Courses in College

How to Obtain an Associate's Degree in Just One Year

Throughout his presidency, President Obama has lauded community colleges for their role in educating skilled workers in a short amount of time for a price far less than that of a four-year institution.

• In recent years, the President has encouraged community colleges to continue to grow by graduating 5 million more students by the year 2020.
• More and more institutions are finding creative ways to strengthen their student graduation rate in an effort to meet Mr. Obama’s challenge.
• One such institution, Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana, offers a program that helps students earn an associate's degree in just one year.
• Typically, this degree takes a minimum of two years to complete. Thus, the new program shaves 50 percent off the standard time commitment for an associate’s. Ivy Tech’s accelerated program, known as ASAP, has grown immensely in the four years since its inception.
• The program began at just two Indiana locations but is now offered at nine locations throughout the state, with more locations on tap to participate beginning in 2015.

Compressing Education

Ivy Tech began its ASAP program in 2010, soon after many four-year institutions announced plans to compress bachelor's degree programs into a three-year curriculum. Colleges and universities all over the United States offer three-year bachelor’s degree programs, including:

• Hartwick College
• University of Toledo
• Georgia Perimeter College
• Southern New Hampshire University

All

Looking for a way to get a college education at little or no cost? So is the current administration. Last year, President Obama created a plan for community colleges that included a $500 million budget to create free online courses that could be tailored to the specific needs of students. According to Inside Higher Ed, the proposal was part of a larger plan to beef up community college services and access, preparing more Americans for practical job opportunities in the current workforce.

Free online community college courses can be a great option for a wide range of people, including:

1. High school students looking to get a head start on their college education or earn college credits while still in high school.

2. College students who want to supplement their coursework or fulfill general education requirements.

3. Working professionals who want to learn new skills or update their knowledge in their field.

4. Individuals who are interested in exploring new subjects or hobbies.

5. Adults who did not complete a college degree and are looking to improve their job prospects or pursue a new career.

6. People who may not have the time or resources to attend traditional college classes.

7. Individuals who live in areas without easy access to a community college or who have mobility or transportation issues.

Overall, free online community college courses can be a great resource for anyone looking to continue their education and improve their skills and knowledge.

Source: ChatGPT

Plan Specifics

In addition to helping high schools develop a low-cost curriculum, the original proposal

While Goldman Sachs has found itself in plenty of hot investigative water recently, the investment bank has also contributed significantly to the development of small businesses via community colleges. Last year, Goldman Sachs announced the launch of 10,000 Small Business, a multi-million dollar initiative geared toward the creation and growth of small businesses across the country.

An Associated Press report published on Diverse Issues in Higher Education last November stated that Goldman Sachs is teaming up with billionaire Warren Buffett to provide $5 million to support small business owners in a variety of ways. Of that amount, $3 million will go to increasing opportunities for financial capital, while $2 million will be earmarked for education and training. The advisory council for the 10,000 Small Businesses initiative will be co-chaired by Buffett, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein and Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter.

This video explains how Metropolitan Community College is partnering with local businesses to help fill the job vacancies.

Overcoming Obstacles

According to the Goldman Sachs website, Goldman Sachs is partnering with Warren Buffett, the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City and Community College Associations to provide for three factors that have been identified as the primary barriers to the growth of small business in the United States:

• Access to Financial Capital – Goldman Sachs will invest $300 million in a combination of lending and donations to Community

A pilot program that is set to debut in eight states will allow students to graduate high school as early as the end of 10^th grade if they pass certain exams and demonstrate subject mastery. Upon “graduation,” these students will enroll in community colleges.

About the New Program

The New York Times reports that the new program will allow 10^th graders who pass “board exams” in math, English, history, and science to graduate two years early and begin taking courses at a community college if they so choose.

Those students who pass the exams but want to attend a selective four-year college or university may choose to continue taking high school courses during their 11^th and 12th-grade years. Those students who do not pass the tests in 10^th grade will have the opportunity to take the exams again at the end of their 11^th and 12th-grade years.

The Program’s Goals

Reduce the Need for Remedial Coursework in College

One of the program’s goals is to reduce the number of students who enter community colleges and four-year universities unprepared for college-level work. The New York Times reports that “more than a million college freshmen require remedial coursework each year nationwide.”

The National Center on Education and the Economy, which organizes the program, says that students requiring remedial coursework are more likely to drop out before earning a degree, as Rhode Island’s Providence Journal reports.

In the last decade, community colleges have certainly overcome its wrongful stereotype as “13^th grade,” providing invaluable education and training to millions of successful graduates. However, with 20% to 60% of today’s community college students needing remedial coursework, could the stereotype be reinforced once again?

The Problem

Shocking numbers of community college students need remedial coursework

According to Michigan’s Detroit Free Press, experts estimate that about 20% of students at four-year colleges and universities across the nation need remedial coursework of some kind. But at community colleges, “it has been estimated that 60% of first-time students need at least one remedial course.”

This video reports on Black and LatinX students being placed in remedial courses that waste their time/

Remedial coursework is costly for states and for students

The education research and advocacy group Alliance for Education estimated in 2006 that remedial education at community colleges and four-year universities costs taxpayers and students $1.4 billion per year.

Detroit Free Press reports that in the state of Michigan alone, more than $28 million is spent each year on remediation courses at just the community college level.

Students who require remedial coursework more likely to drop out

The Alliance for Education also estimated that the United States economy loses more than $2.3 billion every year due to the higher college dropout rate of students who require remedial reading