Family, job responsibilities, finances, lack of transportation as well as housing and food insecurity are among some of the barriers that prevent students from pursuing or continuing a post-secondary degree.
The list goes on.
A new initiative by the League for Innovation in the Community College is looking to improve completion rates at two-year colleges through a shared online course platform.
“The expectations are to seek opportunities that increase student success and embrace models that encourage partnerships that are boundless not defined by geographic boundaries,” said Dr. Rufus Glasper, president and CEO of the League.
As part of the League for Innovation Online Course Sharing Consortium—created in collaboration with Acadeum—students can enroll in courses at other schools beginning this fall semester without having to transfer.
A shared course model can benefit students at institutions, especially in rural areas, who face instructor shortages and offer limited course options. Additionally, it addresses scheduling challenges for students who have families or work full-time and part-time jobs, according to Acadeum CEO and co-founder Joshua Pierce.
“It is really tough to get a chemistry professor out in West Texas, for example,” he said. “If you lose that chemistry professor, it is going to take you awhile to replace them. And you will probably have 30 to 60 students who are going to need some version of chemistry in the coming academic year and now you can’t serve them.”
