ERIC Number: ED421188
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1998-Apr
Pages: 7
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Fast Track Option: An Accelerated Associate's Degree Program.
Price, J. Randall
SACJTC Occasional Paper, v16 n1 April 1998
Alternative instructional delivery options such as self-paced and flexible enrollment courses are designed to increase enrollment, promote retention, and encourage student success without lowering academic standards. The Fast Track Associate's Degree Program, developed by a team of faculty, staff, and administrators at Richland Community College, is an alternative delivery option that allows students to earn an Associate of Arts and Sciences degree within one year through intensive daytime courses or within less than two years (approximately 20 months) through evening courses. A student can enroll anytime during the year, never has to wait longer than four weeks for a course to start, and always has a choice of several courses in which to enroll. Begun in the fall of 1996, the Fast Track Program serves more than 100 students, the majority of which are 18-year olds who want to complete an associate's degree quickly and move on to the university. Faculty expressed concern that courses might become "watered down" due to the compressed time frame and that part-time faculty might be overused to teach courses. On the positive side, faculty found that class dynamics and length of the class period are conducive to cooperative and collaborative teaching and learning strategies. (AS)
Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Acceleration (Education), Associate Degrees, Community Colleges, Course Organization, Curriculum Design, Degree Requirements, Program Descriptions, Program Effectiveness, School Holding Power, Two Year Colleges
Pellissippi State Technical Community College, P.O. Box 22990, TN 37933-0990 ($3).
Publication Type: Collected Works - Serials; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Southern Association of Community, Junior, and Technical Colleges.
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