1. THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF HIGH SCHOOL INSTRUCTORS TEACHING CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT COURSES Wednesday, October 29, 2014 High School Scholars Faculty Workshop Heather D. Exby, Ph.D.

2. Presentation Outline  Background  Purpose and Significance of Study  Research Question  Methods  Findings: Analyses and Essence  Discussion and Questions

3. Background  Importance of a college education: Most Americans consider a college education an important requirement for a well-paying job and future success. (Lumina Foundation, 2011)  Necessity of educated workforce.  There are significant holes in the education pipeline: secondary school completion, postsecondary matriculation, and college degree completion. (Kanter, 2010).

4.  The secondary and postsecondary sectors remain distinctly separate entities with a long history and tradition of separation.  reforms to connect the K-12 sector with higher education  Began over 40 years ago, concurrent enrollment is considered an effective method to help students transition from high school to college (Baily & Karp, 2003).  Widely supported by stakeholders: student & parents, legislators, educators, and policy makers  Research on effectiveness is positive, but concurrent enrollment courses are still viewed with suspicion as lacking quality. Background

5.  Differences between the educational sectors – secondary and postsecondary – continue to influence and effect the transition of students from high school to college, as well as concurrent enrollment’s impact.  While there is much research on the effectiveness of concurrent enrollment in student academic acceleration and subsequent postsecondary academic achievement and transition success, little research was found on the high school instructors who teach the college courses in their high schools and provide students with college course experience.

6. Purpose of the Study  The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the experiences of high school teachers who teach concurrent enrollment college courses in their high schools, that the findings may create greater appreciation and support for concurrent enrollment.

7. Research Questions  The study explored the experiences of high school instructors who teach concurrent enrollment college courses.  How do concurrent enrollment high school teachers experience their responsibilities for student learning?  How do the high school teachers incorporate the instructional philosophies and requirements of secondary instruction with the instructional philosophies and requirements of postsecondary instruction within their concurrent enrollment role?  Where is there consonance and dissonance in the high school teachers’ experiences while teaching concurrent enrollment courses?

8. Methodology  Qualitative study  Phenomenological method  Participant Profile  Data Collection

9. Structures of Phenomenon: Instructional Quality College-level expectations Enhancing educational experience Well-prepared students Passion For their discipline For teaching Commitment to Students Respect for developmental process Safe environment Respecting relevance Dispelling myths & secrets Pride Confidence in self Status Value to student & family

10. Essence of the Phenomenon  Putting it all together – what do high school teachers experience when they teach concurrent enrollment college courses in their high schools.  Liminal Space experience:  The word liminal comes from the Latin word ‘limen’ meaning ‘a threshold.’ A threshold is the area between two physical spaces, such as the sill of a window or a doorway, or a conceptual space between two distinct states of being.  The liminal space is an area of dissolved boundaries and blurred distinctions that describes well the unique position of concurrent enrollment as a place between high school and college that is really not one or the other, but a balanced compromise of both.

11. Balance within a liminal space  The tension between secondary and postsecondary expectations and practices within concurrent enrollment is at the heart of liminal space experience.  This research found that the concurrent enrollment course taught in the high school environment cannot duplicate how the course is experienced on the college campus.  In that practice the participants must balance the ambiguity of the concurrent enrollment teaching experience through adherence to Instructional Quality standards of both high school and college requirements, steady their Passion for teaching against their passion for the academic subject, stabilize their Commitment to Students with a balanced approach that supports student learning and develops student responsibility, and balance their Pride and honor in their college instructor status against the duty they have as high school teachers.

12. Implications for Practice  Unique in-between environment of concurrent enrollment provides an model for effective transitioning activities  Liminal Zone experiences are ideal as laboratories for innovation  Between-Sector collaborations/partnerships require understanding of and appreciation for “the other”

13. Future Research Considerations  Utilize additional qualitative approaches  Explore faculty and staff attitudes towards high school instructors teaching concurrent enrollment  Explore how former concurrent enrollment students perceive the instructional practices of high school instructors and college instructors

14. Further Discussion & Questions access the complete dissertation at: http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy2.librar y.colostate.edu:2048/dissertations/docview /1615129124/92AB202E4DD04A24PQ/1?acc ountid=10223 http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy2.librar y.colostate.edu:2048/dissertations/docview /1615129124/92AB202E4DD04A24PQ/1?acc ountid=10223 Heather D. Exby, PhD Director of Student Services Western Colorado Community College / Colorado Mesa University