I've decided to compile all the information I've received over the past year into one area. This information is correct as of today, and subject to change, because sometimes Universities like to change things. Regardless, it's a good place to start.
Attending a smaller university can be wonderful- you have all the wonderful perks of a more hands on, caring environment where you have Professors who know you by name and are (usually) willing to help you. You also don't get lost in the crowd.
There can be challenges though. Courses don't necessarily run as frequently in some departments, or perhaps a course that you're interested in isn't offered, or heck, maybe you just want to spend your summers fast tracking through courses to get your degree over with, or just need one more class to graduate.
Whatever your reason, taking a couple of courses via Distance Education might be right for you.
The best place to start is: Canadian Virtual University This website does its best to compile all the courses available via Distance Education at Canadian Universities. I've linked you directly to the courses by subject page, which is my favourite, but feel free to browse around.
A few things to keep in mind when going through this.
- Distance education courses are usually more expensive.
- If you are not a resident of the province the university is in, you may pay an extra fee (example: If you're an Alberta resident who is attending UPEI, Athabasca will charge you less than a PEI or Ontario resident who wants to take a course through Athabasca)
- UPEI degree requirements still are in effect (I'll go over these later)
- Some courses are only offered occasionally, some you can start any time, and some have specific times they start/finish.
- Some universities are really easy to register for courses, and some are really hard!
You've found a course you like. Now what?
Go onto the website of the University (usually by clicking the course of interest) that's offering it and see what you need to take the course- Are there prerequisites? What do you need to do to register?
Some schools- like Athabasca, Thompson Rivers and Laurentian make it really easy to take a course. You fill out some information, your school sends them something (sometimes) and you're ready to go! Others, like MUN make it very difficult, and require you to be accepted as a student before registering for online courses. This is a much longer process.
Also look at how long you have to complete the course, but if they give you 6 months, don't leave it until the last minute. Set your own guidelines for when you'll have things finished, and stick to them!
See how the course is graded. Are there exams? Do you have to be present for the exams (this is fairly rare but a few Universities require it or make you find a proctor at an additional fee)? Are they online? Some courses will require you to have an approved proctor that you find, at no additional fee, even for online exams. Student Affairs can help you with this! (They are located above the bookstore). Some Universities don't require exams (they base mark on projects and online quizzes) or allow you to take the exam from the comfort of your own home... or library... or wherever.
Alright, so you've found a course, you know how to register for it... so how do you get credit for it?
BEFORE REGISTERING for the course, you need to get UPEI's approval that they'll give you credit for this course.
This is fairly easy.
Step One: E-mail the chair of the department associated with the course. Tell them you are interested in taking a Distance Education course and would like to know if you can receive credit for the course. Send them the course description (you can usually copy and paste this off of the website, or link it to them). Let them know what University is offering the course. Tell them your major/minor. It may take a few days for them to get back to you.
Here's an example:
Dear Dr. *insert last name*,
My name is Elyse *last name*, I'm a 3rd year student doing a BSc with a double major in Psychology and Diversity and Social Justice Studies and a minor in Biology. I am interested in taking a Distance Education course through Thompson Rivers University and was wondering if I would be able to receive credit for it. The course is BIOL 3431: Plants and People. The course description and outline can be found: http://www.tru.ca/distance/courses/biol3431.html
Thank you for your time,
Sincerely,
Elyse *last name*
They may ask you for additional information.
Step Two: Once you've received their approval, you will need their signature on the Letter of Permission form. Fill out all the information before dropping it off to the Administrative Assistant for the department affiliated with the course you're taking. They may ask you if you'd like them to forward it to the Registrar once they're done or if you'd like to pick it up. It's up to you which is better.
Once it's made it's way to the Registrar it may take a couple of days for approval. Make sure your e-mail address is on the form because they will e-mail you a copy of the approved permission form once they've completed it.
Now you're ready to register for your course through the University you've chosen!
Every University is a bit different for what they require. Feel free to e-mail or call the university if you need assistance registering for a course.
Want funding for the course?
You may qualify for funding. This varies depending on which province you're from. I can only offer you information as an Ontario resident. For me, once the Registrar approved the course, I was able to include the cost of the course in my application for funding before registering in the course. You need to talk to the Registrar's office, give them information on the Distance Education course (Who it's through, how much it costs). For OSAP (Ontario Loans) they included this information on my application, and OSAP covered the cost of it.
I think this should be the same for every province (since you're getting the credit through UPEI) but it may not be the same. Talk to the registrar's office about your specific situation, they'll be able to find out!
Last Step!
Once you've received a passing grade in your course, you'll have to arrange for your grades to be sent to UPEI. Sometimes you can do this through the University you've taken the course from (by asking them to send it to UPEI), sometimes UPEI has to make the request. Find out from the University.
Despite this seeming like a very long post, it's actually pretty easy to do.
There are a few degree requirements( Regulation 1) that apply to online course:
- 30 of your 42 semester hours for your Major still need to have a grade of 60 or higher. (So do well on the Distance Education courses!)
- No more than forty-eight (48) semester hours of credit may be taken at the introductory level in any degree or diploma program, except in a Bachelor of Music program. (Watch out for the 100 level courses)
- A candidate for a degree must complete at least one-half of the required course work at UPEI; normally, these will be the final 60 semester-hours of the degree.
- In the last 60 semester-hours of work toward a UPEI degree, students will receive credit for no more than 12 semester-hours of study completed at another university. (This is a big one! If you're in your last year, you can only do a maximum of 3 courses worth 3 credits each unless you have permission from the Dean. Which is rare)
Feel free to comment if you have any questions, I'm happy to try and answer them :)
Good luck and happy studying!
Elyse
