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Policies and Regulations

This information pertains to distance learning through Thompson Rivers University, Open Learning (TRU-OL). If you require information about on-campus learning at TRU, click here.

3. Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR)

3.1 General Information
3.2 Course Challenge
3.3 Porfolio-Assisted Assessment
3.4 Eligibility and Scope
3.5 Residency Requirement
3.6 Credit Transfer
3.7 Transcription
3.8 Grading
3.9 Challenge Restrictions
3.10 Fees and Expenses
3.11 Cancellation and Withdrawal

3.1 General Information

  1. TRU-OL recognizes that adults acquire skills and knowledge through their life experience, beyond the learning acquired through formal education. TRU-OL offers methods to assess this non-formal or prior learning.
  2. Prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) methods are available to students in programs offered through TRU-OL and may include challenge examinations, portfolio-assisted assessment, workplace assessment, and/or other types of assessment methods.
  3. PLAR credit is not used in graduation grade point average (GPA) calculations.

3.2 Course Challenge

  1. Course challenge examination is a method for assessing whether applicants who have acquired knowledge other than by formal study may receive credit for specified courses. Tutorial support is not provided to applicants challenging a course.

    Depending on the course, a challenge examination may be a scheduled examination written at an examination centre, or it may be a project completed at the applicant's home or workplace.

    Application for course challenge must be indicated at the time of course registration and is considered on an individual basis.

  2. TRU-OL courses delivered by SFU or UVic listed on this website are normally not available for challenge.

3.3 Portfolio-Assisted Assessment

    Portfolio-assisted assessment allows applicant to document and demonstrate her or his knowledge of a given discipline and placement-related skills appropriate to an educational goal by presenting a personal learning portfolio - either as a stand-alone document or as a set of documents or in combination with, for example, a performance tape, a demonstration of skills, or a personal interview. The assessment method depends on the subject area and the program requirements.

3.4 Eligibility and Scope

  1. Eligibility for PLAR credit varies by the program offered through TRU-OL.
  2. Program areas of TRU-OL determine which programs are eligible for PLAR and which PLAR methods are used.
  3. Program areas of TRU-OL determine the amount of credit earned through PLAR that may be used to meet the requirements of a credential. Details are provided by program areas of TRU-OL.

Residency Requirement

    The residency requirement for a program offered by TRU-OL may be met with credits earned by PLAR through TRU-OL.

3.6 Credit Transfer

  1. TRU-OL accepts credits earned through PLAR from all BC post-secondary institutions that have formally adopted the recommended BC provincial standards. Such credit is applied in the context of requirements of programs offered through TRU-OL.
  2. TRU-OL reserves the right to reassess credit awarded by other institutions through PLAR on an individual basis.
  3. It is the responsibility of applicants planning to transfer TRU-OL PLAR credits to another institution to check with the receiving institution to ensure that PLAR credits are acceptable.

3.7 Transcription

    TRU-OL transcripts identify credit earned through course challenge and other PLAR methods.

3.8 Grading

  1. Program areas of TRU-OL determine what is a passing grade for a challenge examination.
  2. An “S” (Satisfactory) grade is recorded on the transcripts of students who satisfactorily complete the PLAR process and are awarded credit.

3.9 Challenge Restrictions

  1. Students must be admitted to a program offered through TRU-OL to be eligible for the course challenge method of PLAR.
  2. Students who are registered in a course and want to obtain credit for the course by challenging the examination are required to withdraw or cancel the course registration within the permitted deadlines and submit a separate application with the required fees to write the challenge examination.
  3. Students who are registered in a course and have submitted one or more assignments or have written the final examination are not permitted to write a challenge examination for the course.
  4. Students who want to challenge a language course may do so only at the third- or fourth-year university level if the language course coincides with their first language and they have received their secondary education in that language. This restriction does not apply to lower-level literature courses.
  5. Applicants may not register for course challenge for any course that they have previously challenged unsuccessfully through TRU-OL.

3.10 Fees and Expenses

  1. The fees vary for portfolio-assisted assessment, workplace assessment, and/or other types of assessment methods, excluding challenge; are dependent on the program; and are provided at the time of application for PLAR.
  2. All costs associated with PLAR for a course or program of study are the responsibility of the applicant. Such costs may include long-distance phone calls to an assessor, travel to an assessment site, and mailing a portfolio to an assessor.

3.11 Cancellation and Withdrawal

    As assessment processes vary depending on the learning outcomes being assessed, cancellation and withdrawal opportunities are limited and are determined by the program areas.