Dual Credit Courses Help Students Prepare for the Future

Written by Lettie Croskery, BA, MHRM, LRSD Career Practitioner

LRSD students excelled in the dual credit programming courses they completed in the fall 2023 semester. With numerous dual credit course offerings through Lethbridge College and Olds College, our students have the opportunity to explore future careers, gain high school AND post-secondary credits all while further developing greater confidence in their abilities to tackle post-secondary courses. We are so proud of all of our students, and particularly the 17 students from schools across our division who averaged 86% in a variety of college courses. 

Our students learned about agriculture, ecology, geology, medical terminology, interpersonal relationships and communication, as well as several "Introduction To" courses in accounting, management, veterinary practice, medical terminology and the trades (which included hands-on exploration of 12 distinct trades in Alberta, notably: automotive service, heavy and agricultural equipment, plumbing, welding, carpentry, cooking, baking; electrical, power line, wind turbine, and parts technician). 

Our students have raved about their experiences and said they would encourage other students in grades 10, 11, or 12 to explore dual credit courses and choose something that interests them.

Riley LeBorgne completed her Introduction to the Trades program last year and felt it was an "incredible experience" to have the chance to explore different aspects of the trades. "It taught me basic skills like how to wire light switches, install sinks, and fix brake drums on semi-trucks." As a grown adult who has done none of these things, I am incredibly impressed at Riley's abilities! When I asked about how helpful it was to receive 9 additional credits on top of her academic courses, Riley responded "I did it for the experience, not the credits!" Wow…extra credits are nice though, aren't they?!

Emmitt Carlson added, "Dual Credit got me out of Physics 20!!" Emmitt has completed two dual credit courses, one in Accounting through Olds College and a second in Management through Lethbridge College. "These courses were more interesting to me than taking an option that didn’t relate in any way to my future career goals. At first I thought I had to take an option course simply for the credits, until I discovered that I could achieve the same credit count in a more challenging and beneficial way."

Wyatt Pittet enrolled in the "Introduction to the Veterinary Profession" — a 3-credit course which is offered in the first year of Olds College’s competitive entry Animal Health Technology program. He told us "It was a fun experience to get an introduction to see if I would like (veterinary medicine) as a career. Completing this course strengthened my love for a career as a veterinarian, most likely in a small animal practice." Wyatt would like to assure students who are considering taking a dual credit course that the workload was really manageable. With a smile he added "I think my final mark (of 88%) reflects how much effort I'm willing to put towards my career plan!" Absolutely, Wyatt - we couldn't agree more!

One student from Livingstone School in Lundbreck was a top performer, crushing her dual credit course with an impressive 98%. "I liked taking the dual credit course because it let me look into future careers - it was great being able to see some options for my future that I might not have otherwise known what they would look like. It was also very useful seeing how classes might work in post-secondary as opposed to high school."

Reading these comments from our students makes me think there couldn't possibly be a downside to dual credit courses…or is there? Our top-ranking dual credit student did encounter some procrastination due to the self-directed nature of online learning. She adds "The only mistakes I ever ran into while taking the course were my own fault; I didn’t pace myself very well a few times and had to do things the night before, usually on a few hours basis. That definitely taught me a lesson about time management, if nothing else."

Students considering taking a dual credit course next year, should discuss this with their school Career Practitioner and Administration team to determine if they are a good candidate for these opportunities. In summary, our students say they "would highly recommend the program to anyone who thinks they could manage it."

Talk to your school's Career Practitioner or Principal to enroll in Dual Credit.

View Dual Credit course offerings and application information.