The University Readiness Program (URP) is an innovative collaboration between Binghamton University鈥檚 liberal arts school, Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, and Chinese high schools. Its goal is to introduce high school students to American academic culture and provide a head start on university-level course work. Under the URP, students are given the opportunity to take university-level hybrid online courses taught by Binghamton faculty. Students are taught and graded under the same rigorous Binghamton standards and gain Binghamton transcript and college credit.
The URP focuses on the processes of critical thinking and communication. It helps prepare students to get ready for a university style of learning such as class participation, teamwork, and presentation. The Binghamton professor and teaching assistant of each course fly to China to meet the students at the beginning of the course. The professor then meets students twice a week in real time video conferencing while the teaching assistant remains in China to provide guidance to participating students throughout the semester.
The URP has been offering courses at Zhenjiang International School in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, and New Oriental Academy in Beijing.