
Joy and Beauty of Computing: CSCI107
“Joy and Beauty” was intentionally and thoughtfully designed to be a welcoming, informative, and fun intro to programming AND the computing field.
• College course designed to entice a broad audience• Levels the playing field between new and experienced
coders • Introduces computational thinking via Python language
• Project based, utilizes trending topics • Structured with individual, collaborative, and peer
learning• Integrates business and industry to broadly explore the
careers in computing.
Photos: Adrian Gonzales-Sanchez/Chronicle
CSCI107 Growth and Enrollment Impact
Increased course availability: • Teacher training created a six-fold
increase in the number of high schools offering CSCI 107
• Online option reaches students across the state.
• Pool of qualified teachers to offer other CS and IT courses
Increased course enrollment:• ~480% increase in average annual CS dual
enrollment • 55% of the students who took a CS DE
course matriculated to the MUS.• ~40% choose a computing field
degree/certificate.
1014 15
40
80
53
1
84
65
14
105
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
CSCI course enrollments
Building Pathways Through Perkins
Strengthening Big Sky PathwaysPerkins Rural Reserve funds program, awarded to Perkins-receiving campuses via
competitive application process
Target: Grow CTE dual enrollment and build into a cohesive postsecondary approach
Encourage development of high-value dual credit packages:
Career exploration and Gen.Ed.
“Priority Pathways” in high-need workforce areas:
Health Care, Tech, Education, Manufacturing.
SBSP also allows other activities of value to
educators and students
Teacher trainingWork-Based Learning
Campus or Career Events
Summary
• The right dual enrollment courses can result in substantial benefits.• Students gain college preparedness, career insight, pathway insight, and
directional aspiration. • Colleges gain better prepared students with program insight/experience and
some career exploration. • This approach increases engagement with business and industry and may
help address workforce shortages.
• Dual enrollment and Big Sky Pathways creates a natural conduit for sharing CCA initiatives and extending their reach into high school.
• We are working to make this a systemic approach and have prioritized career clusters where jobs requiring a degree or postsecondary credential and offering a family sustaining wage are going unfilled.
Questions?Amy Williams
Dual Enrollment and Career PathwaysOffice of the Commissioner of Higher Education-Montana University System
Goal: Build a framework for successful transitions: High school to college to career
• Knowledge of self: academic and career interests, aptitudes, future goals, life expectations.Insight
• Knowledge of careers aligned with their interests and labor market data. Education required for careers, time and cost to degree, program locations. Information
• Proper academic and career preparation in high school. Classes and activities that support their career path and increase insight. Preparation
• Build more relevancy into high school education and enable future success by facilitating early program entry in Pathway. • Dual enrollment and Work-Based Learning opportunities.
Participation
• Cultivate a desire to advance, understanding of how to do that, and vison for the future. Success in one or more key area (career, college, leadership) helps, so to people. Aspiration
• Financial, academic, engagement, college navigation Support
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