Policies & Procedures

• Assignments are due in all courses (except PIDP 3220: Delivery of Instruction) FOUR WEEKS after completion of the last class. Please consult with your instructor and confirm assignment due dates.

• VCC Grading Policy states that instructors will submit final grades to the Registrar’s Office within one week of the last class or the final exam. Due to the unique nature of the BC Provincial Instructor Diploma Program (e.g. assignments given after course end date) SIE instructors may require up to 8 weeks for assignments to be marked and final grades to be issued.
• Extensions, under some special circumstances, may be granted. Please contact our Department Head, Glenn Galy at: ggaly@vcc.ca or (604)871-7000 ext. 7513 for further details.
• Students wishing to withdraw from a/an:
  • Week long class must notify the office by Thursday (noon)
  • Weekend class must notify the office by the Friday (4 pm) of the second weekend
  • Evening class must notify the office by the end of Week 4 (Friday 4pm)
  • Online class must notify the office by the end of Week 6 (Friday 4pm)
• Assignments must be emailed, in ONE PDF format, by the due date. Keep a copy of all assignments submitted.
• Assignments not submitted by the final due date will result in the student receiving an “N” (Ceased to attend and did not complete course requirements).
• A student who receives a D or F will have to retake the course and complete the assignments if they wish to receive credit for completion.
• Participants must maintain a 1.67 (C-) grade average for the program in order to be eligible to complete the Capstone Project. Exemptions and Prior Learning credits are not used in calculating G.P.A.
• Grades are final. Participants may not resubmit a set of assignments or a component to be reassessed with the exception of the Capstone Project. Students may, however, appeal a grade to the Department Head if they have grounds to believe that it is not accurate. ($50.00 fee).

Courses are organized around highly participatory, learner-centred activities. Group work, peer support, and other participatory techniques are discussed and modeled by course instructors. Activities are based on attendance and participation. Participants learn by participating in techniques which they can use with their own learners. Participants are responsible for obtaining handouts or other information missed due to absence.

Participants are expected to attend a minimum of 80% of each course.

PIDP 3220: Delivery of Instruction
PIDP 3220 requires a minimum attendance of 90%. If attendance falls below 90%, the participant will be required to re-register and take the course again in order to obtain credit for the course.

Online
You must be prepared to work online an average of 6-8 hours per week. Taking a vacation from the course is not acceptable. If you plan to be away from the course for more than seven consecutive days, please consider taking the course at another time. Your participation is vital to success. Absence from the course for seven consecutive days will result in failure and re-registering for the course at a later date.

Program
A $30 reactivation fee will be incurred for dormant accounts of 12 months (time between courses). The maximum time frame to complete all the 7 courses and the Capstone Project is 5 years. Failure to do so will result in re-taking the program at full tuition.

Students not requiring formal evaluation may request to audit a course and receive an “R” grade. An “R” may not be applied towards the BC Provincial Instructor Diploma. The audit fee is the same as the current tuition fee.

Vancouver Community College reserves the right to cancel courses if registration is insufficient. If you enrol in a course that is cancelled, you will receive a full refund of your tuition. Alternatively, you can request that the tuition be held and applied to another course.

Evaluation of student learning is based on completion of course assignments or projects. Due dates and criteria for successful completion of each course assignment will be outlined by the instructor at the beginning of each course.

An exemption for a course in the BC Provincial Instructor Diploma Program can be achieved in two ways. If you have previous formal education in one of the courses, you can apply for a course equivalency (see below). If you do not have formal education or training in the content of a particular course, but do have extensive experience and already possess the knowledge and skills, you can apply for an exemption based on Prior Learning.

Participants can receive exemptions for a maximum of three courses. Each equivalent credit course must be taken within 10 years of the transfer date. There is no exemption for the Practicum.

Process:

1. Read the Program Guide and identify courses for which you will be requesting exemption. Fill out the Application for Exemption Form.
2. Collect copies of all relevant transcripts, course descriptions and length, evaluation procedures and additional, related information. Provide as much information as possible to support your claim of similar course content. A transcript by itself is not sufficient.
3. Include a letter that clearly outlines the requested exemptions. Transcripts and course descriptions that are not accompanied by a specific course equivalency request will be delayed in processing.
4. Include payment of $50 assessment fee per request.
5. The office will inform you on the status of your request.

Note:
If you request course equivalency for PIDP 3220 the course equivalent you have taken must be at least 24 hours in length with a minimum of three mini-lesson teaching opportunities. Exempted courses are not used in calculating GPA.

Students who do not agree with their official course grade may appeal to the Department Head. The request should be supported by relevant information, specific grounds for appeal, the original marked assignment and a $50 fee.

The maximum time frame to complete all the seven courses and the Capstone Project is five years. You have one year from the date of registration to complete your Capstone Project. Failure to complete the Capstone Project within the year will result in re-registering with full tuition.

When the requirements of the Capstone Project are successfully completed, you will receive an official letter confirming your successful completion of the program. The actual diploma will be awarded at the graduation ceremony or mailed within a week following the ceremony.

Classrooms are microcosms of the complex and diverse society that we live in. As instructors, we must learn to tolerate views and personalities that differ from our own. More importantly, we must learn to build and maintain an environment of trust and cooperation which enable all participants to feel at ease with each other.

1. We must model the behaviour that we expect from our learners. Typically, positive and ethical behaviour in the PID program indicates a person’s capacity to demonstrate those values and attitudes as an instructor. During the program, we expect learners and teachers to adhere to the following principles.
2. Do no harm to others. We must ensure that our words and actions contribute positively to the experience of others. To damage others is to undermine the very purpose of education.
3. Respect the views and values of others. Although this seems obvious, each member of the class must be given an opportunity to speak and express their ideas. Sometimes, this results in the airing of opinions that are not popular or shared by others. A climate of learning and a respect for intellectual freedom, however, require that we listen, weigh evidence and question one another in a spirit of enquiry.
4. Principled learning and teaching means setting high standards for oneself and striving to meet them. Learning is not about “just getting by” or getting assignments done. It involves commitment to grow, to enlarge one’s understanding of the profession and one’s role as a professional teacher. Such growth is difficult to quantify with a grade or a transcript.
5. Principled learning means setting limits on the validity of one’s experience. Each of us has garnered a lifetime of memories and knowledge through our work both in and out of the classroom. Our experience is just that – our personal encounter with life and learning, not the final word on how it should be done. It is important to share what you believe to be true and correct. Teaching and learning, however, can rarely be reduced to a simple set of rules or unshakeable maxims. Dogmatic insistence on the correctness of one’s views is of little benefit in the classroom.
6. Principled learning and teaching means being willing to contribute and, even sacrifice, a bit of ourselves for others. You will be called to contribute energy and time to group work and in-class assignments during the program. As teachers, you will be asked to give many hours of your valuable time.
7. Learning in the principled classroom means becoming aware of the moral and ethical character of our work. Participants in the program must avoid plagiarism and cheating. They also hold fast to the ideal of fairness in dealing with others.
8. The content and activities of the program have been designed with the needs of adult instructors in mind. Should some of the curriculum not bear direct relevance to your instructional setting, please consider the needs of others. Future instructional environments may call on some of the skills that appear less applicable today.
9. As instructors, we are expected to demonstrate fairness and sensitivity in our interaction with others. Kindness and consideration are, after all, two of the hallmarks of a good instructor. As part of the program, you are expected to show respect and consideration for other participants. Off-colour comments, sexual and racial stereotyping, etc., are unacceptable in the classroom. Other examples of behaviour that are not commensurate with the professional deportment of an instructor include: monopolizing class time and discussion, harsh, public criticism of others during class, unwillingness to compromise and cooperate with colleagues, rudeness towards instructors and program personnel, and insistence on the correctness of one’s views.

1. Actual curriculum products / artifacts created and used by the applicant in their workplace which are judged equivalent to the curriculum documents required in the course assignments.
2. A successful interview with the SIE Department Head or one of the full-time SIE faculty members.
3. An essay in which the applicant describes the development of his/her thinking related to the themes, issues, and concepts of the course.

If you are registered in a course, you may still transfer to another course or withdraw from the course. There is an administrative fee for each transfer or withdrawal. A refund, less the administrative fee, will be issued by cheque, credited to your credit card, or left as a credit in your account until you decide on your next course.

100% REFUND
Students who drop a course 48 BUSINESS HOURS BEFORE THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS will receive a 100% REFUND, LESS ADMINISTRATIVE CHARGES and CURRENT COLLEGE INITIATIVE FEES.

50% REFUND
Students who drop a course LESS THAN 48 BUSINESS HOURS BEFORE THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS will receive a 50% REFUND, LESS ADMINISTRATIVE CHARGES and CURRENT COLLEGE INITIATIVE FEES. THERE IS NO REFUND ONCE A COURSE STARTS.

Online Courses
Students who drop a course during the 1st WEEK OF CLASS will receive a 50% REFUND, LESS ADMINISTRATIVE CHARGES and CURRENT COLLEGE INITIATIVE FEES. THERE ARE NO REFUNDS AFTER THE 1st WEEK OF THE COURSE.

*College Initiative fees, Shipping fees, Application fees, Assessment fees, Non-refundable deposits, Laundry and Material fees, Co-op fees, Graduation and Insert student fees are non-refundable.

Contact our office to proceed.

Full payment must accompany course registrations which are processed on a first-come first-served basis, so it’s best to register early.

Applications are good for one year from the date of acceptance into the program. A $30 reactivation fee will be incurred for dormant accounts of 12 months (time between courses). There is a 1 year period from your registration date to complete the practicum.

The maximum time frame to complete all the 7 courses and the practicum is 5 years. Failure to do so will result in re-taking the program at full tuition.

Note:
New students are required to submit an Apply for Admission. Applications cannot be processed without these documents and the application payment. When this application procedure is complete, a “Letter of Acceptance” will be sent to you. Once you have been accepted into the program, you can register for courses by phone with a Visa, MasterCard and American Express or by mail with a cheque or money order.

Contact our office to proceed.

Textbooks are listed and can be purchased through the Textbooks page of the website.

If you are registered in a course, you may transfer to another course, 48 BUSINESS HOURS BEFORE THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS subject to ADMINISTRATIVE CHARGES and CURRENT COLLEGE INITIATIVE FEES to be paid before a transfer can be applied.

As a student of a program delivered by Vancouver Community College, you are subject to the Policies of the College (e.g., Standards of Student Conduct Policy). These policies can be found on the Vancouver Community College website.