School of Computing and Information Systems - Challenging courses

The challenge for credit process is intended for students with prior learning in the subject matter of the course. Such prior knowledge may have been obtained by taking a similar course at another university or college in circumstances where transfer credit for the course could not be obtained, for example from a foreign university or from an extension department. It may have been obtained through on-the-job training, or through extensive private study. However, in all cases it is specialist knowledge that the student already possesses in the subject area of a particular Athabasca University course.

If you believe that you have prior learning in an academic subject covered by an undergraduate Computing and Information System course and you wish to challenge that course, you must e-mail the course professor, asking for permission to attempt to challenge the course. It is essential that you include the full details of when, where, and how you obtained your prior knowledge for that learning. The professor will then assess whether you have a reasonable chance of successfully completing the challenge procedure.

The steps are as follows:

1. Read the course syllabus available on the main AU website.
2. Read the challenge for credit process information provided by the Office of the Registrar.
3. Contact the course coordinator to obtain permission to challenge the course.
4. Complete the Challenge for Credit Application. You will also schedule the exam at this time. You may wish to e-mail the SCIS contact person to discuss the scheduling of the Challenge Project and final exam. Remember the exam may cover material from the project so you should complete the project before taking the examination. If you wish, you may purchase a copy of the online course materials.