How it works
Independent Study courses are self-paced non-term-based correspondence courses using either print-based or online course guides. You can begin a course any day of the year (exept holidays) and work directly with the instructor to complete the required coursework within one to 12 months (with the option of a six-month extension). There are no classroom sessions.
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Here's what you do: 1.
Choose a Course and Register
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See
these topics below:
Grading Options |
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Click on College Courses to find courses you wish to take. The course descriptions provide details on course content and recommended prerequisites. If the course description lists prerequisites, you should complete those courses first. You will earn quarter-hour credits for these courses from the sponsoring institution indicated in the course description. All courses are accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. You do not have to meet entrance requirements to enroll in Independent Study courses. Enrollment does not constitute standing at Portland State University. This means that you cannot use enrollment in PSU Independent Study Program courses to establish yourself as a part-time or full-time PSU student for academic funding or other purposes, such as financial aid, loan deferment, etc. Talk to Your AdvisorYou may transfer Independent Study credits you earn toward a degree to most schools; however, each school has its own policies regarding the transfer of correspondence credits. You are responsible for finding out if your school will accept these credits. Talk to your department or degree advisor before registering to be assured that your credits will transfer. Academic RequirementsIndependent Study academic requirements are established by participating academic departments. Although there are no entrance requirements for enrollment, some courses have prerequisites. Students who have not met the requirements of a course they enroll in may find the work difficult and may be asked by the instructor to either document successful completion of the prerequisite or to withdraw from the course until they are able to successfully complete the prerequisite course. Credit/Use of Credit (Degrees/Diplomas/Certificates)Portland State University does not offer a degree through Independent Study. All Independent Study coursework is treated as transfer credit. For regulations regarding the amount of correspondence credit that may be applied to a degree program, students must consult the registrar at the institution where they plan to earn their degree. College-level programs of the Oregon State System of Higher Education are administered on the quarter system and college credit is measured in quarter hours. Independent Study is accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Enrollment through the Independent Study Program does not constitute standing at Portland State University. This means that you cannot use Independent Study course enrollment(s) to establish yourself as a part-time or full-time Portland State University student for academic funding or other such purposes, such as financial aid, loan deferment, etc. Dual Credit (Expanded Options Program) Available High school students can take college courses and earn both high school and college credit (dual credit) at the same time. You may select any of the lower-division university courses (course numbers between 100 and 299). Fill out the college registration form and complete the Dual Credit section on the first page. Be sure to sign both signature sections on the first page. This allows us to send your college course grade to your high school. Select Your Preferred Grading Option When you register, you may choose to get a letter grade or a pass/no-pass grade. Letter grades are assigned as follows: A, exceptional; B, superior; C, average; D, inferior; F, failure. Your work must average a C- level or better to earn a Pass grade.Changing Your Grade Option: If you want to change from one grade option to the other, you must request that change in writing before you complete one-half of the required coursework. You may change your grade option only one time for each course and only during the first six months after you register for the course. Select Your Preferred Course Delivery Option Some courses
have the course guide available in two different formats. The choice
is yours. 2) Online Option: Distance Learning Fee: $25. Provides you with identical instructor-authored course guide information in a navigable Website. We are regularly adding online courses; you can check the Online Courses page linked from the menu on the left for an updated list. In addition, each course description will indicate if the course is online. All online courses have a syllbus and sample lesson and assignment for you to preview to help inform your decision before enrolling. If the online option is available for the course you want, enter the Distance Learning fee in the right hand column of the registration form. We will send you a user name and initial password that you can use to enter the course homepage. Most all courses will require the purchase of a textbook and other course materials. You can choose to work online with the hyperlinked course guide and the automated email functions, or you can work offline by saving the course guide pages or pdf file to your hard drive, or by printing them. Some assignments may require you to print out and write on worksheets that you must mail to the instructor. If you select online access to your course on your registration form, we will not mail you a printed course guide. You can purchase a printed course guide for $5 (plus a $5 shipping fee if we mail it to you). Credit
by Exam Option Students are
allowed to demonstrate composition proficiency at Portland State
University in one of four ways: Register
You can start
your course on the day you register. Our office is open Monday through
Friday from 8 am to 5 pm Pacific Time throughout the year except
for national holidays. REGISTRATION
FORM ONLINE : Click on the Registration link on the left side
menu. The university registration form uses Adobe Acrobat. Print
out the form, fill it in, and sign and date the boxes that require
signature. SUBMIT YOUR
REGISTRATION form as you prefer: Course Tuition: (effective December 21, 2005)
Fees: (effective December 21, 2005)
The Office of Independent Study does not award financial aid. If you are enrolled full-time at a college or university, check with your financial aid officer to find out if financial aid will support Independent Study courses. If you are a full-time student and your school approves Independent Study courses, you may be eligible for Veterans' benefits. Notify your school that you have registered for an Independent Study course. The Veterans' Administration requires you to complete these courses in one term, or they will be listed on your transcript as an incomplete until you finish them. Tuition Assistance is available for active soldiers, national guard, and reservists. Visit the GoArmEd.com website for more information.The Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Educational Support program (DANTES) has approved the courses in this catalog. If you are a member of the Armed Forces, talk to your education officer or nearest Education Center about how DANTES supports your enrollment in Independent Study. NOTE: You must pay all tuition and fees at the time of registration. The Disability Resource Center (DRC) is a University resource promoting barrier-free environments (physical, program, information, attitude), which means ensuring the rights of students with disabilities and assisting the University with meeting its obligations under federal and state statutes. The DRC works to ensure access to University courses, programs, facilities, services, and activities by documenting disabilities and providing or arranging reasonable accommodations, academic adjustments, auxiliary aids and services, training, consultation, and technical assistance. If you need accessibility accommodation to take an Independent Study course, please contact the DRC.
Course Guides After you register, you will receive a course guide for each course in the mail or a user identification and password to access the course online. The course guide contains complete information about course requirements, submitting assignments for instructor comment and feedback, and taking proctored exams. When you receive the course guide, read the introduction to make sure it is the class you want. If it is not, please read the directions in the Withdrawal section below for a refund. Textbooks
& Materials Your course
guide will include information about the textbook(s) and other course
materials that you will need to purchase. We work directly with
Specialty Books, Inc., to provide you access to university course
textbooks. You may order books from them by phone, email, online,
or by mail: Specialty Books also has a textbook buy-back program. please visit their website for additional information.If you purchase your textbooks from any other bookstore, please make sure you select the correct materials by matching the title, author, edition, copyright date, and ISBN information in your course guide. Time Limits/Extensions Most people can complete Independent Study college courses in three or four months. You have 12 months to complete your course from the date you registered. At the end of that time, you may extend your completion date by six months for a fee of $30. If you are considering completing your college course in less than one month, you must make arrangements with your instructor. The course instructor makes the final decision about whether you may complete the course on a shortened schedule. NOTE: Allow an additional three weeks for exam and grade processing after you submit all of your required work (assignments and exams) before your grade will be reported on your Portland State University transcript. NOTE: Credit-By-Exam courses have a maximum six month enrollment period; no extension is allowed.
Look for helpful information on how to to organize your studies to successfully complete Independent Study courses on the Course Assistance page. It also contains specific information on how to use email to communicate with your instructor and our office, how to study online in one of our Web-supported courses, and how to use the Web effectively to support your coursework. If you cannot find the answers to your questions here, you may email the Office of Independent Study staff or contact the office by telephone (503-725-4865 or 1-800-547-8887 ext. 4865) for additional help. ExamsWhen you are ready for an exam, send the Exam Request Form included in your course guide to Independent Study. You must take your last exam and complete all of your course work before your 12-month deadline (18-month deadline for course you have extended). All examinations must be supervised by a proctor. Acceptable proctors are listed at this link. You will also find the same information on the Exam Request Form in your printed course guide or in the Exam Request Information Web page of an online course. Most students ask counselors or librarians at their school to serve as a proctor. Some college and universities have testing centers that can also proctor our exams for you. Please note that teachers cannot act as proctors. You are responsible for making your own arrangements to take the exam and for paying any associated fees. We will mail your exam to the proctor and send you a notice confirming that the exam has been sent. The proctor sends your completed exam to the instructor for grading. Academic HonestyWhen you submit the registration form, you promise to follow the Academic Honesty policy of Portland State University. Academic honesty is a cornerstone of any meaningful education and a reflection of each student's maturity and integrity. The Student Conduct Code, which applies to all students, prohibits all forms of academic cheating, fraud, and dishonesty. These acts include, but are not limited to, plagiarism, buying and selling of course assignments and research papers, performing academic assignments (including tests and examinations) for other persons, unauthorized disclosure and receipt of academic information, and other practices commonly understood to be academically dishonest. Acts of academic dishonesty may result in one or more of the following sanctions: a failing grade on the exam or assignment for which the dishonesty occurred, a formal disciplinary reprimand, disciplinary probation, and/or loss of privileges.
Independent Study courses appear on a Portland State University transcript as "Correspondence Courses" once you have completed the course. They are treated by most universities and colleges, including Portland State University (PSU), as transfer credits. Please check with the university to which you intend to transfer these credits concerning any policies limitations that might affect you before registering for a Portland State Independent Study course. NOTE: Portland State students should read the policy covering correspondence credit under the heading "Transfer Credits" in the Undergraduate Admissions section of the General Catalog Issue of the PSU Bulletin. GradesYou will receive
a grade report when you complete the course. You may order official college transcripts from the Portland State Registrar's Office. Their website gives you details of how to order transcripts. Course TransfersYou may transfer from one Independent Study course to another within 30 days after you register if you have not submitted any work. There is a $20 course transfer fee. You may make only one transfer per course. You may not transfer your course to another student. Course WithdrawalIf you have not submitted any work and you formally withdraw within 30 days after you register, you will get a full refund. If you formally withdraw after 30 days, we will refund 75% of your tuition. A $20 fee for each lesson or examination mailed to the instructor will be deducted from all refunds. We will not refund any tuition after 60 days of the initial registration date. Refunds take four to six weeks to process. The $20 registration fee is non-refundable.
To withdraw, complete the withdrawal form and mail it to Independent Study, PO Box 1491, Portland, OR 97207-1491 or fax it to 503-725-4880. FERPA Forms (Federal Educational Rights
and Privacy Act)For additional
information, see the following website: http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.shtmll Generally, schools must have written permission from the student in order to release any information from a student's education record. However, FERPA allows schools to disclose those records, without consent, to the following parties or under the following conditions (34 CFR § 99.31):
Portland State
University supports equal opportunity in admissions, education,
employment, and the use of facilities by prohibiting discrimination
in those areas based on race, color, creed or religion, sex, national
origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, or veteran's status.
This policy implements state and federal law (including Title IX).
Inquiries should be directed to the Office of Affirmative Action,
122 Cramer Hall, 503-725-4417, 503-725-6503 TTY. |
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