The definition of what it means to be cool is the latest assignment for Dual Credit Composition I with students being able to take their work in virtually any direction.

“Students are writing an essay about what cool is through the lens of something they think is cool,” professor Lisa Jackson said. “The main reason I have students do this assignment is because it allows student choice, and is a set topic that still has flexibility”

For senior Pratham Shah the creative writing assignment helps give him a different perspective on what others think of a certain topic.

“We were tasked with writing about what we think is cool and why for our Composition I class,” Shah said. “I believe it’s beneficial for me as it gives me perspective in life on how everyone has a different opinion and sometimes it may not match with me, and that’s okay. I chose to write about why being a dance teacher is so rewarding.”

For students, such as junior Tayyaba Mazhar, freedom within the assignment makes working on the essay more gratifying for students.

“It’s a good topic because there is so much freedom in what everyone wants to write about,” Mazhar said. “It’s a lot different than a sophomore English class where we were given something specific to write about so everyone basically ended up with the same paper.”

Along with being more interesting for students, the topic’s freedom leads to more successful results in Jackson’s eyes.

“The reason the assignment works is because students can choose something that is interesting to them,” Jackson said. “That way, they’re more engaged with the assignment, and they’re more successful when they can write about what they like.”