Iowa State and Des Moines Area Community College students now have an opportunity to earn ISU credit for courses taken on the DMACC campus in Ankeny.

“This partnership has been going on for several years, and it is a positive addition to ISU,” said Lois Hunt, director of extended area education.

Martha Elston, administrative specialist for Extended and Continuing Education, said all of the classes offered in the program are night classes and are taught by ISU instructors on the DMACC campus.

“The night classes are aimed more for adult students getting their bachelor of liberal studies degree who work during the day,” Elston said. She said a B.L.S. is the only ISU degree students could attain by taking classes solely at DMACC, although a general business minor from ISU will be offered at DMACC in the near future.

Elston said students sometimes have difficulty getting into classes offered on the ISU campus and end up going to DMACC to take classes.

“This fall, some full-time ISU students are driving to Ankeny to take an English 302 class that they couldn’t get into or fit in their schedule,” she said.

Todd Peterson, ISU academic coordinator at DMACC, said the ISU classes are offered four nights a week and that most of the students participating in the program are juniors and seniors.

“The classes are offered Monday through Thursday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and most of the students taking classes are part-time students,” Peterson said.

“It’s just like taking ISU classes, but instead of being in Ames students are taking them in Ankeny,” he said.

Elston said the classes are credited just like any other ISU course.

“A person couldn’t tell where the class was taken on a transcript; they are the same as any ISU credit for a course,” Elston said.

She said cross-enrollment is a separate but similar agreement that is in its second year. This agreement allows DMACC and ISU students to takes classes at the other college’s campus without being enrolled at the college.

Elston said she thought the cross-enrollment program might bring DMACC students to ISU, but in reality the opposite has occurred.

“More ISU students travel to DMACC to take a class than what we thought would,” Elston said.

Peterson said there are no additional charges to take classes at DMACC through ISU. The students enroll at ISU, and ISU fees are applied.