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Alternative Credit Pathways

Advanced Standing

Advanced Standing refers to pre-existing qualifications or experience used to gain admission to a course. This is distinct from Recognition of Prior Learning or RPL (below) which refers to pre-existing qualifications and/or experience being used to gain partial credit within a course.

Three-year trained principals may be granted entry into a Master of Education course if they have:

• Been a principal for five or more years
• Attended two principals' conferences (peer certified)
• Attended two national Christian education conferences or the equivalent (peer certified)
• Been the subject of an approved peer appraisal process
• Completed a 6000 word equivalent portfolio including professional development activities, innovations, publications, professional membership and experience, curriculum development, professional reading, staff development and relevant achievements

Recognition of Prior Learing

Students can receive credit for up to 50 percent of their course if no accredited qualification has been received for the study for which they are seeking RPL. For a previously accredited qualification, students may be granted up to 25 percent credit into their course. No more than 33 percent of a previous qualification can be credited to a CCHE course.

Postgraduate Studies at Other Institutions

Postgraduate study at an accredited institution and which has not already been used as qualification for entry into CCHE courses may be considered for credit under the Recognition of Prior Learning category.

Professional Development Units

Professional Development Units (PDUs) are a form of recognition of prior learning (RPL) in which credit may be granted for participating in or presenting at approved professional development activities. Applications for credit will be accepted for professional development activities covering the period up to one year prior to course enrolment. Requirements for PDU credit vary depending on the type of activity undertaken.

Requirements for PDU (Participant)

Students need to attend three inservice/conference activities within a four year period to gain credit for one unit. Each activity should have occurred no more than one year prior to submitting paperwork for each event.

For each of the three activities, in addition to attending the PD activity, students will be required to:

• Find two journal articles (or equivalent) related to the topic of the inservice or conference and write a 500 word review on each article
• Write a 1000 word paper which outlines the main points from the conference and their reading, critique this from a biblical worldview perspective and indicate how it will impact their teaching practice.

Requirements for PDU (Presenter)

• Students need to present two papers/workshops within a four year period to gain credit for one unit. Each activity should have occurred no more than one year prior to submitting paperwork for each presentation.
• In addition to the material presented at the PD activity, students will need to outline the details related to the development and delivery of the presentation.
• At least one of the activities needs to be submitted in the form of a paper suitable for publication in a professional journal such as Nurture or Christian Teachers Journal.

Requirements for PDU (Staff Appraisal and Professional Learning)

There are three possible pathways for obtaining this PDU:

• Staff Appraisal Process in which students undertake an NICE approved appraisal process and complete a 4000 word equivalent portfolio on the process including the professional development goals developed and the strategies to achieve these goals
• Individual Professional Learning in which students undertake an NICE approved professional learning process with an NICE approved supervisor/mentor) that includes the development and implementation of professional learning goals and strategies and also complete a 4000 word equivalent portfolio on the strategy implementation and achievement of goals.
• School-Based Professional Learning in which students, with an NICE approved, school-based trainer, successfully complete a systematic, one-year, school-based professional learning process involving study, in-class application, review and evaluation

Requirements for PDU (Four-Year Trained Principals)

Four year trained principals can obtain up to 50 percent credit towards and MEd if they have:

• Been a principal for five or more years
• Attended two principals' conferences (peer certified)
• Attended two national Christian education conferences or the equivalent (peer certified)
• Completed and submitted for evaluation and acceptance a 6000 word equivalent portfolio including professional development activities, innovations, publications, professional membership and experience, curriculum development, professional reading, staff development and relevant achievements.
• Completed an approved peer appraisal process.

Requirements for PDU (Short Course Participation)

There are two options for completing their short course PDU.

• Students will be required to complete four subjects of theological studies (e.g. Moore College, Presbyterian Theological Centre) and write four 1000 word essays on the implications of the course content on education within a bilbical worldview framework
• Students will be required to attend a short course of at least 16 hours of instruction by a certified presenter and write a 4000 word essay on the implications of the course content to education within a biblical worldview framework

Requirements for PDU (School-Based Curriculum Development)

Students will be required to produce a curriculum development (3000 words) and compile a process portfolio (3000 word equivalent). The process portfolio should include a proposal, situation analysis, development, resource research and communal involvement.

Requirements for PDU (School Induction Process)

Students seeking credit for completing an NICE endorsed school induction program will be required to:

• Provide a summary of the contents of the school-based induction process
• Submit either a 2000 word equivalent essay on the distinctives of Christian schooling or school-based projects or written assignments that were required as part of the induction process

This will enable the student to obtain credit in one of the two following ways:

1. ED401/501 Assessment Credit in which credit will be granted for up to 50 percent of assessment for the unit. In addition to completing this form students will need to register for ED401/501, work through the unit material and contribute to the online forums. The assessment work required to complete ED401/501 will be decided in liaison with NICE academic staff.
2. PDU Partial Credit in which student may apply for credit towards 2/3 of a full PDU

Forms and Fees

For details of fees associated with the various forms of RPL and Advanced Standing see theFeespage.

Forms for applying for Advanced Standing and the various types of RPL can be found in the Information Centre on NICEOnline. If you are not currently studying with NICE it will be necessary to log in as a guest to access this page.

Updated on 23 July 2008