FORT ST. JOHN – Secondary school students in the Peace River and Northern Rockies districts are taking full advantage of an expanding range of Dual Credit learning opportunities at Northern Lights College.
Dual Credit allows high school students to get a head start on their future by earning post-secondary credits at NLC while they are still in secondary school.
Dual Credit programming started in 2002, with an initial focus on trades and technology program areas.
Since 2009, Dual Credit opportunities have expanded into University Arts and Sciences subjects including Biology, Business Management, Criminology, Early Childhood Education and Care, English, Information Technology, Math, and Psychology.
The growth has been especially noticeable in School Districts 60 (Peace River North) and 81 (Fort Nelson).
“Academic Dual Credit options began with face-to-face courses at North Peace Secondary School in Fort St. John, but now include courses delivered entirely at the College by College instructors, and even joint delivery of courses by NPSS and NLC faculty who work on a team-teaching model,” said Steve Roe, Chair of University Arts and Sciences at NLC.
This year, SD 60 has 94 Dual Credit students enrolled in academic courses offered at NLC. And, through the support of Randy Pauls, Principal of the Northern B.C. Distance Education School, NLC academic Dual Credit courses are also available online.
In SD 60, eligible students must select their academic Dual Credit courses by Sept. 30; academic Dual Credit courses usually run from February to May. The School District pays the tuition; the students pay for their textbooks and student fees.
“It’s an investment in our community. We’re helping students to make a seamless transition from secondary school to the world of university-level Arts and Sciences,“ said Brian Campbell, SD 60’s Principal of Careers and International Education.
And this year, students in School District 81 are taking full advantage of their first opportunity to enrol in academic Dual Credit courses. Fort Nelson and area students are studying in three different academic courses and utilizing three different delivery methods to complete their studies.
Seventeen students attend NLC’s Fort Nelson Campus for in-person delivery of Psychology 101; two students are taking Criminology 101 via videoconference, joining students in Fort St. John; and one student is studying English 100 online.
“The Dual Credit course opportunities in University Arts and Sciences provide our students with a smooth transition from high school to post-secondary education,“ said Denise Stephenson, SD 81’s Career Coordinator. “Our school district is very excited to have academic Dual Credit courses available and in the future hope to have an increase in student participation.”
The origins of Dual Credit programs in northeastern British Columbia are linked to Northern Opportunities, whose mission is to strengthen individuals and communities in the northeast by enhancing opportunities to succeed in high school, pursue post-secondary education, and build rewarding careers.
“We’re building something great here by being able to offer academic Dual Credit,” said Roe. “Now we want to nurture it and let it grow.”
For more information on Dual Credit programming, students should contact their secondary school counselor. For more information on programs at NLC, go to nlc.bc.ca, call toll-free 1-866-463-6652 or email studentrecruiters@nlc.bc.ca.