School District No. 46 (SD46) and Capilano University are teaming up to offer a university-level English course to Grade 12 students through a pilot project this year.
The dual credit English 100 course will be taught by a CapU instructor and high school English teacher and students who pass will receive three credits towards university.
“We see this as a win-win,” said Paul Bishop, director of instruction, human resources and secondary programs in SD46, noting the course helps Grade 12 students fill up their timetables and get a taste of what a university-level course is like.
“It’s similar to our ACE-IT programs where students are registered at Vancouver Island University as post-secondary students doing that university-level curriculum while they’re still in high school. So we’ve already been doing it on the applied skills side. This is just an extension to the curriculum side.”
Lydia Watson with CapU said the pilot project aims to “bridge the gap between high school and university” and that it’s the first time the university has considered taking courses into the high school classroom.
“We have a strong relationship with SD46. We meet with them regularly to explore the needs of their students as part of our program development plan,” Watson said.
A total of 20 Grade 12 students will take the course at Elphinstone Secondary this year. Depending upon the success of the pilot project, it may be expanded in the future.
