Frequently asked Questions
What courses are offered?
Nipissing offers a wide variety of courses including:
One-session AQs
Three-session AQs leading to Specialist Qualifications
ABQs (Primary, Junior, Intermediate and Senior)
Honour Specialist Qualifications
Principal’s Qualification Program
Courses are offered online, through correspondence, and face-to-face in many
locations across Ontario (Barrie, Bracebridge, Brantford, North Bay, Ottawa,
Renfrew County, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Timmins, and York Region)
For course descriptions go to:
http://www.nipissingu.ca/academics/faculties/schulich-school-of-education/pdfor-teachers/courses--programs/Pages/Course-Descriptions.aspx
For course listings go to:
http://www.nipissingu.ca/academics/faculties/schulich-school-of-education/pdfor-teachers/courses--programs/listing/Pages/default.aspx
and
http://www.nipissingu.ca/academics/faculties/schulich-school-of-education/pdfor-teachers/Pages/BEd-Intersession.aspx
Are the courses offered online?
We offer a large selection of additional qualification courses online in our
Spring/Summer, Fall/Winter, and Winter/Spring sessions.
For a list of upcoming online courses go to:
http://www.nipissingu.ca/academics/faculties/schulich-school-of-education/pdfor-teachers/courses--programs/listing/Pages/Online-Courses.aspx
Where can I take a face-to-face (on-site) course?
We offer courses in Barrie, Bracebridge, Brantford, North Bay, Ottawa, Renfrew
County, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Timmins, and York Region. The number and
range of courses offered depends on the location.
ABQ courses are generally offered face-to-face only during our May intersession in
North Bay and Brantford. If that session is not convenient, students are advised to
take the ABQ courses online.
For a list of upcoming on-site courses go to:
http://www.nipissingu.ca/academics/faculties/schulich-school-of-education/pdfor-teachers/courses--programs/listing/Pages/On-Site-Courses.aspx
What is the difference between ABQ and AQ courses?
Additional Basic Qualification courses are courses that lead to qualification in a
division beyond the two that are part of your BEd program.
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Primary ABQ (Grades K-3)
Junior ABQ (Grades 4-6)
Intermediate ABQ (Grades 7-10) – various teaching subjects
Senior ABQ (Grades 11 and 12) – various teaching subjects
Additional Qualification courses focus in on specific areas to expand on
qualifications. These can be one-session stand-alone courses (e.g., Alternative
Education, Teaching Combined Grades, Autism, etc.) or three-session courses (taken
in 3 parts) that lead to a specialist qualification (e.g., Special Education, ESL, FSL,
Guidance, Cooperative Ed., Reading, Kindergarten, etc.)
When are Additional Qualification courses offered?
Courses are offered through a range of delivery modes and in several sessions
throughout the year.
On-line courses: Spring/Summer (late May to mid August), Fall/Winter (early
October to late December), Winter/Spring (late January to late April).
Correspondence (Special Ed. only): Spring/Summer (early May to mid August),
Fall/Winter (after Thanksgiving until before March Break), Winter/Spring (early
January to April)
On-site (Face-to-Face): May and June Intersession (4-week courses geared to recent
BEd grads), month of July, Fall/Winter (early October to before March Break),
Winter/Spring (late January to mid May), Spring (intensive courses from late March
to mid June).
Academic Year Chart
Course Listings
How many AQ courses can you be enrolled in at the same time?
You can only take one on-site course at a time (i.e., one in May, one in June). You can
take multiple courses if you choose to do one or more through distance. If you
choose to take multiple courses at once, you need to be aware of the rigourous
workload you are taking on and should not expect course assignment extensions
from your instructors.
How much does an AQ course cost?
The fee for AQ course is $650 and the fee for ABQ courses is $750.
Students should be aware that these courses are not eligible for OSAP funding.
Do you need to be a certified teacher before taking an AQ course?
For those graduating from Ontario Faculties of Education, you must have completed
your entire program of study (must be verified by your Dean) and you must have
applied to the Ontario College of Teachers for certification (you must provide a valid
OCT number). You do not need to wait until after convocation or after your
certificate has been issued.
Graduates from outside Ontario must wait until their permanent OCT certificate has
been issued (is in-hand).
How many people can be enrolled in a course?
Online and correspondence courses are generally capped at 20-25 students with
popular courses having multiple sections. On-site courses are generally capped at
40 students or the maximum a room will hold (if less than 40).
We prefer to run courses only if they have 10 or more students, however, we do
occasionally make an exception.
Does Nipissing offer Special Education, Pts I, II, and III?
These are our highest enrolment courses and are offered online, through
correspondence, and face-to-faced in several locations.
When are the deadlines to register for AQ courses?
Important dates and deadlines can be found online at:
Academic Year Chart
Can you be in any division to take AQ courses?
Yes. You do not usually need to be in a specific division to take any of the AQ
courses that Nipissing offers.
If I am graduating from the Nipissing BEd program in June, can I still take an
intersession course in May or June?
Yes you can. You must have successfully completed your entire program of study
(including placements) and you must have applied to the Ontario College of
Teachers for certification (you must provide a valid OCT number). You do not need
to wait until after convocation or after your certificate has been issued.
Can I take an ABQ at another site during the summer?
ABQ courses are only offered face-to-face in our May/June intersession in North Bay
or Brantford. Past experience has demonstrated that enrolment is not sufficient in
other locations to make the courses financially viable. If you cannot stay for the May
session, you should consider taking the courses online.
If you graduate with your Bachelor of Education with only one teachable, do
you need a second teachable to take the Senior ABQ?
You only need one teaching subject to do the Senior ABQ. The admission
requirement for the first teachable is five full courses in a teaching subject.
What intersession courses are being offered in Brantford?
We are unable to offer the full spectrum of ABQ courses in Brantford. In 2011, we
offered the Primary ABQ and Special Education, Part I during the May/June
intersession in Brantford. The 2012 offerings will depend on demand.
Please provide information regarding ASL summer courses.
There are no plans to offer ASL this coming summer.
Is French not offered as a teachable for Intermediate or Senior ABQ
qualifications?
No, Nipissing does not currently offer the French teachable in its ABQs. This may be
added in the next couple of years.
Do the online and correspondence courses cost more?
No - fees are the same for on-site, online, and correspondence courses.
How do I find out more about July AQ courses?
We have 8 area coordinators across the province who coordinate AQ courses in
their areas. Their course listings for summer will be finalized in March and
published on our website (www.nipissingu.ca/aq). In the meantime, you can contact
an area coordinator directly to find out if they have a tentative list of offerings in
mind. Contact information for each coordinator is also on our website at
http://www.nipissingu.ca/academics/faculties/schulich-school-of-education/pdfor-teachers/Pages/Contacts.aspx
Are the French courses offered off-campus? (at Muskoka campus?)
FSL, Part I, II and III are all offered online. We do frequently offer the FSL courses in
North Bay, Sudbury, and Timmins. We do not normally get sufficient enrolment to
offer them at the Muskoka campus.
What can I expect in terms of the schedule for the on-site courses in May and
June?
You can expect a pretty full schedule for the month in which you take the courses.
Primary and Junior classes are scheduled from 8:30 to 4:00 or 4:30 Monday to
Thursday.
For the Intermediate and Senior, you must plan to be in class during the day and
evening, as several electives will be scheduled in the evenings. This is because many
of the electives are taught by exemplary local high school teachers who are teaching
during the day. While this may seem inconvenient, remember that this is only for 3
weeks. The advantage of completing your qualifications in an additional division
over such a short period of time (1 month) outweighs the temporary inconvenience.
The Special Education, FSL, in June are scheduled around convocation days usually
8:30 to 4:30. There will be Friday classes. The practica for the Spec. Ed. and FSL
courses will be done the week of May 28.
Exact schedules and rooms are not finalized until the end of April and are posted on
the intersession webpage once known.
What is the course load like for an online course?
Online courses will run from May 23 to August 15. The number of hours per week
will differ depending on the individual and the week. However, since the OCT
mandates that the course must be 125 hours of work for the student, you can expect
10 to 15 hours of work each week.
Some students wish to "fast-track" and do all of the work at once and finish early.
This is not encouraged and generally not approved. Course assignment due dates
are set within the course to allow for reflection and feedback from the instructor. If
an assignment is completed early, the instructor is under no obligation to mark it
until the due date for the assignment has passed.
Since the correspondence course runs 3 weeks longer, the student can probably
expect between 8 to 10 hours of work per week
I am a J/I student. If I take the Senior ABQ course can I take the same teachable
as my Intermediate?
Yes, as long as you meet the admission requirement of 5 full courses in the teaching
subject, you can take the Senior ABQ in the same teaching subject as your J/I.
If I register in a course in Brantford that is cancelled, will I be able to switch to
North Bay?
We will make every effort to accommodate anyone in that situation.
If I have my P/J qualification, do I have to take the Intermediate ABQ before I
can take the Senior ABQ?
No, you can register in the Senior ABQ as long as you meet the admission
requirement of 5 full courses in one teaching subject. If you ever plan to become a
principal, however, you will need your Intermediate qualification.
Can I take both FSL and Special Education during the June intersession?
No, the courses will run full-days and the schedules would conflict. You can take one
through intersession and the other through distance if you really want to take both.
How much time can I miss?
You cannot miss more than one day. You must notify the Dean in advance of the
absence and will be required to do make up work for the time missed.
Do these courses qualify for OSAP or any other student funding?
No, these are part-time professional development courses and do not qualify.
I heard a rumour that the intersession is also offered at the Georgian campus
in Barrie. Is it true?
No, intersession courses are only offered in North Bay and Brantford. We do offer
courses in Barrie during the summer (July) as well as Fall/Winter, Winter/Spring,
and Spring (March). These courses are normally offered at area elementary or
secondary schools, and not at the Georgian campus.
Can I pay for the course by credit card?
Yes, you can pay by MasterCard, Visa, or American Express.
Can I do 2 teachables during the intersession?
No, you can only take one teaching subject at a time. The schedules would conflict
for the electives. Also, if you plan to take 2 teachable electives, you must take the
Core component twice. Each ABQ must be 125 hours in length.
You are only required to qualify for, and take, one teachable in the Senior ABQ. If
you wish to take a second, you can take it through distance.
Which courses do I need to move from A3 to A4?
Questions regarding pay categories should be directed to QECO.
Do employers discriminate against distance courses as opposed to on-site?
No, employers will check to make sure that the course is on your Certificate of
Qualification but it won't matter which mode of delivery you chose.
In fact, the Certificate of Qualification does not indicate the mode in which the
course was taken, it simply lists the course and provider.
What undergraduate courses count toward the Senior ABQ (Social ScienceGeneral)?
This question is best answered in the Office of the Registrar as they are responsible
for evaluating your transcript and determining your admissibility into the course. In
general, psychology and sociology, criminal justice, anthropology, political science,
and women’s studies courses will count but this is not a comprehensive list.
What is the difference between the content in online and on-site courses?
The content is basically the same as are the assignments. The difference is simply
the delivery style. In an on-site environment, classroom discussion is spontaneous
and allows for immediate feedback and input from instructors. The on-site courses
are much shorter in length allowing students to complete a qualification within 4
weeks.
Online courses are longer in length and cannot be fast-tracked. The courses do still
allow for interaction via the asynchronous discussion forum. Students work on the
course at home, on their own time and schedule (while still meeting assignment
deadlines). The structure of the practicum will also be different for distance courses.
What if you want to obtain another teachable and you do not have 18 credits
in that specific subject?
If you don’t meet the admission criteria, you will have to take additional
undergraduate courses. Although an additional teachable might be desirable, it may
be of more benefit to take an ABQ in a division you are not already qualified in as
this may make you more marketable.
What is the purpose of an additional ABQ? Would you get an ABQ in History if
it was one of your teachable subjects?
If History is already one of your teachables and you are graduating in I/S, you would
not take an ABQ in History since you are qualified to teach grade 7 – 12 History. If
you are graduating in J/I History you may wish to take the Senior History ABQ since
you are only qualified to teach grade 7 – 10 History. Some people take an ABQ in
an additional division to increase their marketability. If you ever plan to become a
principal, you must be qualified in 3 divisions – one of which must be Intermediate.
Some individuals who graduate from the I/S division may also choose to take an
Intermediate or Senior ABQ course in a teachable other than the one they completed
during their BEd. This increases the subjects you are able to teach at the Secondary
School level.
Individuals who graduate from the J/I division are only qualified to teach grades 7 –
10. They may also choose to take an Intermediate qualification in an additional
teaching subject, or may choose to take a Senior ABQ, which will qualify them to
teach grade 11 or 12 in the chosen teaching subject area.
Does Nipissing offer Religion, Part I?
At this time, we do not offer Religion, Part I/II/III. These courses are generally
offered by OECTA in many locations.