In response to UW System’s “2020 Forward” effort to improve the educational pipeline by creating earlier access to college, Academic Affairs has created an Office of Dual Enrollment (ODE) that centralizes and expands opportunities for high school students to earn college credit from UWM. Vicki Bott (English) and Kathleen Breuer (Undergraduate Admissions) administer the programs for all three UWM campuses. ODE is engaging in two key activities:

Developing New Partnerships with School Districts

ODE is developing partnerships with school districts to offer what is often called “concurrent enrollment,” in which a qualified high school instructor teaches a UWM course to high school students under the supervision of a faculty liaison (faculty, academic staff, or GTA) from the corresponding academic department. Concurrent enrollment is a more effective recruitment pipeline than high school students taking college courses on campus and reaches a broader group of students. For example, UW-Oshkosh has a 20% matriculation rate with students in their concurrent enrollment courses, and an even higher rate with students from within their five county region.

ODE is already working with several school districts and UWM academic departments to develop new partnerships. UWM faculty and staff are encouraged to reach out to Vicki Bott or Kathleen Breuer (dual-enrollment@uwm.edu) to learn more about this initiative.

ODE’s concurrent enrollment efforts are modeled on the best practices of the national accrediting body for concurrent enrollment, NACEP (National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships), and UW-Oshkosh’s 40-year old CAPP program. Policies and practices ensure that courses taught in the high school are equivalent to their on-campus equivalents. High school instructors must meet the same qualifications as on-campus academic staff instructors (determined by each department, following HLC guidelines), and faculty liaisons ensure that curriculum, assessment methods, and the quality of student work is equivalent to the on-campus course.

Improving and Expanding Existing Programs On Campus

UWM will continue the practice of offering enrollment for high school students to take classes on campuses, which is regulated through Wisconsin legislation called ECCP (Early College Credit Program). These students now have access to an academic advisor, Dan Geddes (Office of Central Advising), a peer mentor, on-campus cohort gatherings, and multiple touch points throughout the semester to increase their likelihood of matriculating at UWM.