More high school students than ever are signing up for Pensacola Christian College’s Online Dual Enrollment program. In the last year, program registration increased by nearly 100%. Dual enrollment enables students to earn high school and college credit simultaneously, preparing them to easily acclimate to higher education.
Preparing for College
PCC’s dual enrollment program prepares students for higher education by letting them ease into college-level coursework, taking one or two courses at a time. This incremental adjustment to new academic expectations helps make the transition to college easier. Chair of liberal arts Dr. Lauren McIntyre, who oversees several dual enrollment courses, believes the program helps students lay an academic foundation for college because these courses “allow students to become acquainted with [learning] on the collegiate level.”
“Dual enrollment [helped] me develop self-discipline, good study habits, and effective time management.”
For Leanora Parish (Sr., GA), dual enrollment provided invaluable preparation for higher education, helping her to thrive in college. “Dual enrollment [helped] me develop self-discipline, good study habits, and effective time management,” Leanora explained. “Dual enrollment increased my confidence in myself academically. I realized that I was very capable of handling college coursework and managing my own schedule.”
With dual enrollment, many high schoolers can complete prerequisites for courses in their future majors. A junior at PCC, Gavin Adkins (MA) chose dual enrollment so he could prioritize higher-level courses at college. He said, “I had fewer credits to take my freshman year and was able to focus on my engineering classes.” Gavin added, “I recently switched my major. Because of the credits I earned from the dual enrollment classes, I am still able to graduate on time.”
Through dual enrollment, students can prepare for their respective majors. For pre-law student Gideon Lyons (So., SC), dual enrollment helped him to improve his writing skills as he prepares for legal work. He said, “By making available harder core classes like History of Civilization and English Grammar and Composition II, dual enrollment [eased] me into the challenging classes of college.”
Outstanding Online Instruction
PCC’s dual enrollment offers convenient online instruction without sacrificing the great quality of in-person classes. While benefiting from the flexibility of virtual learning, students also learn to use essential software that is employed at most colleges. For Gideon, using these online tools helped him acclimate to higher education. “[Talking] with teachers via email and Canvas taught me how to professionally communicate,” he shared.
“I would like to say how good the teachers were. They provided clear feedback and were extremely involved with online students.”
Dual-enrolled students receive the same level of academic support as on-campus college students. Dr. McIntyre said, “The support we provide for each student is very thorough.” They receive instruction from PCC’s experienced faculty, tutoring through PCC Care, and access to online resources and research assistance from the Rebekah Horton Library.
While learning virtually, Gideon appreciated his instructors. He shared, “I would like to say how good the teachers were. They provided clear feedback and were extremely involved with online students.”
Through dual enrollment, students get a real college experience without needing to set foot on campus. Alumnus Kristopher Marion (Youth Ministries ’94, M.S. Educational Administration ’96) described his daughter Sydney’s (Jr., FL) preparation through dual enrollment. Sydney was thankful that the courses showed her what to expect from a college class. Kristopher said, “I want other parents to realize these are college-level classes. The pace is faster than the pace at which high school material is covered.” He added, “I appreciate the head start dual enrollment gave her.”
Do More with Dual Enrollment
College students who complete dual enrollment have more time to invest in other courses and extracurricular activities. Leanora said, “Dual enrollment was an experience that I would highly recommend to anyone.” She explained, “I saw it as a way to save time and money. Earning so many credits in advance allowed me to get involved in on-campus activities, internships, and other opportunities.”
Dr. McIntyre shared ways PCC’s online program gives college undergraduates flexibility. “If [students can] take a lighter credit load in a semester, they can participate in humanitarian efforts, work more, and, of course, participate in PCC’s thriving community.”
“Dual enrollment was an experience that I would highly recommend to anyone.”
Dual enrollment at PCC is ideal for high schoolers who want to invest in their education with online convenience and at an affordable price. Instead of taking four years to finish a college degree, students like Sarah Epps (Jr., AL) are equipped to start their careers early or begin graduate school. Sarah said, “I chose dual enrollment because I wanted to get as much of my college career completed in high school as possible. My favorite benefit of dual enrollment is that I am able to graduate a whole year early!”