Next academic year, a new English course called Dual Credit will be taught at Glenbard South. The course is open to any senior student, particularly those 

interested in taking a college level course and earning college credit while in high school. English and literature teacher Mrs. Hiles, who will be teaching the course next year, has agreed to share an overview of the class.

What is Dual Credit? 

“Dual-credit is a year-long course accredited through the College of DuPage. It is the equivalent of taking Rhet 1101 and Rhet 1102 at COD,” explained Mrs. Hiles.

Although the course is essentially a college class, students do not need to leave the Glenbard South campus in order to take it. Dual-Credit is taught at the school by English department staff. 

Dual-credit is a college rhetoric course, meaning that it will be centered around writing. In a basic breakdown of the class, Hiles shared, “In the first semester, we look at a wide variety of writing situations and students write for multiple audiences. In the second semester, students choose a topic really close to their hearts/personal interests and complete action research projects.”

Earning the Credit 

The class is similar in rigor to an AP class, however it holds one significant difference: there is no AP exam at the end of the class to determine whether students earn their credit. Rather, students must work to maintain a high grade in the class and successfully complete assigned projects in order to earn their credit.  

“From our understanding, many Illinois and out-of-state universities will accept COD credit,” shares Hiles. However, much like AP credits, not every college is guaranteed to accept credit for the course. If a student is wondering whether a college they are interested in will accept the course credit, Hiles advised to “check with the particular college they are attending.” Students can do so by calling or emailing the admissions office of their colleges of interest.

What kind of student should take this course? 

“Dual-credit is perfect for highly motivated [incoming senior] students who want to earn college credit during high school,” stated Mrs. Hiles. Key words: highly motivated. Before enrolling, students must remember that the course will be college-level. It will likely be challenging and require a good deal of effort in and outside of class.

However, students should also understand that there are immense benefits to taking Dual-Credit. Being in a college-level course while in high school will give students a good understanding of what the classes they take in college may be like. Students will be able to prepare themselves for the college-level academics (should they choose to attend) while being surrounded by supportive faculty and helpful resources like the Writing Center.

Dual-Credit can also bring students a new outlook on writing. According to Mrs. Hiles, “The whole purpose of this course is to get our writing out into the real world and beyond the walls of this building. One of the central tenets of the course is to make our writing DO something in the world at large. Writing is supposed to be fun, engaging and meaningful; we’re trying to reinvigorate your desire to write, create a space where your voice matters, and let you truly see the impact of your words outside of GBS.”