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By Amanda (Shine ’05) Zambrano

Ask anyone who has taken courses on campus at ����ɬ: a hallmark of the Houghton experience is the faculty who embody academic excellence with intentionally integrated faith, and who pair that excellence with a deep care and concern for the individual student. It might be challenging to imagine this distinctive Houghton feature applying to students who aren’t on campus. Faculty members at Houghton, however, approach online education—including Early College courses—with the same intentionality and academic integrity they bring to their physical classrooms.

The theme of intentionality rings throughout Houghton’s faculty as they discuss their approaches to Early College coursework. Dr. David Clem ’05 MM’07, Dean of the Greatbatch School of Music, said, “We [the faculty] are dedicated to a Christian worldview that permeates our syllabi. We take the same approach to Early College education and expectations—with a bit of extra patience and grace—as we do the courses we teach on campus. The faculty all feel strongly about maintaining the integrity of a Houghton education.”

One of the ways Houghton maintains this academic integrity is by offering Early College coursework taught by full-time professors, a distinctive from many other institutions that rely on part-time or adjunct instructors. For some Early College courses, high school students have the opportunity to interact with college students, discussing ideas and working off the same course expectations. There is no “free pass” for Early College students.

Professor of English, Dr. Jonathan Gates ’85, echoes Dr. Clem’s sentiments. “For many Early College students, this is their first college experience and an introduction to Houghton. I have the same teaching philosophy for my high school students as I do for my college students, although I approach my high school students with the understanding that they have a little less life experience. I want them to have a good experience with Houghton courses, but I also want them to have a true experience.”

Whether Dr. Clem is teaching Intro to Film Music or Dr. Gates is teaching Writing in the Liberal Arts, they both prioritize integrating a Christian worldview into their course content. This isn’t simply tacking on a devotional or prayer, or exclusively exploring Christian works—this integration of faith and learning helps students develop a Christ-centered framework for how they think about a topic and how they apply their learning. “We want to help students develop critical thinking skills on complex issues within the guides of a Christian worldview,” remarked Dr. Clem. “Early exposure to these concepts will help students in the future, whether insuring they’re prepared to attend Houghton or supporting their personal development if their educational futures take them elsewhere.”

Dr. Gates designs Writing in the Liberal Arts with intentional time for students to reflect on the interrelationship between “the character of The Word, words, and our own words,” then helps students to understand the direct relation of their reflections to their studies. “Students long to know writing matters to who they are and who they’re becoming,” said Dr. Gates. “This class is an opportunity to explore that.”

Dr. Gates dedicates hours to interacting with his Early College students through Zoom meetings, email and online chat-style platforms for course dialog. In these contexts, he writes to them extensively, modeling the types of thoughtful, well-constructed written responses he expects of his students. “I want students to grow in love and enjoyment of writing, while recognizing it is a difficult task.”

“This is a college course,” Dr. Gates stated quite plainly. “It’s the real deal. Some Early College students struggle because they’re not ready for college coursework, and we build in off-ramps for those students who are in over their heads. But when my students begin to view themselves as writers—that is, someone who writes regularly and well—it is truly rewarding. Seeing even my youngest students increase in confidence and competence, I know that their needs are being met.”

When Houghton’s distinctive qualities rely on personal relationships, it can be challenging to understand how online Early College classes can provide a “real” Houghton experience. “The delivery is different,” observed Dr. Clem, “but it is there. The care with which we structure our courses strives to maintain the relational, academically challenging, Christ-centered education for which Houghton is known.”

“Online coursework, including Early College coursework, exists and it isn’t going away,” remarked Dr. Clem. “If high school students don’t get Early College coursework from Houghton, they’ll get it somewhere else. Houghton has the opportunity to speak into the online educational arena with the same distinctives that it speaks into in-person education. A Houghton education is what it is for reasons that go back to our founding; those reasons are applicable in the online space and we have the ability to bring Houghton experiences to students who might otherwise not have that opportunity.”