By a vote of its systemwide Assembly of the Academic Senate yesterday (May 23), the University of California faculty gave strong support to a "Dual Admissions" proposal that would provide eligible high school students with simultaneous admission offers to UC and a California community college.
The program, proposed by UC President Richard C. Atkinson in September 2000, would grant UC admission to students in the top 4 percent to 12.5 percent of their high school's graduating class, provided they satisfactorily complete a transfer program at a community college. The Dual Admissions Program would create a new path for students to enter UC, in addition to graduating in the top 12.5 percent statewide or the top 4 percent of their high school. --University of California Office of the President

The Dual Admissions Program is projected to generate between 1500 and 3000 participants from ten to twelve thousand eligible students. ( See Questions & Answers about Dual Admissions. ) The current thinking seems to be that these students will enroll in their local Community College and in a UC of their choice. Both institutions will provide them with special orientation and advisement--but no special curriculum. DAP students will enroll in the transfer GE courses and lower-division Major courses just like other transfer students. They will become, for the most part, regular Community College students--a few students here and there in the 107 Community Colleges. They will have no special academic Identity as DAP students.

A solution to the problem of DAP identity is to create a Completely Online General Education Transfer Core program which would be offered to all DAP students in the State. DAP students could take their GE Transfer courses online and their lower-division Major courses at appropriate local Community Colleges.

The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) is already entirely online. See: Online IGETC: The GE Fast Track. DAP could recruit some of the best Community College Online instructors to teach special sections of IGETC. The students could take their GE courses online or mix them with traditional GE courses from their local Community Colleges.

Benefits of DAP Online IGETC

• DAP Online IGETC will create a unique DAP academic identity. Studying together in special Online GE courses will create active learning communities. By means of the powerful Internet communication tools, students will interact with and learn from their peers throughout the State.

• Restricted sections of Online GE can be taught at a higher level than regular College GE courses and thus do a better job of preparing the DAP students for successful transfer.

• DAP Online IGETC can draw on the best Online faculty in the State to teach in an academically rigorous program.

Online Advisement, Tutoring and Community-Building

• DAP can also tap the power of the Internet to provide Online advisement to Program students. A central DAP Website can provide easy access to UC and CC Advisors through Email, Web-based Discussion Forums and Real-Time Advisement.

• Foothill Community College has an exemplary program of Online Advisement, which can easily be adapted for DAP.

• In addition, the DAP Website can offer students Online study-groups, support groups and tutoring.

Online Basic Skills Assessment and Courses

• Confronting the issue of Basic Skills is absolutely critical to DAP student success. Many DAP students will need courses in Basic mathematics and writiing. ( The Office of the Legislative Analyst has recently done a thorough study of the basic skills levels of high school graduates: Academic Preparation For Higher Education. )

• DAP students can get their basic mathematics and writing skills assessed Online.

• DAP students can enroll in current Community College Online Basic Mathematics and Writing courses.

• The Program can offer special sections of Online Basic Mathematics and Writing, drawing on the State's best Online Basic Skills faculty.

Dr. John Hartzog
June 2001