Explore the information and resources below for teaching dual credit in high school through College of Western Idaho (CWI) including steps to becoming a dual credit teacher, advising tips, course equivalencies, and curriculum alignment.
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Advising
In addition to providing classroom instruction, dual credit teachers may serve as mentors and advisors to students. The CWI Dual Credit team encourages you to facilitate conversations with your students to establish a collegiate environment in your classroom. Students and their parents may come to you seeking information specific to their dual credit classes or the direction their education is taking them. If you find yourself struggling to help, please encourage them to contact a Dual Credit Advisor or Coordinator. Advisors are a central key to any student's success and can make a far-reaching difference in a student's college education.
advising topics
While you may not be comfortable providing academic advising to your students, you can support and assist your students in their educational journey by discussing:
- the student's academic performance and implications of performance for future undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs
- study techniques and resources available to them at the high school and CWI
- the importance of dates and deadlines and the implications if these are missed
- and the significance of being a dual credit student (Dual credit students are considered a college student, and their commitment to the class will be reflected on a college transcript. If the student does not succeed in a class, their financial aid may be affected in the future.)
General Education Academic Certificate
CWI's General Education program allows students who wish to accelerate their education the opportunity to complete up to 36 credits, earn an Academic Certificate, and satisfy statewide college core requirements. Students are encouraged to meet with a Dual Credit Advisor or Coordinator to create a personalized learning plan. Students who earn a General Education Academic Certificate will graduate from high school ready to enter their sophomore year in college with their general education requirements completed!
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Become a Dual Credit Teacher
Qualifications
To teach dual credit classes at a high school, you must:
- have a master’s degree (no teaching experience necessary)
- OR a bachelor's degree in the same discipline you would like to teach with five or more years of teaching experience in the course you would like to offer.
Next steps
To become a dual credit teacher through CWI, email the following documents to our Dual Credit office at dualcredit@cwi.edu.
- resume
- college transcript
- Dual Credit Intent to Teach form
Those who do not meet the qualifications above may email their resume, transcripts, and a completed Intent to Teach form to dualcredit@cwi.edu. Once your documents have been received, they will be sent to the Department Chair for review.
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Course Equivalencies
CWI participates in Idaho’s Statewide Articulation and Associate Degree Policy. This means when students transfer an Associate of Arts or Science degree from CWI to a four-year public institution in Idaho, they will not be required to complete any additional lower-division general education classes. This policy is not intended to meet specific major requirements (e.g., engineering, pharmacy, business, etc.).
Transferring to a college/university in Idaho
Students who plan on transferring dual credits from CWI to another college or university upon high school graduation are encouraged to begin researching early how their credits will transfer to ensure appropriate coursework is completed.
- Dual credit courses are accepted by all Idaho institutions of higher education. CWI has partnered with a number of institutions in Idaho to provide direct access to transfer assistance and customized benefits for CWI students.
- Students may visit CourseTransfer to explore opportunities at other public colleges and universities in Idaho and learn how dual credits may transfer.
- The Transfer Equivalency System may be used as an unofficial guide to assist prospective students in reviewing course transferability.
- To determine how CWI dual credit courses will transfer to a particular college or university, students are encouraged to contact the college or university's admissions department.
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Curriculum Alignment
In order for students to earn college credits at their high school, their high school teacher must meet CWI's teaching standards and the curriculum must align with CWI’s on-campus and online class. The alignment process consists of a CWI faculty liaison reviewing the high school’s existing curriculum, such as copies of assignments, exams, textbooks and other supplemental reading materials in addition to reviewing the teacher’s grading rigor. In most cases, the high school teacher is able to make modifications to the school’s curriculum that are required by the CWI faculty liaison so full alignment can be accomplished. This process can take between four and eight weeks.
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Dual Enroll
DualEnroll streamlines and automates the registration of high school students taking college classes offered on the high school campus. It also helps to ensure college rigor and outcomes are met for classes offered in the high school through the curriculum alignment process.
The CWI Dual Credit team has implemented the DualEnroll curriculum alignment process in all of our partnering high school and with IDLA. Students registering for dual credit classes at their high school or through IDLA can learn more about the DualEnroll registration process, including steps to register, by visiting Dual Credit Registration.
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Teaching Success
Note: If you do not log in to your CWI account for 90 days, you will be locked out and must contact the Help Desk to unlock your account.