Ohio University is offering online Advanced Placement courses to local high school students to give them the opportunity to compete with other high school students on a national level, and also recruit freshmen to the university.
Southern Local School District is the only school participating in this program. The goal is to offer the program to other schools in Southeast Ohio because there is a shortage of AP courses in this region, according to an OU Communications and Marketing press release.
The main challenge is that there are entire counties (in Southeast Ohio) without AP classes offered
said Bill Sams, chief information officer in the Office of the Provost. Students are handicapped compared to students in other regions and more suburban areas (that do offer AP courses).
Collaborating with Apex Learning, the online course provider responsible for the content of the courses, OU provided Southern Local School District with free administrative and technical support and a one-time start-up fee of $750, according to the press release. EdMap, a textbook provider in Nelsonville, will serve as a regional distributor.
The $750 is just pocket change for OU Sams said, adding that in the long run OU would break even in providing the service because the high schools eventually will pay for the programs through state funds.
Having OU involved in providing AP courses to local high school students is a way to improve freshmen recruiting because they recognize the program is offered through the university, Sams said, adding that it also fulfills a social responsibility.
By being part of this program, local schools have the opportunity to offer courses that they would not otherwise have the funds to support, said Scott Robison, information technology support specialist for the College of Education.
The program is aimed at providing students an opportunity that the district is too poor to offer them Robison said.
With this program, the school district does not have to hire a new teacher to teach the subject, he said. The teacher could be anywhere in the country, and students can contact him or her via e-mail or phone. It is not cost-effective for high schools to offer AP courses if only a few students want to take the class, which can deter the schools from offering these courses, Robison said.
It is common for students to move to different school districts for the purpose of being able to take AP courses
he said, adding that the online courses provide an opportunity for students to take AP courses in a cost-effective manner.
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Emily Tudor
