BOCES focusing on educational outreach

Community members learned more about online, dual and concurrent education options at the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce-sponsored Leaders Luncheon, held April 11 at the Platte Valley Community Center.

The luncheon was led by Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Stacy Crimmins.

Nancy Johnson, Director of Distance Education for Western Wyoming Community College (WWCC), spoke about the benefits of taking online dual and concurrent educational courses, and the work of the BOCES program.

BOCES stands for the Board of Cooperative Educational Services, and is a joint venture between WWCC, other state junior colleges and Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD#2), with a goal to support and develop beneficial programs throughout the district. Saratoga’s BOCES operates out of the CCSD#2’s central office, and its coordinator is Melissa Donough.

According to BOCES, the student goals of the program are to offer more concurrent and dual enrollment courses to high school students; provide students the opportunity to participate in cutting edge vocational classes; offer certificate training to students, such as welding or CNA training.

“Dual means it is a course that is a college course, but it’s taught by a college instructor,” Johnson said. “The students here at Saratoga can take an online course from a college instructor through WWCC, and receive high school credit and college credit. A concurrent course is a course being taught in the high school by an approved college instructor. For example, we have an instructor in Saratoga High School who teaches computer information systems as a concurrent course, so students can sign up for college credit. They can take it during their regular day and just follow the college curriculum.”

Adult learner goals of BOCES include offering GED and High School equivalency preparation; assisting adult learners in the community seeking higher education; creating a testing center; and offering technical training, such as computer courses or vocational certification.

“BOCES are really a group that ties the college, because they’re in the community college district, with the school district,” Johnson said. “They are actually funded between the college and the school district and the community. They help to bring courses and community events to your community.”

Because they are community based, Johnson said that each BOCES throughout the state is different. Community goals with BOCES include assessing the community and industry needs for training, such as OSHA and Safeland training; offering enrichment classes such as cooking, quilting or fly fishing; and offering summer camps and enrichment courses for younger students.

“They get to know what do you need in your community, and it’s a great program,” Johnson said. “For example, what Rawlins does is they tend to look at the older college age or higher education, whereas the Pinedale BOCES looks more at K-12. BOCES in Sweetwater County helps fund higher education through scholarships, but most of their course offerings they do community-wide is K through 12. Each one is different, and what they look at is ‘what does the community need?’”

Johnson added that Saratoga Middle/High School students are already taking a variety of online, dual and concurrent courses at the school through BOCES, in subjects such as psychology, sociology, English and math.

Donough said plans are being made to offer BOCES classes elsewhere and to different communities, which would include adults looking to further their education.

“The goal of BOCES is to offer dual and concurrent courses to the all the communities in the area, including Saratoga, Encampment, Hanna, Medicine Bow and Elk Mountain,” she said. “We want to reach all districts just so people don’t think we only focus on Saratoga. We also want to do community enrichment, and have instructors teach enrichment type courses like computer and art classes.”

Donough said CCSD#2 purchased a software program called “Blackboard Collaborate”, which is a platform that helps create online virtual classrooms for distance learning and education. Through Blackboard Collaborative, Donough said instructors can give real-time class lectures to people in different locations, who are watching and learning via the internet.

“We hope to reach all communities either in person or with Blackboard Collaborative,” she said. “It’s being set up as we speak, and we need to get personnel trained and instructors who are endorsed to teach college level classes. We want to expand to anybody, and we’re always looking at things the community would like to see. People can make suggestions, and they can just call or email me.”

To make course suggestions, contact Donough at 307-326-5271 ext. 113, or 307-321-6880.