ERIC Number: EJ1081213
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 3
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1559-0151
EISSN: N/A
Valuing Opportunities to Learn
Bullock, Quintin B.
Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council, v16 n2 p27-29 Fall-Win 2015
With community colleges in the national spotlight as never before, a lot of talk has focused on the excellent work that community colleges are doing to help students succeed, especially the inroads that community colleges are making among their most academically vulnerable students. Thanks to the efforts of hard-working, dedicated faculty and forward-thinking college leaders, test scores, grades, and completion rates are making slow but steady progress while achievement gaps are diminishing. Students on the other end of the academic spectrum deserve attention as well: students who choose to enter the doors when colleges with ivy on their buildings and in their leagues--Harvard, Princeton and Yale come to mind--would be more than happy to offer them a spot. Community colleges are also addressing the educational needs of these academically gifted students. For many community colleges, including the Community College of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the answer has been the addition of honors-specific programming. Besides offering academically rigorous courses, these programs work to actively engage intellectually curious students both in and out of the classroom, immersing students in a stimulating learning environment that fosters critical thinking and reasoning, cultural literacy, independent investigation, and collaborative learning. At CCAC, students accepted into the college's honors program have the opportunity to take honors courses with their peers; change any course into an honors program course with the support of faculty; receive in-county tuition reimbursement; apply for honors-based scholarships; participate in extracurricular enrichment activities; receive priority registration; and experience the benefits of additional opportunities to learn from and interact with faculty. This article present a brief overview of the honors opportunities offered at CCAC.
Descriptors: Community Colleges, Educational Opportunities, Educational Needs, Academically Gifted, Honors Curriculum, Learner Engagement, Critical Thinking, Abstract Reasoning, Cultural Awareness, Inquiry, Cooperative Learning, Tuition, Scholarships, Extracurricular Activities, Enrichment, Educational Benefits
National Collegiate Honors Council. 1100 Neihardt Residence Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 540 North 16th Street, Lincoln, NE 68588. Tel: 402-472-9150; Fax: 402-472-9152; e-mail: nchc@unl.edu; Web site: http://nchchonors.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Two Year Colleges; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Pennsylvania
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A