UConn joins free online program
High school students in disadvantaged schools are eligible
Starting this spring, disadvantaged high school students across the country will be able to take online UConn courses for free through the National Education Equity Lab and earn class credit, the university announced Monday.
The National Education Equity Lab, a nonprofit based in NewYorkCity, launched a pilot program in September at more than 60 high schools in 14 cities across the U.S., with almost 1,000 students participating — including some from Meriden. Through the program, classes are taught online by college professors through an asynchronous format. University teaching assistants help provide real-time support for students, while local teachers meet with students to lead discussions and track their progress.
Alexandra Slack, the lab’s chief of staff, said the goal of the program is to “democratize access to higher education.”
“We connect high quality college courses from institutions like UConn to historically under-resourced high schools serving students who do not typically have access to these opportunities,” she said, in a written statement.
Inanefforttopromotecollege readiness among students of color and low-income students, the lab selects and supports participating school districts, as well as university partners. Besides UConn, Yale University, HowardUniversity, Cornell University, Harvard University and Arizona State University have already provided, or have committed to providing, at least one online college credit-bearing course in teacher-led high school classrooms during the 2020-2021 school year, according to the lab.
During the spring semester, UConn is expected to partner with Yale to offer “The Science of Happiness,” a course taught by Yale psychology professor Laurie Santos. Santos is known for leading Yale’s most popular course, “The Science of Well-Being.” High school students whocompletetheclass will earn UConncredit through the school’s Early College Experience program. In the fall 2021 semester, classes taught by UConn faculty will be added to the program. The details of those classes are still to bedetermined, the university said.
Peter Diplock, associate vice provost of UConn’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, called the partnership “a great opportunity for us to build relationships with potential UConn students.”
“It will help us advance our goals of attracting a more diverse student body from different geographic regions,” Diplock said in a written statement. “Access to these courses canbeatransformative moment for these students.”