Proactive Intensive
Dual Enrollment Instructor Qualification
Build a qualification process that works for both higher education and K-12.
A working session for university and K-12 leaders who need a clear, practical way to review and approve instructors for dual enrollment courses.
What we'll do together
Work through the qualification questions, test the standards against real situations, and build a process your team can use.
The work is shaped around your institution, your courses, and the decisions your university and K-12 partners need to make.
The Issue
Who is qualified to teach the college course?
That sounds like a simple question. It usually isn't.
A high school teacher may be an accomplished, experienced teacher and still not fit neatly into a university's usual faculty qualification process. The university still has to decide whether that teacher has the academic preparation, subject knowledge, and experience needed for the specific college course.
How do we build an instructor qualification process that protects university standards and recognizes the expertise and accomplishment of K-12 teachers?
What we'll work through
- Minimum requirements for consideration.
- How degrees, coursework, credentials, subject knowledge, teaching experience, advanced teaching, and professional expertise should be weighed.
- Keeping course approval and instructor approval separate.
- Using a rubric for consistency without replacing academic judgment.
- Who reviews, who decides, and what gets documented.
- Conditional approval, orientation, renewal, and course-specific approval.
Sample of the Work
Sample DE Instructor Qualification Rubric
A sample review tool. Final approval still requires course-specific academic judgment.
| Qualification Area | Criteria / Scoring | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Degree Preparation | 25Master's/doctorate in discipline or directly related field | 25 |
| 20Bachelor's in discipline + master's/doctorate in education/related field | ||
| 15Bachelor's in discipline | ||
| 10Degree in related academic field | ||
| 5Degree with limited relationship | ||
| College Coursework in the Discipline | 2030+ semester units | 20 |
| 1520-29 units | ||
| 1013-19 units | ||
| 56-11 units | ||
| 2Fewer than 6 units | ||
| Demonstrated Subject-Matter Competence | 15State-recognized pathway + appropriate state-recognized credential and appropriate authorization | 15 |
| 12Applicable subject-matter competency examination(s) | ||
| 10Appropriate subject authorization + documented academic preparation | ||
| 5Related authorization or other documented subject-matter preparation | ||
| 0No applicable evidence | ||
| Relevant Teaching Experience | 1510+ years | 15 |
| 126-9 years | ||
| 84-6 years | ||
| 43 years | ||
| 0Less than 3 years | ||
| Directly Aligned / Advanced Teaching Experience | 103+ years directly aligned AP/IB/honors/advanced course | 10 |
| 71-2 years directly aligned advanced course | ||
| 53+ years closely related advanced coursework | ||
| 2Other relevant teaching experience | ||
| 0No directly aligned experience | ||
| Additional Academic / Professional Expertise | 10Extensive directly relevant expertise | 10 |
| 7Substantial relevant expertise | ||
| 5Moderate relevant expertise | ||
| 2Limited relevant expertise | ||
| 0No additional expertise documented | ||
| Dual Enrollment / Advanced-Course Preparation | 5Dual enrollment preparation + advanced course preparation | 5 |
| 3AP/IB/dual enrollment/comparable advanced-course preparation | ||
| 0No documented preparation |
Qualification Determination
A total score alone is not sufficient. The review must also establish appropriate subject-matter preparation and fit with the specific college course.
The Intensive Experience
Focused work. Real decisions. Usable outcomes.
Focused Decision-Making
Half-Day Intensive
Best for teams that already have a basic dual enrollment model and need to settle instructor qualification standards and process.
- Clarify the qualification decisions
- Review and refine the rubric
- Discuss representative instructor profiles
- Identify next steps
Build + Apply
Full-Day Intensive
Adds time to apply the rubric, work through profiles, clarify roles and documentation, and build an implementation plan.
- All half-day work, plus deeper application
- Work through multiple instructor profiles
- Refine the rubric and review process
- Clarify roles and documentation
- Develop an implementation action plan
Who should be at the table?
A typical team may include academic affairs, faculty or department leadership, dual enrollment leadership, registrar or academic operations, district leadership, K-12 curriculum and instruction, and HR or credentialing staff.
By the end of the intensive, your team will have