Advanced Placement Teachers Learn at Honors College Summer Institute

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas Honors College is hosting approximately 300 teachers and consultants from the state and region for the university's 10th annual College Board approved Advanced Placement Summer Institute. The institute runs from Monday, July 7, through Friday, July 11, and provides training for Advanced Placement teachers, who will receive more than 30 hours of instruction. The intensive program features 14 "super teachers,” trained by the College Board, who instruct teachers on ways to help students get the most from their high school Advanced Placement courses. These instructors work with University of Arkansas faculty and graduate assistants to provide teachers with strategies that help students succeed at the college level.

During the institute, teachers learn and share ways to engage students and create a stimulating classroom environment, with active participation and learning.

 University faculty members involved this year including professors Mack Ivey, biology; Bernard Madison, mathematics; Neil Allison and Bill Durham, chemistry; David Jolliffe, English; Jim Lampinen, statistics; Bill Schreckhise, U.S. government; and Patrick Williams, U.S. history. Faculty members provide guest lectures, assist with experiments and connect the teachers with other faculty. 

“The AP Summer Institute represents the kinds of partnerships the university continues to build with schools across the state,” said Suzanne McCray, interim dean of the Honors College and director of the program. “These teachers do an amazing job of preparing students for college; they are always eager to improve, and we want to help them any way we can.

“Each year, entering freshmen bring nearly 3,000 hours of AP credit to the university, allowing them to jump ahead, pursuing opportunities beyond the normal freshman core. These students are more likely to double major, study abroad and complete research projects. And the great benefit to the student is easy to track.”

Just a few examples of students who have made the most of their college experience with the help of AP credit include Caleb Stein, a recent Honors College graduate who earned a university record of 61 credit hours, making him a junior his first year on campus. He double majored in English and German with a minor in mathematics. As an undergraduate he received funding for study abroad and for undergraduate research. Just this month he received the nationally competitive Fulbright Scholarship and will spend next year in Germany.

David Deitz, who graduated summa cum laude in 2006, brought 58 hours of credit with him to campus, most of them honors hours. As a junior, he received the Barry Goldwater Scholarship for outstanding achievement in biochemistry and later the prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship, one of 42 in the country, for graduate study in the United Kingdom.

Anna Terry, Rhodes Scholar, 2001; Ben Hood, Marshall Scholar, 2005; Olivia Meeks, Truman Scholar, 2008; Rachel Thomas, Barry Goldwater Scholar, 2008; and Randy Carney, a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, 2008, are just a few of the many students who had AP credit when they entered the University of Arkansas.

Lance Owen, associate director of the AP Summer Institute, is also a university graduate who took multiple AP classes in high school. “I am a true believer in AP. Not only did I receive a year’s worth of course credit, but I was also well prepared for the transition from high school to college. The head start allowed me to spend a year abroad.” 

Owen was also a Gates Cambridge Scholar in 2005. “AP students are being prepared to succeed, not just at the college level, but well beyond,” he said. “AP teachers at the Summer Institute give students an invaluable head start.”