Enrollment in MCC dual-credit courses explodes

McHenry County College is seeing an explosion in enrollment growth for dual-credit courses - a 61 percent increase in two years, from 916 in 2014 to 1,475 in 2016.

The increase largely is due to a computer literacy course launched this year in which 600 high school students are enrolled and being taught by their own teachers. Eighty percent of those students are freshmen and sophomores, officials said.

The computer literacy course is free and offered as part of the College in the High School option. Though typically only juniors and seniors are allowed to take dual-credit courses, MCC got a waiver from the Illinois Community College Board to offer its computer literacy course to freshmen and sophomores, as well.

College instructors trained roughly 18 high school teachers last spring to qualify them to teach the computer literacy course at their respective high schools, said Tony Capalbo, MCC associate dean of college and career readiness.

It included a 10-week online course and eight hours of in-class training, funded through an Illinois Community College Board grant.

"It's a huge success because the students are earning good grades," Capalbo said.

While community colleges have been offering dual-credit courses for some time, MCC shifted its focus in 2010, said Tony Miksa, MCC vice president of academic and student affairs.

"It's been a deliberate initiative helping students be college and career ready," Miksa said. "Dual-credit has really been a big picture enrollment management strategy. We wanted to get students started early (for college). When I came here in 2009, we had about 60 students in dual-credit classes at that time, and now we are over 1,400."

MCC's College and Career Readiness Alliance partners with every high school within the college's footprint. In all, the college offers 18 free dual-credit courses during fall and spring semesters, including automotive, architectural and engineering design, digital media, math, English, Spanish, health and fitness education, basic nurse assisting (CNA), and web fundamentals.

Those classes are taught mainly by high school instructors - trained by the college faculty - at no additional cost to students. Funding school districts receive per student in general state aid covers the cost of running these dual-credit courses. The college does not get reimbursed for its services, which are "minimal costs," Miksa said.

"This is a great example of government agencies working together for the betterment of students at a very effective cost," he added.

Officials say these courses collectively are saving students and parents $1.75 million in college tuition annually, but beyond that students are exploring career choices while earning credit.

"It's not just about saving money, it's all about preparing the kids and helping them succeed," Capalbo said. "Students can also explore areas they are interested in, especially in the occupational areas, such as nursing, fire science and law enforcement."

Though exact figures weren't readily available, a good number of students who take MCC's dual-credit courses end up at the college, officials said.

Miksa said the college really doesn't lose out on tuition by offering dual-credit courses in high school.

"Our hope is that as we continue to develop more and more dual-credit courses to get to the point where students can graduate from high school with their high school diploma, as well as their associate degree," Miksa said. "What we are gaining is students that can take more classes and have different experiences. It also helps students finish their college degrees and enter the workforce quicker."