BEACON FOUNDATIONS

Real-Time College Courses to Build Your College Future

Imagine being able to focus on college success without the added pressures of adjusting to learning, living and socializing on campus. Beacon Foundations is a great way to test drive, start or stay on track with your college plans.

Beacon Foundations is for high school graduates who: 

     Are interested in college, but not ready to enroll full-time
     Want to begin earning college credit, but aren’t ready to live on campus
     Have decided to delay on-campus enrollment due to housing limitations or waitlisting

Our goal is to get you ready for the next step on your academic journey — whether that’s joining our on-campus learning community at Beacon, enrolling at another college or university, or doing remote learning at an online university or program.

Now Enrolling for Fall 2023

Fall 2023: September 18 – December 15
Spring 2024: January 29 – April 26

How We Do It

100% LIVE — not self-paced — classes.

We know that self-paced asynchronous classes aren’t the best way for students who learn differently to learn. Online classes that lack interaction with your professors and peers (that
you can take whenever you feel like it) can be challenging and unsatisfying.

All Beacon Foundations classes are 100% live. These are engaging, small, online classes
taught in “real time” by Beacon College faculty who are skilled in online instruction.

Best of all, you have the opportunity to interact with fellow students and get essential feedback on your academic performance from your professors — as opposed to just sitting and watching prerecorded classes, then posting comments and waiting for feedback.

Our core courses are BUILDING BLOCKS for future college success.

Classes in Beacon Foundations feature the same basic coursework required of most first-year students — including composition, math and technology — plus several introductory electives. The credits you earn are transferable to most colleges and universities, wherever you choose to further your education. Each semester you can earn as few as 3 or as many as 12 college credits, depending on your readiness and goals.

SUPPORT is all around you.

In addition to your professors, you are supported by learning skills professionals and a counselor. They’ll help you evaluate your needs and guide you to select the best courses for your goals.

Live coaching gives you feedback and support to develop your executive function skills. You’ll also participate in weekly 1-to-1 meetings to review your progress and ensure you’re staying on track — or figure out how to get back on track.

You and your family also will work with a Beacon transition counselor who will help you plan for your next steps after completing the Beacon Foundations program.

(Click each block for more information.)
WEEKLY COACHING
Weekly 1-to-1 coaching sessions help you review your goals and refine your work plan.
OFFICE HOURS
You can meet with your professors during weekly virtual office hours to help you master concepts and class-based skills.
TRANSITION SUPPORT
Our transition counselors help you focus on the critical skills you’ll need to successfully transition to a college environment.
WRITING CENTER
You have access to writing consultants at Beacon College’s acclaimed Writing Center for support in starting and organizing your writing assignments.
FAMILY SUPPORT
Foundations includes monthly family check-ins to review student progress, and family webinars focus on reviewing college readiness.

Fall 2023 Online Courses

One size does not fit all — especially when it comes to learning. Before starting Beacon Foundations, a placement exam helps put you on the best path. Our admission committee will review your application and placement exam results. That information determines which track — developmental or standard — will help you be most successful.

Click on course names below for full descriptions of each.

Developmental Track Required Courses

Instructor: Rose DeJarnett
This course focuses on critical thinking skills required to read, analyze, and synthesize written information, including the expansion of vocabulary and grammatical/mechanical skills required to successfully negotiate the writing process in preparation for reading and writing at the college level.

Instructor: Nicki Nance 
In this course, you will explore how your choices directly impact your opportunities for greater success in college and life. Topics include: accepting personal responsibility, discovering self-motivation, mastering self-management, employing interdependence, gaining self-awareness, adopting lifelong learning, developing emotional intelligence, believing in oneself, and identifying individual learning styles and effective learning strategies. You’ll develop your critical thinking skills through self-assessments, case studies, guided journaling and an individual research project.

Standard Track Course Options

Instructor: Mike Fallon
This course is designed to introduce the student to the principles and functions of business. Business will be studied as part of a total social, political, and economic environment. The various functional areas of business will be discussed: economic systems, forms of business ownership, small business, management, human relations, marketing, accounting, finance, stock market, and business law.

Instructor: Jim Borden
This course will provide students with an introduction and overview of the field of criminal justice operated in the United States today, including the police, courts, probation, parole, jails, and prison systems.

Instructor: Nicki Nance
In this course, you will explore how your choices directly impact your opportunities for greater success in college and life. Topics include: accepting personal responsibility, discovering self-motivation, mastering self-management, employing interdependence, gaining self-awareness, adopting lifelong learning, developing emotional intelligence, believing in oneself, and identifying individual learning styles and effective learning strategies. You’ll develop your critical thinking skills through self-assessments, case studies, guided journaling and an individual research project.

Instructor: Rick Davidson
This class is designed to develop skills in writing multi-paragraph essays with emphasis on exposition, including the selection, restriction, organization, and development of topics. Students examine selected writing samples as models of form and sources of ideas for their own writing.

Instructor: Angel Maldonado
Computational review and practice prepare you for the demands of college-level math through a focus on whole numbers, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios, proportions, practical applications, and word problems. You will learn to use a basic scientific calculator to facilitate learning and provide assistive technology.

Instructor: Angel Maldonado
A general education course that offers a solid foundation in the basics of college mathematics. Real-life applications, conceptual understanding, problem-solving, using technology appropriately, and critical thinking are emphasized and integrated throughout the course.

Instructor: Brittany Strozzo
This course is an introduction to current technologies on a global scale. Students acquire computer/mobile learning skills and build a stronger foundation in word processing, presentation software, and web communities. Students gain experience with business applications in a PC environment that will be used in the educational environment to be applied later to the professional world. Classwork focuses on productivity and creative projects. The goal of this course is to ensure cross-platform computer literacy for academic and work environments.

Meet Your Instructors

Rose DeJarnett

Rosemarie DeJarnett
Assistant Chair General Education & Distance Learning

B.S., Elementary Education
M.Ed., Reading Education

16 years working with students who learn differently and 5 years teaching online courses.

Mike Fallon

Michael S. Fallon
Business & Technology Department Coordinator

B.S., Business Administration
M.A., Marketing
M.A., Management & Leadership
M.S., Environmental Management

10 years working with students who learn differently and 8 years teaching online courses.

Nicki Nance

Dr. Nicoletta Nance
Associate Professor of Human Services & Psychology

B.A., Psychology
MS.Ed., Counseling
Ph.D., Human Services

12 years working with students who learn differently and 14 years teaching online courses.

Rick Davidson

Rick Davidson
Director of the Writing Center

A.A., English/Education
B.A., English Advanced Literary Studies
M.A., English Education

Jim Borden

James Borden
Director of Student Citizenship
Adjunct Instructor: Criminal Justice

B.A., History and Education
M.A., Criminal Justice

7 years working with students who learn differently and 3 years teaching online courses.

Brittany Strozzo

Brittany Strozzo
Assistant Professor/Assistant Chair
CIS Web & Digital Media

M.F.A., Graphic Design
M.A., Graphic Design & Visual Experience
M.A., Design Management
B.F.A., Graphic Design

4 years working with students who learn differently and 4 years teaching online courses.

Angel Maldonado

Angel Maldonado
Mathematics Instructor

M.Ed., K-8 Mathematics & Science
Ph.D. in progress, Mathematics Education

2 years working with students who learn differently and 2 years teaching online courses.
“Before Beacon Foundations, I was struggling in remote classes at a community college. The difference with Foundations is that the professors interact with you live while they are teaching. I was able to excel in general math, because the professor made their lessons accessible to me as a visual learner and used chat rooms for one-on-one help. It was so different from the other remote classes I tried, and made a huge difference in my experience and my grades.”
Joshua Hansen
Beacon College Junior & Humanities Major

More Information

Take the Next Step

Apply Online

We’re accepting rolling applications for the fall 2023 Foundations semester beginning on Sept. 18, 2023. Apply early to secure your course selections!

Attend an Info Session

Learn more about the program through a live virtual information session. Our next event is Aug. 8, 2023.

Schedule a Meeting

Meet one-on-one with a Beacon College transition counselor to discuss if Foundations is right for you.