Preliminary results of an evaluation of a program that brings college-credit courses to southeastern Ohio high schools show that it increases enrollment in such programs - and suggest that its innovative format is catching on with teachers and students alike.

Ohio University's Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs is evaluating the program, a partnership between Shawnee State University and 13 Appalachian Ohio school districts. Funded by a grant from the Ohio Department of Education's Straight A Fund, the project allows students to earn college credit for courses led by highly qualified teachers.

Margaret Hutzel

The evaluation team is led by senior project manager Margaret Hutzel, with Associate Professor Marsha Lewis and Undergraduate Research Scholars Phoenix Crane and Nicole Baker.

Although students in these districts previously had the option to enroll in post-secondary educational opportunities by taking classes at local colleges and universities, offering college courses within the high schools themselves has resulted in a tremendous increase in the number of students pursuing dual enrollment, as shown by the data collected as part of the evaluation that Voinovich School staff are conducting.

	Marsha Lewis

Locating the courses within high schools isn't the only innovative aspect of the program. The courses are "flipped": Instead of listening to lectures in class and completing work on their own outside it, students in a flipped course watch recorded video lectures outside of class and complete independent work within class. The format allows teachers to work more closely with students.

"Upfront, I would say that there is more of a time investment required for teachers using the flipped format," Hutzel said. "But we've heard a lot of teachers say that they really prefer it, and that they get more one-on-one time with the students when they're in the classroom."

One major concern throughout the project has been accessibility, because the program's flipped method is technology-based.

"These are districts in Southeast Ohio, many of them rural, high-poverty districts," Hutzel said, "So it is a challenge. These are by no means affluent districts. And yet, the majority of teachers I've talked to have said, yes, we are using the flipped method."

To resolve accessibility concerns, some districts burn lectures onto CDs or DVDs so that students who may not have a computer at home can still watch or listen to the lectures. Participating districts also have ensured that students can access school computers outside of school hours by providing lab time.

"I think it's a really successful model," Hutzel said. "These districts are now ahead of the curve."

Having demonstrated the effectiveness of offering the courses in high schools, the Voinovich School will now start gathering data to determine if there is a subsequent increase in students' eventual enrollment at colleges and universities. Anecdotally, Hutzel said that the interviews the evaluation team is conducting with teachers and administrators show that they believe students are now more likely to go on to enroll in post-secondary education.

"It's a great program to give students a shot at college who might not have had the opportunity to go to college, either based on family hindrances, or their mental hindrances," one teacher said. "And they can say, 'Hey, I can do this.' It gives them that extra boost that they may not have had earlier."

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MSES alumnus Bruce Underwood has been promoted to executive director of the nonprofit Athens-Hocking Recycling Centers Inc.

The nonprofit operates recycling programs, including a new materials recovery facility near The Plains, collects garbage and recyclables and has a composting operation. The executive director's position is new.

"We really need to have someone there all the time who can make decisions and steer the ship," said Chris Chmiel, chairman of the nonprofit's three-member board.

Underwood will be in charge of overseeing all aspects of the organization and will work with the board to plan expansion of the operations, according to a news release announcing the promotion.

Underwood has been with the non-profit for about a year and a half, most recently as public relations and sales coordinator.

He said that when he joined Athens-Hocking Recycling Centers he saw the changes that were being made, and wanted to be part of it.

"I have big hopes, and I know we're going to do a lot more than we have in the past," he said, adding that he believes the public wants expanded services.

A resident of Hocking County, Underwood has a master's degree in environmental studies from Ohio University and also received a bachelor's degree in environmental biology from OU. He was a research assistant at OU's Voinovich School.

  

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