About Psychology 205

Psychology 205: Portfolio Development represents a new route to academic credit in a couple of ways. First, it presupposes that what you learn outside the classroom can be relevant and important for your degree and assessable toward that goal. Second, the preparation of an academic portfolio aimed at the general program level is a new and more complex addition to the more standard course-based portfolio assessment. Since this is an uncharted road, bumps along the way will be inevitable. You will need to master the vocabulary that is associated with university learning in order to communicate your learning to the institution. A glossary accompanies the course to help you in this endeavour. Furthermore, there are two significant alternatives to the main route of Psychology 205, such as course-equivalency portfolios and challenge exams, and you will be expected to know what these are, what purposes they serve, and how they relate to your own petition for credit.

Your tutor will be an important resource along this road and, at times, you will likely both be trying to find answers to questions that arise. Those answers may not always be forthcoming as faculty members may disagree about what constitutes appropriate materials for a degree program. However, this course offers a variety of choices with the hope that if one way is not going to work, then another may. Should you find these choices confusing, be sure to consult the glossary, the Athabasca University Calendar, and your tutor for assistance. Please see the bow and arrow metaphor for another way of conceptualizing the process of prior learning assessment.

Through the portfolio that is produced in this course, a student can petition for credit in the Certificate in Psychology. However, credit for PSYCH 205, itself, cannot be applied to this Certificate because the course is only at the junior level. PSYCH 205 credit might be useful in fulfilling other degree requirements.

2009-AUG-13: Course Announcements - Study Guide and Course Announcements - Assignment Structure