Skip to Main Content
Menu
Roane State Community CollegeRoane State Community College

Roane State Community College

Dual Studies
  1. RSCC HomeRSCC Home
  2. Academics
  3. Dual Studies
Move Forward. Don't delay your future! Apply now! Register for online or traditional classes.Move Forward. Don't delay your future! Apply now!. Register for online or traditional classes.
Tennessee Reconnect and Promise. Graduating high school seniors can attend tuition-free. Free tuition for adults.Tennessee Reconnect and Promise. Graduating high school seniors can attend tuition-free. Free tuition for adults.
Online degrees available. Choose from seven completely online programs.Online degrees available. Choose from seven completely online programs.

How to Become a Dual Enrollment Faculty

Teaching dual studies courses can be rewarding and challenging. Knowing that you enhance the educational experience of students by introducing college-level coursework and facilitate the educational process by allowing students to graduate from high school with successfully completed college credits is a reward in itself. Also, knowing that you make it possible for high school students and their parents to utilize state funds to begin postsecondary coursework when the student may not consider college as a financial possibility brings satisfaction to life-long learning advocates.

Definitions

The dual studies program includes dual enrollment and dual credit courses. Both dual enrollment and dual credit allow students to receive college and high school credit for the same course.

The state P-16 Council recognizes dual enrollment as “a postsecondary course, taught either at the postsecondary institution or at the high school, by the postsecondary faculty (may be credentialed adjunct faculty), which upon successful completion of the course allows students to earn postsecondary and secondary credit concurrently. The student must meet dual enrollment eligibility under the TBR and UT policies.” The definition adopted by the council was based on legislation documented in PC 459.

The official definition for dual credit reads “a postsecondary course or a high school course aligned to a postsecondary course that is taught at the high school by high school faculty for high school credit. Students are able to receive postsecondary credit by successfully completing the course, plus passing the assessment developed and/or recognized by the granting postsecondary institution. The institution will grant the credit upon enrollment of the student.”

Dual Enrollment

State definitions indicate that instructors for dual enrollment courses are postsecondary faculty or adjunct faculty. Sometimes the adjunct may also be an employee of the secondary system. All adjunct faculty must meet qualifications of the college. Dual enrollment courses may be taught at a college campus, a high school facility or via distance learning.

Roane State full-time faculty and adjuncts hired to teach dual enrollment follow the Roane State calendar, based on contract agreements. High school teachers who meet the credentials required of college faculty may also teach dual enrollment courses. They are under contract with the secondary school system and follow the LEA calendar year. If qualified high school faculty teach outside of the regular school day or are released from the school system by written agreement to teach during the planning period, the teacher will be hired by RSCC under an adjunct contract. The pay scale for adjunct faculty may be viewed in the RSCC Adjunct Handbook. High school faculty who teach dual enrollment courses during the regular school day may not receive compensation from the college since they are already under contract with the LEA for that time. Exceptions may be made upon requests by the director of schools.

College credit is awarded to students upon successful completion of the dual enrollment course and high school credit may also be awarded. Faculty who teach dual enrollment award letter grades to students based on completion of course requirements. Credits from dual enrollment are typically transferable to other institutions. Instructors may advise students to inquire about course transferability by contacting the institution to which one plans to transfer or by contacting the RSCC Advising Resource Center at (865) 882-4597 or advising@roanestate.edu.

Dual Credit

A dual credit course is taught by high school faculty under contract with the LEA. Courses are offered at the high school or another LEA facility. College faculty cannot by definition teach a dual credit course.

Students gain college credit through successful completion of a course plus satisfying an assessment (end-of-course exam) required by the college institution. A course description is distributed to the high school teacher prior to the course to identify expected competencies assessed upon course completion. Contact the dual studies office to receive copies of the course competencies or to ask questions about course requirements.

Credit by assessment is awarded by a pass/fail grade and is less likely to be transferable to other institutions than credit awarded by letter grade, though the state is conducting some pilot programs in an attempt to facilitate the transferability of dual credit. Students taking dual credit do not apply for admission to the college nor do they pay tuition. There is an assessment fee required of $25 to be paid at the time of testing. Credit is awarded to the student upon successful completion of the assessment and held in escrow until the time the student applies for college admission.

Advanced Placement

Advanced Placement (AP) courses cover an advanced curriculum taught by the high school instructor. To receive college credit, students must successfully complete the course and then take the National Advanced Placement Exam, which is given each May. While AP credit is accepted by most colleges and universities, students must score a minimum of 3, and in many cases 4 or 5 (out of a possible 5), on the exam to receive the credit. According to state officials, AP courses are not defined as dual credit.

 


Teacher Qualifications

Roane State is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). In order to teach courses that will transfer to other institutions, i.e., courses required for A.A. and A.S. degrees, faculty must meet SACSCOC requirements, which includes a master’s degree in the field in which one is teaching. Roane State full-time and adjunct faculty members must meet this requirement.

High school teachers who have a master’s degree and 18 graduate hours in an academic field in which they teach must submit a transcript to the dean of the appropriate academic area of the college for review in order to teach dual studies courses. If the dean approves the coursework based on SACSCOC requirements, an official transcript must be requested from the degree awarding institution and be on file in Human Resources before faculty can be employed by RSCC. Please request that official transcripts be sent to the Office of Human Resources, Roane State Community College, 276 Patton Lane, Harriman, TN 37748. Contact Human Resources at (865) 882-4679 for additional information.

Courses taught solely for A.A.S. degrees and certificate programs may have slightly different requirements of faculty than those for A.A. and A.S. degree courses, based on various accrediting agency requirements. A list of the accrediting agencies for the A.A.S. degree programs may be found at the following Web address: http://www.roanestate.edu/catalog/?id=68. Some examples follow:

Allied Health Sciences Division

To teach EMT-Paramedic courses, the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the EMS Professions (CoAEMSP) and Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) require the following of faculty:

Standards and Guidelines III.B.

3. Faculty

a. Responsibilities
In each location where students are assigned for didactic or clinical instruction or supervised practice, there shall be instructional faculty designated to coordinate supervision and provide frequent assessments of the students’ progress in achieving acceptable program requirements.

b. Qualifications
The faculty must be knowledgeable in course content and effective in teaching their assigned subjects, and capable through academic preparation, training and experience to teach the courses or topics to which they are assigned.

For most programs, there should be a faculty member to assist in teaching and/or clinical coordination in addition to the program director. The faculty member should be certified by a nationally recognized certifying organization at an equal or higher level of professional training than the Emergency Medical Services Profession(s) for which training is being offered.
Additional information is available on the Web site at http://www.coaemsp.org/Standards.htm. Contact Health Sciences at (865) 882-4594 regarding this program or other allied health sciences guidelines.

Business Division

Instructors for business courses must follow guidelines established by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), which follow:
Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) Faculty Qualifications
Standard: All class sections taught within the Business unit must be taught by professional, qualified faculty; a professionally qualified faculty member is one who:

  1. Possesses an earned Master’s or higher in the field.
  2. Possesses a related out-of-field Master’s with documented 18 semester/27 quarter credit hours or equivalent of courses in the field beyond the introductory principle(s) level (“sufficient subject matter coursework”).
  3. Possesses a Bachelor’s in field with documentation in two or more areas of:
      1. Professional certification (national, regional, or state – institution must provide documentation to validate the certification);
      2. In-field professional employment (institution must provide a minimum of two years of documented experience from employer(s));
      3. Teaching excellence (institution must provide documentation describing how excellence was determined);
      4. Research and publication (institution must provide documentation);
      5. Documented relevant additional coursework beyond Bachelor’s degree equivalent to 18 semester hours or equivalent subject matter coursework, CEUs, military, vendor training, etc.

For additional information about business faculty guidelines, contact Gloria Drake at (865) 354-3000 ext.4332.

Criminal Justice

Instructors for criminal justice courses must submit a transcript for a master’s degree plus 18 graduate hours in a qualifying field; the fields being criminal justice, law, criminology, or J.D. (juris doctor). For additional information about the Criminal Justice program, contact Elizabeth Lewis in the Social Sciences, Business and Education Division at (865) 354-3000 ext. 4492.

Early Childhood Education

Instructors for ECED courses must submit a transcript for a master’s degree indicating 18 graduate hours in a qualifying field; the fields being early childhood education, child & family dynamics, or education. For information about the early childhood education program, contact Saundra Stiles at (865) 481-2034.

In summary, faculty qualifications are governed by accrediting boards of RSCC degree/certificate programs. College transcripts are reviewed by division deans to determine teaching eligibility of Roane State courses. New faculty should submit a current transcript to the appropriate dean when interested in applying to teach a class. Again, an official transcript must be filed in the Office of Human Resources if/when hired to teach courses.

Connect with us

Twitter / XFacebookInstagramThreadsYoutube
© Roane State Community College

Roane State Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, ethnicity or national origin, sex, disability, age, status as protected veteran or any other class protected by Federal or State laws and regulation and by Tennessee board of Regents policies with respect to employment, programs, and activities.​​​​​​​ View full non-discrimination policy.

Tennessee's Community Colleges

Report Fraud, Waste and Abuse

Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998