3in9th Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 I'm wondering if this is even possible. My kids are quickly running out of things to do for science and I was thinking that some college courses in entry level (no prerequisites) science might be just the ticket. But because they are still very young and not yet the typical Junior and Seniors in high school, I though auditing might be a good compromise. Any disadvantages to doing this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 When you apply to college, you technically have to provide transcripts of previous colleges you've attended. Having audited college classes might be questioned because most admissions people expect you to take them for credit. Also keep in mind that nothing is graded, so I don't know how you would determine their grades for your transcript. My college used to allow dual enrollment audits, and frankly it was a disaster. They didn't take the class at all seriously, and it caused problems in the classroom. Now they don't allow students to sign up for dual enrollment audits, although they can switch to audit after the first month if they meet with a counsellor. Maybe folks do this in your area though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Our school charges regular tuition for auditing a course. That makes auditing rather expensive compared to watching course content for free online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Our school charges regular tuition for auditing a course. That makes auditing rather expensive compared to watching course content for free online. Yes, I hadn't thought of that. Find a free online college class and do that. I was looking at one last night in the area that I teach at the college level that was really well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 There's also the option of finding them college-level science-for-non-majors textbooks that they can read and understand. Here's a listing of some that ought to be accessible (note that since this would be an intro, older editions would be absolutely acceptable). Physical Geography Meteorology Introductory Astronomy Astrobiology (Life in the Universe book by Bennett is enjoyable reading) A chemistry history book such as Caveman Chemistry (free) Historical Geology Environmental Science Environmental Geology Ecology Oceanography Marine Biology Zoology Botany Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3in9th Posted November 17, 2014 Author Share Posted November 17, 2014 Thanks! Will look into the subject recommendations. The usual Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics rotation is getting old, esp. Bio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 What are their ages? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3in9th Posted November 20, 2014 Author Share Posted November 20, 2014 They're currently 8th graders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 You may run into age barriers for dual enrollment if you plan to do this soon. Both community colleges I work for require that they be 16. They used to go lower for some classes, but it is a state rule now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 They're currently 8th graders. Some 8th graders are 12 or 13 and some are 14 or 15. I think that age and maturity matter more regarding readiness for an on-campus college course. If they're ready for being in the class, then I'd suggest that they take it for credit, and if they're not ready, then either an online college course or one of the free MOOCs. Some younger students fit in very nicely both intellectually and socially, and for others it wouldn't be a good fit until they're older. If my dd had needed college course level instruction in 8th or 9th, we would have gone through the channels to have her admitted earlier than usual. If you do ask for them to be admitted earlier, you may also want to ask if there's any limit on the number of years they can attend. If there is a limit which begins with their first class, you may want to wait unless you want them to enter university earlier. Community college libraries are usually open to the public. One way for them to get an idea of what it's like on campus is to have them spend some time at the library, go to the coffee shop, etc. and see if they are comfortable among older students. The library will also be a great source for college level material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3in9th Posted November 20, 2014 Author Share Posted November 20, 2014 They'd attend a four-year as it's w/i walking distance to our house. Dad's also a professor there and we don't have to pay any tuition for them (only fees), so it's our best option whenever possible. I can't find a law about age for dual enrollment in my state (Pennsylvania) and I've heard of other professors' kids here taking college courses (like Spanish) at pretty young ages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Wow, lucky you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Yes, lucky you and them! If you think auditing would be better at the beginning, then go ahead. Maybe they could take the tests and a TA could grade them, or the professor might be able to do that and simply not record the grade officially. Another homeschooler in a similar situation was able to do that. Considering your situation, could they sign up to take it for a grade, and then have a few weeks to decide whether to switch to auditing? Either way, it's a great opportunity for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Audit usually means "not for credit". You can take the class pass/fail but you will not get credit if you do not put in the work to get graded. Otherwise all our degrees would be all audit. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Audit usually means "not for credit". You can take the class pass/fail but you will not get credit if you do not put in the work to get graded. This. You could audit it as your homeschool high school credit, but it wouldn't count as dual enrollment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3in9th Posted November 21, 2014 Author Share Posted November 21, 2014 This. You could audit it as your homeschool high school credit, but it wouldn't count as dual enrollment. Definitely something to consider as now there all these wonky General Education requirements. Have any of you seen this insanity? Instead of a core curriculum base like I had at my medium-sized Liberal Arts and Sciences university, it's all point-based instead of class-based. I'm thinking now if they audit, they'll miss so many of the prerequisites and Gen Ed points they'll need. Will investigate more. Thankfully, they're still only 8th graders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenC Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Auditing classes has worked great for us. We have a small LAC nearby that allows high school juniors and seniors to take one class each semester at a reduced rate for dual enrollment, and all audit classes are at a reduced rate. In the audited classes, they are treated like any other student, homework and tests are graded. It has been a huge benefit to us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Have any of you seen this insanity? Instead of a core curriculum base like I had at my medium-sized Liberal Arts and Sciences university, it's all point-based instead of class-based. Haven't seen it. Do you have a link? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Auditing classes has worked great for us. We have a small LAC nearby that allows high school juniors and seniors to take one class each semester at a reduced rate for dual enrollment, and all audit classes are at a reduced rate. In the audited classes, they are treated like any other student, homework and tests are graded. It has been a huge benefit to us. You are lucky, this is not typical. Usually auditing means that the student is not required to turn in anything - and the instructor is not required to spend time grading an auditing student's assignments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 You are lucky, this is not typical. Usually auditing means that the student is not required to turn in anything - and the instructor is not required to spend time grading an auditing student's assignments. Yes, I've never graded an audit student's work. We're told not to. I use automatically graded quizzes and publisher websites that grade their work, but I'm not supposed to do anything with the results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 Definitely something to consider as now there all these wonky General Education requirements. Have any of you seen this insanity? Instead of a core curriculum base like I had at my medium-sized Liberal Arts and Sciences university, it's all point-based instead of class-based. I'm thinking now if they audit, they'll miss so many of the prerequisites and Gen Ed points they'll need. Will investigate more. Thankfully, they're still only 8th graders. Hm, we had General Education requirements. It's very similar to core curriculum but instead they let you choose from a menu. Kind of like instead of carrots, peas, and cauliflower for veggies, a beef patty for meat, and mashed potatoes for a carb, they just tell you you need x grams of protein, y grams of complex carbs from fresh veggies, and x grams of complex carbs from grains, no more than z fats. Is that what you are talking about? It's been around for decades in my state. It's not too hard to navigate and in the end you take most of the same classes but you have a bit more choice in fitting things together. Audit would simply not get you points towards a prerequisite whether point- or course-based. It's simply not counted towards college credit. The audit option exists for people who want to pre-take a course, or to fill seats in courses which do not have enough enrolled students, and costs less for that reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3in9th Posted November 22, 2014 Author Share Posted November 22, 2014 Hm, we had General Education requirements. It's very similar to core curriculum but instead they let you choose from a menu. Kind of like instead of carrots, peas, and cauliflower for veggies, a beef patty for meat, and mashed potatoes for a carb, they just tell you you need x grams of protein, y grams of complex carbs from fresh veggies, and x grams of complex carbs from grains, no more than z fats. Is that what you are talking about? It's been around for decades in my state. It's not too hard to navigate and in the end you take most of the same classes but you have a bit more choice in fitting things together. Audit would simply not get you points towards a prerequisite whether point- or course-based. It's simply not counted towards college credit. The audit option exists for people who want to pre-take a course, or to fill seats in courses which do not have enough enrolled students, and costs less for that reason. I'm not sure it's the same. There certain target "areas" that certain courses can meet, but usually not entirely. For instance, Medical Terminology will count for one point of the Communication area and 2 points for Second Language. Now tell me that's not wonky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 What sounds wonky to me is that Medical Terminology, which is NOT a second language but a lingo, totally different in that there's no grammar there, is counted as two points for a Second Language. The divided points just sounds like they wanted to reflect the nature of the classes being interdisciplinary. Like they don't want to have to offer "communications" just to get people through a "communications" credit. However, I agree that they have made it overly complicated. Still, most foods have carbs, fats and protein. They don't just fit in one. People calculate that all the time, so I don't think it's impossible. Just a pain in the butt to figure out at first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Yell Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 They're currently 8th graders. Try this. http://www.classicalastronomy.com/SignsSeasons.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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