Board Approves
Cooperative Alliance Pilot Project
The Oklahoma State Board of Career and Technology Education on
Thursday approved a new pilot project that will create a more student-centered
collaboration between the technology centers and higher education
institutions.
This follows similar approval in March by the Oklahoma State Regents
for Higher Education.
This model, called cooperative alliances, creates voluntary partnerships
between a higher education institution and a technology center that
align academic, business and administrative practices for postsecondary
educational purposes. Partners create a relationship and develop
a business plan with operational procedures.
“This initiative supports not only our CareerTech mission, but the Governor’s
economic and workforce efforts, which place a high priority on supporting
a highly educated workforce,” said Phil Berkenbile, director
of the State Department of Career and Technology Education.
“We began working with the state regents’ staff last spring to
use the resources of CareerTech and higher education in ways that
will efficiently and effectively strengthen both while improving services
and opportunities for students,” he said.
“The Cooperative Alliance model has been designed with the student in
mind,” said Paul Risser, chancellor of the Oklahoma State System
of Higher Education. “This new model provides more opportunities
for success in achieving degrees.”
Approved sites for this pilot project are Francis Tuttle Technology
Center and Oklahoma City Community College, Southwest Technology
Center and Western Oklahoma State College, and Autry Technology Center
and
Northern Oklahoma College.
Since 1988 colleges have been awarding college credit to technology
center students through cooperative agreements. The primary purpose
of cooperative agreements is to expand student access to Oklahoma’s
educational opportunities, share resources to eliminate duplication,
and strengthen education and training programs that lead to employment
in occupational and technical fields.
Currently, 335 cooperative agreements involving 122 associate in
applied science (AAS) programs are offered through 18 colleges and
29 technology
centers in Oklahoma and two out-of-state technology centers.
The cooperative agreements tend to be institution-centered and based
on individual agreements between one higher education institution
and one technology center for one specific associate in applied science
program. There are limitations with the cooperative agreements. For
instance, college credit is not transferable.
The cooperative alliance model eliminates some limitations to better
serve more students. In the alliance model, high school students
immediately receive college credit rather than banking credit, and
technical courses
will transfer statewide. Students also will have more than three
years to claim college credit for courses.
Goals of this model are to increase the number of high school students
going to college, increase the number of adults continuing or beginning
college, expand access to college and efficiently use federal, state
and local resources.
“Using this new model, we hope to increase access to technical-level
college programs for more high school and adult students in Oklahoma,” said
Berkenbile.
posted May
2, 2005
