eLearning Program Management
Summary: I built a program to provide meaningful, accredited, and flexibly scheduled college courses to high school students. Gap analysis informed the initial idea. I procured a grant for the seed funding, and iterative work produced a powerful program providing high school students with University (Harvard) credits. The selection of these learning experiences was aligned to the student's area of interest and, usually, laid the foundation for the trajectory of their careers.
The Program was built from an array of
stakeholder needs:
Board Members - "Improve the program so that the credentials of our graduates are more competitive when applying to Top-Tier colleges."
Leadership - "The master schedule is not very flexible. Can you find a way to provide added value while working within the schedule?"
Parents - "The Learner has completed all of the course offerings. How can we provide more to the learner when all options are exhausted?"
Learners - "Most online courses are boring and/or too easy. Why should I waste my time?"
Benefactor - "Create an innovative approach to providing better opportunities for accelerated students."
Finding the Right Vendors/Providers was a complicated but essential journey.
After vetting through 30 different online learning programs Harvard's Extension School provides the most dynamic learning experience within the most robust learning catalogue at a relatively affordable price point.
When it comes to music, Berklee is at the epicenter of teaching and learning. The availability of the instructors to serve as mentors is remarkable. Learners even encountered a role model or two.
If Harvard or Berklee did not have it, there is a good chance one of the schools in the Colorado system did. Learners expanded their math skills in Calculus III and Differential Equations.
How Would Colleges Recieve This Work?
I wanted to be sure that the value would be well-received by the top-tier colleges that these students would be applying to, so I surveyed the admissions departments at the top 50 universities (as identified by Forbes) and the feedback was reaffirming.
MIT - "....Thanks for reaching out. In short, I’d say the answer to your question is yes, we would consider a post-AP extension course as a good thing. ..."
Princeton - "...We strive to find applicants who challenge themselves academically, whether that be with courses through AP, IB, dual enrollment or college-level courses. We understand and support the intellectual curiosity of our applicants and encourage them to pursue their academic interests..."
Brown - "...In general, I'd say it sounds like an excellent opportunity for students to pursue advanced work in an area of their interest. It certainly reflects positively on students if they do well in them, in terms of taking on challenge and pursuing a subject in greater depth than the usual curriculum..."
Columbia - "...We definitely view it favorably when students are taking college level courses after they have exhausted their high school curriculum..."
UCLA - "...if the college course is transferable then the student would be able to satisfy a requirement, and not have to take the course at UCLA. A passing score on the AP exam, can sometime grant the student to satisfy a requirement, but in many situations it will just grant them units. Both AP and college courses are highly valued when reviewing the application and we will grant them additional points to their grade point average..."
Cal Berkeley - "...We respect the rigor of all college level classes, we do not have bias for or against the college that the course was taken at. However, math and science classes might elevate an application a little bit more than an elective course ..."
Williams - "...briefly I can say that a program such as the one you describe will be well received. As you probably know, we look at students' transcripts to see if they are really challenging themselves in their settings. Offering college opportunities for your students is wonderful for them, and when a student takes advantage of this we can see that they are stretching themselves and embracing their education in a positive way.
Cornell - "...Thank you for your note. We would consider dual enrollment through Harvard or Boulder to be a strong course option..."
Learner Experience Feedback is Crucial for Improvement
Where are they Now?
With over 40 Participants, over 60 different courses completed, and a course cumulative GPA of 3.72 the real success are the learners.
Below is a sample the college course taken in high school, where they went to college, and where they are today.
I look forward to building the next exceptional learning experience.