St. Linus University

Conversion Courses

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A conversion course is a form of equivalency. We can turn your certificates into a degree. We shall customize your curriculum based on the academic alignment of free online courses that you have finished from Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) plus the results of your PLAR (prior learning assessment and recognition).

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The MOOC platforms below will enable you to learn the best free online courses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alternatively, you can go to class central--a listing of online courses. They aggregate courses from many providers to make it easy to find the best courses on almost any subject, wherever they exist. They focus primarily on free (or free to audit) courses from universities, offered through MOOC platforms.

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What is PLAR?

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Prior learning assessment and recognition is the process of identifying, assessing and recognizing what a person knows and is able to do for the purpose of awarding academic credit in a course or program. PLAR works like the French Validation des Acquis de l'Expérience (VAE). The learning may be formal, informal, non-formal, or experiential. The context of the learning is not key to the process as the focus is on the learning. PLAR processes can be undertaken for several purposes, including self-knowledge, credit or advanced standing at an academic institution, for employment, licensure, career planning or recruitment. Some HEIs, however, use PLAR to describe processes associated with assessment and recognition of non-formal and informal learning only. Tools such as "challenge" exams, demonstrations, structured interviews, simulations and portfolios can be used alone or in combination, for experiential learning and competency assessment in such instances.

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Here are three good reasons to participate in PLAR:

1. The process of looking back on your past experiences and reflecting on what you learned can help you take stock of your skills and abilities and set career and educational goals. In turn, these goals can help you begin to build upon what you already know and can do.

2. The PLAR process makes it possible for educational institutions, workplaces, professional bodies and other organizations to assess your knowledge and skills.

3. The PLAR process can help you save time and money by filling in the gaps in your learning without having to repeat things you already know and can do.

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Credit for Learning, not Experience per se

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The idea behind PLAR is that the learning that takes place

• in different educational settings and

• through experience outside classrooms

 

Learning experiences are important, but it is essential to understand that learning does not come automatically with experience and learning differs from person to person. Credit and recognition is given when you demonstrate and validate learning from experiences and not for the experiences themselves. In fact, the Golden Rule of PLAR is: “credit for learning, not experience” per se. You can get certified for skills, abilities, knowledge, and competencies (SAKC) you already have. SAKC is defined below in the context of PLAR.

• SKILL. A skill is something learned through experience. It is used to carry out complex activities or job functions to achieve pre-determined results.

• ABILITY. An inherent or acquired faculty for doing or achieving something. In typical educational practice, the terms 'abilities' and 'aptitudes' are used interchangeably to denote an individual's potential for acquiring and applying new knowledge or skills.

• KNOWLEDGE. Knowledge is the level of education, experience or training that an individual must have at a minimum to be considered qualified for a role. 

• COMPETENCE. Competence is defined as the ability to do something successfully or efficiently. It is a measure of both proven skills and proven knowledge. A competent person is defined as a person who is appointed or designated by the employer to perform specified duties based on knowledge, training and experience.

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In PLAR, and in VAE, it is learning, not experience, that counts. Our job is to discover learning in/from your lifelong experiences. What is more, depending upon your goal, your SAKC must be related to or be measured against the workplace own standards, professional/technical skills and competencies as identified by professional bodies, or learning outcomes as described in the course outlines of various higher education institutions.