EUGENE, Ore. — Each year students from around the area come to Lane Community College through the Adult Basic Secondary Education (ABSE) Department for help preparing them for the GED® examinations and the rigors of college. Now, through a combination of community partners and grant funding, tuition and fees for these ABSE classes are waived, and only require a $27 transportation fee each term. There are not even books to buy, as the program uses open educational resources or OER that allows the student to access or download the texts for free.
“Education is a key to increased earnings and better health and it all starts with finishing a high school credential,” said Lane Community College Division Dean Anna Gates Tapia. “There are many reasons people don’t graduate, but we want to ensure people continue to have that opportunity.”
Classes are offered at both the main campus of Lane Community College and the Mary Spilde Center in downtown Eugene. Available in both English and Spanish, the classes are categorized by language or math development and focus on the four major areas of the GED examinations and college preparation, including Math, Science, Social Studies, and Reasoning Through Language Arts. Classes are offered during the morning, afternoon and evening in a variety of formats that include hybrid Zoom, hybrid in-person and a combination of in-person/live stream.
All instructors have obtained a master's degree and are highly skilled and experienced in working with non-traditional adult learners. The range of instruction is from literacy development through college-prep. The College offers similar opportunities for English language learners.
For those with a GED or high school diploma who might want a refresher or skill building opportunity, the ABSE at LCC also offers college preparatory classes. These classes are designed to prepare learners who need to build or brush up on college readiness skills for post-secondary education, including math, reading, writing, and student success principles. In addition to the waived fee this can be a cost savings for those who can take tuition free courses as an alternative to developmental education courses. Doing so allows students to reserve their financial aid dollars for the required courses in their programs.
“Students can expect a highly supportive environment where instructors and staff meet students where they are to assist them in realizing their goals,” said Gates Tapia. “Typically students enroll in up to 10 hours of instruction, with minimal additional homework. We understand that our students have many responsibilities in addition to improving their lives through education and work with students as individuals to create plans that work for them.”
Lane Community College educates over 25,000 students annually at six locations across Lane County and online. Students and alumni from all 50 states and 79 countries create more than an $850 million dollar impact on the local economy, helping to support more than 13,000 local jobs. Lane provides affordable, quality, professional technical and college transfer programs; business development and employee training; academic, language and life skills development; and lifelong personal development and enrichment courses.