Donald Hiscock | Articles | The Guardian
We never close" is how Michael Gillespie could describe the college he works at in New York City. Classes run from seven in the morning until 11 at night, seven days a week, and the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) is typical of how American two-year colleges are attempting to meet the needs of students who work full-time to support their education.
The advent of foundation degrees in this country, encouraging those at work to turn vocational skills into higher-level qualifications, follows the situation across the pond, where the equivalent "associates degree" has been running for many years. Community colleges in the US are similar in terms of student intake and level of courses to FE colleges here.
Gillespie, dean of academic affairs at BMCC, sees community colleges as the institutions that have democratised education in America. The associates degree can lead on to a full degree from the City University of New York, to which all the community colleges in the city are affiliated.
"But our students often need a lot of support," says Gillespie. "The academic adviser has a crucial role to play in a student's success, particularly in a college with over 18,000 enrolled in classes."
It is the support network and flexibility of course delivery that colleges such as BMCC have built up over the years. It is one of six community colleges in New York providing post-high school education for a diverse population.
"We have what you might call a 'tutoring enterprise'," adds Gillespie. "It's probably our strongest asset."
BMCC runs a successful peer tutoring scheme. Students meet in small groups led by an A-grade student who would often be on a full degree course at one of the City University campuses.
But US higher education comes at a considerable cost. Grants are available to students from low-income families, but time commitment is the real barrier. At BMCC, alternative ways of delivering classes for student convenience is a priority.
Community colleges have been working on flexible learning for a long time - particularly important in rural areas where the distances to college can be challenging. At North Western Michigan College in Traverse City, the flexible learning options department provides students with non-traditional ways to earn credits, and many of them might never set foot inside the college.
"Several courses are offered in an open-entry, open-exit format. These courses are all modularised, with students determining through a learning contract their start and end date," says business lecturer Mary Ann Linsell.
North Western also "telecourses" some classes via a public TV channel.
Community colleges' strong links with state universities and the transferability of credits make them attractive for students. There is probably a higher status for vocational degrees in the US but there is still a stigma attached, admits Gillespie.
The City University of New York runs a "college now" programme that gives 11th-grade high school students the opportunity to take degree credits early at BMCC, at no cost. It is this kind of vertical integration that is now taking shape in this country with the Pathfinder 14-19 initiative.
The major difference is the availability of access to staff at all hours. Working late and over the weekends might send shivers down the spines of our FE lecturers, but Gillespie points out that even though all new teaching staff in his college are required to be available to work at any time, all contracts are union-negotiated. For some staff there is a considerable attraction to getting their teaching done over a weekend.
BMCC on a Saturday night, in downtown Manhattan in the trendy TriBeCa district, is buzzing. Popping in to class is part of the warm-up for an evening out. There can't be many places in Britain where larging it in a college classroom is a good start to a night's clubbing.
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