Dual-Credit - for Yukon secondary school students

School of Liberal Arts
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t: 867.668.8770 f. 867.668.8805

or call Admissions at 867-668.8710

Program Overview

What is dual credit?

A dual-credit program allows Yukon secondary students to take post-secondary courses—with regular College students—while they are still in high school. Dual-credit students may receive elective credit towards their high school graduation, a possibility they need to confirm with the school in question.

Dual credit enables students to:
• begin the post-secondary journey early
• take one university course, tuition-free
• experience post-secondary coursework while in secondary school

Tuition for dual-credit courses will be paid by the Department of Education. Students will need to buy books and pay some additional fees (see below).

Dual credit is a widely-delivered program in many provinces. Every school district in British Columbia and Ontario has dual credit, and it is common in Alberta, Manitoba and the Maritime provinces. Dual-credit courses will earn students college or university credit at Yukon College and at institutions in British Columbia. Students wishing to transfer credits are strongly encouraged to attend a Yukon College university-transfer information session after they begin their studies.

What do I do in an online course?
Students may need to ‘attend’ some sessions via chat rooms. Other than those sessions, students are free to work through the online course materials when they wish, as long as they keep up with the unit and assignment deadlines. Online studies are not for everyone. If students manage time well and are disciplined, this format may work well for them.

About the start dates
Dual-credit ENGL 100 and PSYC 101 will start on January 16, 2012, in order to minimize the overlap between the College term and the end of the first semester of secondary school. Dual-credit CPSC 128 will begin the week of January 30, 2012 when the high school second semester begins.

Please note: Students must start their chosen dual-credit course at the time specified, regardless of when their secondary school second semester begins. This may mean that students will have two weeks in which they are finishing the first semester of secondary school and/or writing exams and, at the same time, starting the dual-credit course.

How much work are these courses?
A post-secondary course is quite a bit of work. A face-to-face, three-credit course has three hours of class time per week. Students can expect three hours of homework—such as reading, projects, assignments, and so on—for every hour of class time. That means that one course will take twelve hours of time per week. Students must be prepared to devote this amount of time to the coursework.

Available Courses

ENGL 100: English Composition
Delivery Method: Online OR face to face (face-to-face classes are Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:00-5:30 pm)
Start Date: January 16 / End date: April 27 (Reading Week: March 5-March 9)
This course introduces students to critical reading, critical thinking and academic writing through the study and application of the principles of university-level discourse.
Prerequisite: English 12 (min. 80%)

PSYC 101: Introduction to Psychology II
Delivery Method: Online
Start Date: January 16 / End date: April 27 (Reading Week: March 5-March 9)
This is a survey course of the major content areas in Psychology. The course covers development, personality, stress and health, psychopathology, therapy and social psychology.
Prerequisite: None

CPSC 128: Object-Oriented Programming I
Delivery Method: Online
Start Date: January 30 / End date: May 24 (Reading Week: March 5-March 16)
This course introduces the student to Computer Science and software development with an emphasis on developing programming skills using the Python language. The course consists of thirteen one-week modules. Students must do a minimum of one unit per week but may work faster if they wish and finish the course early.
Prerequisite: Math 11 (any stream)
Hardware/Software: Students need a computer on which to install the Python programming language. Any recent Windows, Macintosh or Linux operating system will work, and installation instructions are provided.

How many courses can I take?
Because of the workload, students may take only one dual-credit course per term.

Admission Requirements

Am I eligible to be a dual-credit student?

The admission requirements are as follows:
• B average or better
• good attendance record
• good attitude towards learning
• completion of the prerequisites for the course

The student’s marks, attendance and attitude towards learning must be verified in a letter from a teacher, counsellor, vice-principal, or principal. This letter must accompany the student’s application (see “How do I sign up?” below).

How much does it cost?

The tuition fee for a three-credit course is normally $324, but the Department of Education will pay the entire tuition fee.

Students are responsible for the following additional fees:
• Books - up to $200 per course
• Yukon College part-time student union fee - $10
• Yukon College part-time technology fee - $25

These fees are mandatory for all students.
Normally students pay an application fee to attend Yukon College. However, Yukon College will waive all application fees for dual-credit students.
Please note: Students do not have a guaranteed seat in any course until all fees are paid.

Other Requirements

How do I sign up?

1. Select a course. Look through the courses outlined in this booklet and select a course. Check the prerequisites for each course. Note the specific prerequisites for ENGL 100 and CPSC 128.

2. Check your eligibility. If you meet the course prerequisites, take the three-page application and read the front page. Ask yourself the following question:
Do I meet the required criteria?
If the answer is “yes”, continue.

3. Fill out the application. Make sure to complete the application in full. (Hint: Complete the application as if you were applying for a $100,000.00 a year job.)

4. Ask for a letter of recommendation. Approach a teacher, counsellor, vice-principal or principal to write a letter of recommendation. This letter must verify your grades and whether you have completed any required prerequisites, and confirm your good attendance record and positive attitude towards learning. Show your letter writer the directions at the end of this brochure. The letter must be in a sealed envelope with the writer’s signature across the flap of the envelope. Opened or unsealed letters will not be accepted.

5. Provide payment. Cheques must be payable to Yukon College for $35 to cover additional fees; payment may also be made with a credit card. Remember: Without payment, a course seat cannot be guaranteed.

6. Submit the application package. Do ONE of the following:
• give your application package to the Yukon College representative when they visit your school
• deliver your application package to the Admissions desk at Yukon College
• mail your application package to: Yukon College, Admissions Office, PO Box 2799 Whitehorse, YT Y1A 5K4.

Application Package Checklist

Completed Application form
Cheque for $35 payable to Yukon College (or payment by credit card)
Sealed Letter of Recommendation

In order to ensure receipt of materials for online courses in time to start the course, students are encouraged to complete their application, including payment of all fees, THREE WEEKS PRIOR TO THE START OF THE COURSE.

Acceptance
Once the College receives the student’s fully completed application package, the application will be reviewed. Upon acceptance into the course, the student will be registered, notified of registration, and sent additional information needed to begin the course.

Who can I talk to if I have questions?
Email questions to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call Admissions at 867.668.8710

For principals, vice-principals, teachers and counsellors
The letter of recommendation you provide to the student is a key piece of the admissions process. In this letter, we ask that you do the following:
• confirm the student is maintaining a B average
• confirm the student has a good attendance record
• discuss the student’s attitude towards learning (Does he or she have a positive attitude towards teachers, school and education in general?)
• recommend the student’s participation in a dual-credit course.
Please address this letter to The Registrar, Yukon College. After placing the letter in an envelope, please seal the envelope; sign across the flap; and give the sealed, signed envelope to the student. Responsibility for making sure the unopened envelope accompanies the application rests with the student.

What else to do I need to know?
Post-secondary students must take responsibility for their own learning. At the post-secondary level the bulk of learning takes place outside the classroom during time spent in study, practice and preparation. Homework is the key activity. Students should note that grades earned in dual-credit courses become part of an official post-secondary record, which the student carries to any institution he or she may attend in the future.

MyYC: Yukon College’s online Portal
Information for students and all online courses are accessed over the web through MyYC. Students’ browsers must be (a) able to play Flash content and (b) set to allow pop-ups from the MyYC site. While any browser will work, MyYC functions best in Firefox, Google Chrome or Safari. Note: Students will receive information on getting a College email address and logging into MyYC in their acceptance/registration notification letter.

Support
Do not hesitate to contact the appropriate instructor (via email in an online course, or in class or office hours for a face-to-face course) with any questions or concerns. Yukon College instructors are here to support students. Instructors are not the only source of support, though. The Writing Centre can help with writing coaching sessions, while the Drop-In Centre offers mathematics tutorials. Dual-credit students also have access to the Yukon College Library and all its resources, and to the Student Services Centre. All of these services are available in person, online or via telephone or video-conference. Students in CPSC 128 may also use Abode Connect for one-on-one online assistance from their instructor.

For parents
Regardless of age, once your children are post-secondary students they are considered to be independent. This means the College legally cannot give you any information on the student’s marks or attendance without his or her express written permission. The instructor, Dean, and Registrar’s Office work only with students. Parent of a post-secondary students have an important support role to play: Ask how things are going with the College course; encourage the student to seek assistance if he or she is struggling. Post-secondary study is quite a change from high school—even the most capable secondary student may find post-secondary study a challenge.

Transferability

Are these courses transferrable?

These courses are transferrable to most British Columbia post-secondary institutions and may be transferrable to other institutions across Canada. For BC transfer information, please go to: http://www.bctransferguide.ca. Transferability to other institutions is at the discretion of the receiving institution. Transferring students are strongly encouraged to attend a university-transfer information session; check with Student Services for dates and times.

Ancillary Fees

2012-13 Ancillary Fees pdf 21 KB