It is the policy of the College that upon successful completion of a program of studies, students will be awarded one of four parchments:
1. Certificate in (Program Title)
2. Diploma in (Program Title)
3. Advanced Diploma in (Program Title)
4. Certificate in Continuing Studies in (Program/Course Title)
To qualify for a diploma, an advanced diploma, or a certificate, students must meet the following requirements:
Students who do not complete their diploma program in the prescribed time frame from first registration may complete the program by following the regulations in effect at the time of first registration, provided the program is completed in not more than three years beyond the regular date of completion. A student who does not complete a program within these prescribed time limits may be required to complete additional courses or to repeat certain courses before being deemed eligible to receive the diploma.
Students who return to complete a Diploma in Technology may not receive credit for courses that were completed more than five years prior to the date of re-admission.
[top]Students may receive advanced standing for up to 75% of the content of the program to which they have been admitted on the basis of successful completion of this content in the same or similar programs at another college and as assessed by the College.
Applicants who wish to be considered for advanced standing should submit an application with the following documents:
Deadline for receipt of applications by the Registrar is four weeks following registration date.
Students seeking advanced standing will not be excused from any course until written authority has been received from the Office of the Registrar.
[top]When Transfer of Credit is awarded, the College will accept the passing grade awarded by the institution and this mark will be used in the calculation of the GPA. Transfer of credit is used only if the course number and course content is the same.
[top]Exemption status is granted if the course has a minimum of 70% equivalency in the course material required. When exemption status is awarded, no mark is reported on the transcript and the GPA is not affected. The College will consider exemptions for courses if the student received a passing grade.
The College will accept any credit course from a recognized public post-secondary institution as an exemption for a general elective even if that course is not offered at the College. In some programs, electives must be chosen from a designated group of courses, in which case a general elective cannot be used as a substitute.
[top]It is the policy of the College that students will be given every opportunity to receive credit for past learning experience through a comprehensive systematic process of evaluation referred to as Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR).
Credits awarded for Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition will be recorded on the student transcript as an exemption or a mark.
The maximum number of credits that can be awarded through the Prior Learning Assessment process is 75% of the number required to complete the certificate/diploma.
[top]The College will recognize course work completed in other programs/courses that fulfill the requirements for a designated percentage of the program in which the student is now applying. When students are granted a block transfer, their academic grades will be calculated beginning at the point of entry to the program.
[top]A credit is a weighted value of a course based on the depth and breadth of the learning objectives. For the purpose of assigning credit values, the measurement of learning objectives is usually accomplished by equating the value with the period of time scheduled to deliver the content in the conventional lecture methodology as follows:
Learning Objectives scheduled for delivery in a one hour period per week per semester constitutes a one credit value; therefore a course that is scheduled for three hours per week per semester represents a three credit value.
However, the actual process in achieving competency in specified learning objectives can be accomplished via a second equally legitimate and pedagogically sound methodology; that is, individualized student-centered. In this latter methodology, which embraces distance delivery, time is a flexible factor, fixed schedules do not apply and the process is student driven. This is in contrast to the conventional lecture mode which is teacher-directed with fixed learning times and schedules. The one constant for both modes is the set of learning objectives.
Therefore, credit value is assigned by determining the equivalent time required if the learning objectives were delivered in the conventional mode and applying the formula as described under the definition of a credit.
Grade Point Marking System: The percentage mark in any course is converted to a grade point according to the following table:
| 80% and over 70%, 75% 60%, 65% 50%, 55% Below 50% |
4 3 2 1 0 |
The grade point average is obtained by multiplying the credit value of each course in the program by the grade point obtained in that course. The sum of all the products is then divided by the total number of credits.
When a course is repeated or a supplementary examination is written, the highest mark attained will be used in the calculation of the grade point average.
When students complete more than the minimum number of electives, students are able to select which electives will be used in the calculation of the GPA by making application at the Registrar's Office. Without such application, the Registrar will select for calculation purposes the required number of electives as recorded chronologically on the transcript.