High-School Students Studying for a University Degree in Computer Science

ABSTRACT The Open University of Israel (OUI) is an accredited distance learning institution that offers university courses to high-school students so they may begin their studies towards a Bachelor's degree in parallel to their high-school studies. Hundreds of high-school students have studied at the OUI in recent years. The purpose of our research is to evaluate how well outstanding high-school students cope with university Computer Science studies while in high school. We present some statistics regarding their success, the number of credits earned by the end of high school, the percentage of female students in the program and the students' perseverance in the program. 1. INTRODUCTION The Open University of Israel is an institution of higher learning based on distance learning with an open admission policy. The OUI offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate programs, a detailed description can be found in the OUI Website [6]. The OUI is similar to other universities in its pursuit of excellence and its commitment to superior scientific and scholastic standards. It is an accredited university regulated by the Council of Higher Learning of the state of Israel. The OUI differs in that it is open to all those who wish to study towards a Bachelor's degree. Though applicants are not required to provide proof of prior scholastic achievements, their academic achievements are the key to their success. Students who study at the OUI can transfer these credits to other major universities in the country. The Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) supports and promotes the teaching of Computer Science at the high-school level [5, 8, 9] in order to prepare the students for further studies in Computer Science. We also offer a special program for academically committed high-school students enabling them to enroll in university courses and to begin their studies towards a Bachelor's degree in parallel to their high-school studies. Distance learning and self-study practiced at the OUI is especially suited to high-school students who can pursue university studies without leaving their home environment. Studies at the OUI are only suitable for highly motivated students who are prepared to invest significant time in tiieir academic studies and to contend with the difficulties of the self-study method. High-school students can start the program any time between the ages of 14 and 18. They may select any of the undergraduate programs, although most of them tend to select one of the Computer Science programs, or a double major in Computer Science and Mathematics. [6] 2. UNIVERSITY STUDIES WHILE IN HIGH SCHOOL 2.1 The Program Before registration, students receive counseling from academic advisers in order to consider their willingness and ability to cope with the heavier burden created by combining high school and university studies and the extent to which it may be detrimental to their high-school studies and grades. High-school students are required to present their report card along with a recommendation from their high school stating that they are capable of combining advanced academic studies with high school. In the first semester of their studies the students are advised to take only one course and in following semesters they are advised to determine the pace of their studies on the basis of experience in previous semesters, the demands of their high-school studies, tiieir expected free time, and their grades in previous courses. It is important to note that enrolled high-school students are not treated differently from other OUI students - they must meet the same requirements. However, these HighSchool/University students also acquire self-study skills and learn to organize their time efficiently. Students are also made aware that they may fail courses, but that course failure does not necessarily indicate inability to contend with university level studies. Usually, it only means that the student is not suited for university studies at the present time. …