Learning Opportunities for High School Students

High school students seeking an early start toward earning college credit can participate in dual enrollment opportunities, which include dual credit and college credit-only courses.  Dual enrollment courses are provided at a reduced cost for tuition and fees.  Earned credit may be transferable to other colleges and universities. 

Dual Credit Courses

Helena College provides dual credit courses for high school students through agreements across the region with the following high schools: Broadwater High School, Capital High School, Drummond School, St. Andrew, Helena High School, Montana Digital Academy, Jefferson High School, Manhattan High School, Manhattan Christian, Seeley Swan High School, Sentinel High School, Sweet Grass County High School, East Helena High School, and Project for Alternative Learning. Earned credits are accepted by the high school and Helena College. Course availability varies by high school location.

College Credit Only

The College Credit Only Program allows area high school students the opportunity to experience the college environment by taking classes at Helena College. Eligible students can start working on a degree or certificate program offered by the College or earn transferable credits towards a four-year degree from the Montana University System.

All students interested in dual enrollment will need to meet the following requirements:

• Students must satisfy any course prerequisites or placement requirements.
• Students must be 16 years of age, in their junior or senior year, and must provide proof of high school enrollment or participation in a home school program.
• Students must submit a Dual Enrollment Application and Registration Form.

Students interested in dual enrollment opportunities should contact a dual enrollment advisor: dualenrollment@helenacollege.edu.

Adult Education

Helena Adult Learning Center

Services include:

• Create Career or College Pathway Plan
• Preparation for Higher Education, including trade programs, certification, and 2 year or 4 year institutions.
• Increase skills required for employment
• Build Literacy and Math Proficiency
• Preparation for HiSET

Orientation, advising, and minimum-hours of attendance are considered part of a student’s obligation for accessing the FREE services provided by the Adult Learning Center. Class sessions are offered every six weeks.

Focuses on preparing students for employment and or college readiness. This includes preparation for the HiSET (High School Equivalency Test).

HiSET Testing Center

Provides the students the opportunity to take the HiSET Exam (high school equivalency test) without accessing other services offered through the Adult Learning Center.

For more information, contact:

Adult Education
Helena College
1115 North Roberts St. Room 119
Helena, MT 59601
Phone: 406-447-6387
Quick Text:  406-686-2021

Community Education

Workforce, Professional Development, and Lifelong Learning

Helena College community education extends the resources of the College by providing a wide range of high-quality non-credit training and educational opportunities, developed and delivered in response to the community – for individuals, businesses, and families.

Enrichment programs allow individuals to pursue quality education and explore interests through an ever-changing array of short courses in:

• Painting, drawing, and foreign languages
• Digital photography, welding, and sewing
• Personal finance  and retirement planning
• Professional development and career training courses and more

Our non-credit professional certificate programs and professional development courses are designed to help each individual reach their full potential, whether new to the workforce, enhancing a current career, or working to meet licensure/certification requirements. Courses are designed to meet industry standards and may finish with actual testing for state and national certifications. A wide array of our career training certificate courses are offered online while courses such as our Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Training, Certified Clinical Medical Assistant, Fiber Optics Technician, and Fire Fighter 1 Academy are offered in a traditional classroom setting.

Classes are offered on an ongoing and continuous basis. They range in length from one hour to 30+ hours in duration and may be eligible for college credit or continuing education units. Our courses are affordable and convenient for your lifestyle. We offer evening, weekend, and online courses to meet the needs of working professionals and families. For a listing of our current course offerings, view our website.

To register for classes, please use our convenient online registration or call 406-447-6946.

Office of eLearning & Faculty Development

The eLearning and Faculty Development department is dedicated to supporting faculty, contributing to teaching excellence, and enhancing student success through: professional development, exemplary instructional design, effective application and integration of instructional technologies, interactive digital media development, administration and enhancement of the college’s learning management system (currently Canvas), and the deployment of innovative emerging technologies. In addition, it expands and complements the programs at Helena College by offering a variety of online and hybrid learning experiences for our diverse student community.

As a student taking an online or hybrid course, you will be able to access your online course content through the Canvas course portal available from the Helena College website. Canvas is our online learning management system.

To locate your class in Canvas. Choose “Portals” (top right), then “Student Portal”:

• Select the Canvas icon.
• Select ‘NetID Login’.
• Enter your NetID and Password.

For Canvas Assistance, support is available! Select the "Help" button on the left-side of the Global Navigation menu. Then, select "Chat with Canvas Support".

You may also contact Canvas Instructure by emailing  info@instructure.com (for general inquiries) or calling (844) 612-7426 (Canvas Support Hotline).

For other eLearning Assistance, please contact eLearning@HelenaCollege.edu

Delivery methods using Canvas include the following as outlined in BOR Policy 303.7.2 

Program Modality Definitions 

• Face-to-Face (F2F) Program: Any academic degree or certificate in which students are required to meet with the instructor at regularly scheduled times and in specified physical locations. Instruction is delivered in person synchronously and may incorporate online technology, content and requirements outside of the physical classroom. 
• Fully Online Program: Any academic degree or certificate program in which all of the required instruction can be completed asynchronous online delivery via the campus's Learning Management System (LMS).
• Remote Program: Any academic degree or certificate program in which all of the instruction can be delivered via synchronous video conferencing delivery or a combination of both synchronous video conferencing and asynchronous online delivery. 
• Online with Limited On-site Program:  Any academic degree or certificate program in which 80% or more of the required instruction (but not all) can be completed via online and/or video conferencing delivery. Instruction not provided via online and/or video conferencing must require only concentrated, short-term, on-site experiences and/or internship, clinical, or practicum experiences that may be completed near a student's location. 

Course Modality Definitions

• Face-to-Face (F2F) delivery is a course designed for fully in-person synchronous attendance, with at least 80% (or more) of the scheduled course time occurring within the physical classroom. Coursework and resources may also be completed/available via the campus' LMS. 
• Online delivery requires that 100% of the course is offered completely synchronously online, with no face-to-face interaction between instructors and students required. 
• Synchronous Remote delivery is a course section offered through scheduled (synchronous) video conferencing. A course delivered through synchronous remote delivery may have a F2F classroom location where students may choose to attend. 
• Blended delivery is a course delivered partially online in an asynchronous format and partially through face-to-face (F2F) interaction, typically in the classroom. Both online and F2F interactions are required for the course, with 20-80% of the course's instruction offered online. This delivery is characterized by the expectation of reduced F2F class meeting time when compared to the equivalent credit classroom course. 
• Limited On-Site delivery is a course in which 80% or more of the required instruction (but not all) can be completed via online delivery. Instruction not provided through online delivery must require only concentrated, short-term, on-site experiences and/or internship, clinical, or practicum experiences that may be completed near a student's location. 
• Hybrid-Flexible or 'Hyflex' delivery is a course where students may choose to attend either in an assigned F2F environment or in an asynchronous online environment (remote synchronous may also be available). In-class meetings will be regularly scheduled, with a minimum of 50% of the weekly contact hours required for a face-to-face course. 

If you need any assistance with eLearning & Faculty Development, please contact:

The Office of eLearning & Faculty Development
elearning@helenacollege.edu
406-447-6364