Choosing a Course
Learning part-time can be a wonderful opportunity to develop your skills, progress your career and broaden your horizons and to have fun and meet new people while doing so. Whatever your reasons for considering a part-time course it will take effort and commitment to complete the course. Therefore, it’s well worth your while to find out as much as possible about the course and whether it is a good match for you before you start:
- How ( online / face-to-face / blended ) is the course delivered and at what times do classes take place
- What subjects exactly make up the course? What do those subject titles actually mean and what type of material is involved? How are the subjects examined or assessed?
- Are there any academic entry requirements?
- How much does it cost? Is there any funding available?
There is a free Adult Education Service available locally across the country staffed by professional-trained Adult Education Guidance counsellors who are there to assist you in choice of course.
Entry Requirements
SETU courses all have set entry requirements for admission onto the course which are set out on the course webpage. Entry requirements relate to the level of learning and/or aptitude that the University believes that applicants need to already have in order to be able to be able to complete the course successfully.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
Recognition of prior learning (RPL) is the term used to describe the system for giving formal recognition to a range of relevant learning that you may have gained prior to entry onto a particular course.
RPL can be used by applicants to:
- Gain admission to a course of study by helping candidates to demonstrate that they have met the entry requirements.
- Gain exemption(s) from a module(s) within a programme of study where students can formally demonstrate that they have already met the learning outcomes for the module(s) concerned. To make a valid application for an exemption applicants must first pay the full fee applicable for the module. If the RPL application is successful applicants will be refunded 50% of the fee.
Prior learning includes both formal and non-formal learning. Formal learning is gained through completing courses/modules in further/higher education or other certified courses. Non-formal learning may be attained through work, voluntary activities or private study but for which no certification may have been obtained. It is important to remember that any RPL application must focus on learning attained and not simply, for example, on time spent in a particular job. All RPL decisions must be validated by the Academic Department expert in the relevant area.