For those who want to earn high school and college credits at the same time, dual credit courses are the perfect solution. These courses are often identical to college’s structure, pace, and teaching methods. Adjusting to these changes can be tricky at first, but once you get the basics down, they become much easier to navigate.
That’s where I come in. As a dual credit student, I have taken several early college classes and learned many tips and tricks that have helped me along my journey. I hope that, by sharing my knowledge, I can better prepare you for these courses – regardless of whether you take them in high school or college.
(This article is written by someone who takes dual-credit courses at UTPB/University of Texas Permian Basin. The experiences discussed reflect said institution above any others.)
Read the Syllabus
Each of my dual-credit courses have had a syllabus attached to the introductory materials. This could quite possibly be the most important part of your course preparation. A syllabus essentially functions as a course outline; it details the expectations, rules, assignments, grading systems, and policies (among other factors) of the professor and university. As far as I know, the professor writes their own syllabus, so it will include their specific guidelines, which will greatly help you understand exactly what you should be doing for that class. After all, there is a reason some courses quiz you on the syllabus materials.
To be more specific, the syllabi I have read followed the format listed below:
additional contact information (phone number, office hours, and sometimes a photo of themselves)
description of the course
class objectives/outcomes
general results/improvements they expect to see
materials (namely textbooks)
types of assignments
grading scale and point spread (total weight and points for assignments) and rubrics.
class schedule (important dates and assignments throughout the semester)
mandatory section of class and university policies
mandatory additional information on emergencies and special circumstances
If you need to know more about how your class functions, check the syllabus first and foremost. It should be your go-to that, if taken seriously, can prove a great asset in succeeding in dual-credit courses.
Prepare to Spend Money
Unlike most schools, colleges fully expect you to pay money outside of tuition. Specifically, they expect students to purchase their own materials. This predominantly includes important textbooks for the year, which are usually stated in the syllabus and through emails. The price of these books can be very expensive, and shipping may take a while, so it is imperative that you study your options before making a decision.
You do not necessarily need to purchase a new book. You can buy a secondhand copy or rent one (usually from an external website) for a cheaper price. Just make sure that it is the right edition, as some questions or assignments may be based on information only present in that specific edition. (The edition you should get will be mentioned alongside the book title.) Also be sure to check the course materials for any free online versions of books; it depends on the class, as only some will have this option.
Some also have certain events, locations, or permissions they expect you to buy, but most are free. For example, one course an acquaintance took had students visit different local locations in order to find specific plants and animals, which did not cost anything at all. On the other hand, another course she took required her to visit a concert, which she had to pay for herself. Personally, I also had to purchase permission to use Inquisitive, an academic question-and-answer tool that came separate from the course; however, any other websites or tools I used were completely free. So, while in most cases you will not have to do anything too extraneous, there are outliers – most free, but a few costly.
In the end, though it depends on the class and professor, most do not require you to buy any materials or permissions other than the relevant textbooks. Just make sure to thoroughly check your courses for any required purchases and you should be good to go!
Watch for (Professor) Preferences
Although this hasn’t personally happened to me, an online college student I know said that, back when she took dual-credit courses, one of her college professors informed her that they would prefer to be called ‘professor’ rather than ‘miss’ as they believe it reflected greater on their degree.
Lots of professors have specific expectations and preferences very similar to this. They are often very small, and it’s not like you’ll get in trouble if you don’t follow them, but it’s still important to check for the major ones. In particular, class schedules and communication, grading, and feedback methods vary largely between courses and professors. For instance, one professor of mine sent out a weekly announcement detailing everything we needed to do for that week, including answering common questions and specifying assignment content; she also tracked attendance through the replies to these announcements. This unique technique may never make an appearance again, but it included a lot of important information that greatly changed how I went about some assignments.
Make sure to check for any specific professor or course preferences or specifics; you never know what they might include, which can make all the difference.
Less Classes
Compared to any other educational level, online college has by far the least amount of classes. In order to build your work ethic and sense of responsibility, it is incredibly focused on self-study and individual learning. As such, unless your professor makes it a point to host regular or semi-regular class connects, you will not be joining any live classes.
In my personal experience, of my four dual-credit courses, only one of them has ever hosted online classes that you were explicitly expected to attend. These meetings were not held by the professor but were instead lectures about academic dishonesty and expectations. They were hosted by a different professor from the same university who is pretty well-known for his speeches. The meetings were live versions of his in-person lectures, and you could even hear him talking to students in the same room. Apart from that, my professor also had us meet with her twice to discuss our group paper drafts; during this time, she mentioned that she welcomed and preferred students to host conferences with her, but she understood that is not a viable option for everyone. She also had a small grade for conferences, which was something I have never seen any other professors do.
In general, my online dual-credit college courses were extremely lenient and laidback when it came to hosting online meetings. Admittedly, this does vary between professors and courses, but even the stricter ones will have much less meetings than you have now.
(Please keep in mind that I cannot reference how this works in an in-person college or dual credit setting, but I do know that lectures (their version of classes) can be a major part of your grade.)
Dual credit courses provide a revolutionary method for high schoolers to earn college credits before they ever even graduate. These courses greatly resemble normal online college classes, so it is important to prepare yourself for any changes in order to increase your chances of success. Taking these courses can also prepare you for actual online college, if that is the road you plan to take. Just be sure to research your institution’ classes and keep track of any updates to the curriculum, as that is information that will prove useful both now and in the future.
While my points were admittedly basic, they are great things to remind yourself of, and hearing them from another source may make you more convinced. I hope my advice helped you, or perhaps even made you feel more confident about taking dual credit courses. Best of luck!
- Written by AiR
