At the Open Polytechnic we recognise that sometimes you may have gained skills and knowledge from previous study or through your experience in the workplace, self-study or through life itself.

To assist you we offer the following services so that you may be able to avoid repeating work you have already completed.

• Cross credits/credit transfer (in a selected range of programmes and courses)
• Accelerated assessment (in a selected range of programmes and courses)

Cross credits/credit transfers

A cross credit or credit transfer is granted when a course you have passed previously is assessed as being equivalent to an Open Polytechnic course. Cross credits and credit transfers cannot be awarded unless you are an enrolled student with us.

Cross credits/credit transfers may be specified or unspecified.

• A specified credit is where you have completed a course that matches one of the Open Polytechnic courses closely in terms of content, level of learning and learning outcomes.
• An unspecified credit is where you have completed an unrelated course at another tertiary institution and apply for unspecified credit towards a programme at the Open Polytechnic.

The number of specified and unspecified cross credits/credit transfers allowed differs between programmes. You should refer to the specific programme information for details.

Applying for formal cross credits/credit transfers

You may apply formally for cross credits/credit transfers either prior to or following your enrolment. You are strongly recommended to apply at the beginning of your study. Courses at Level 7 are not eligible for cross credits.

Fees apply only if you are seeking cross credit(s) from qualifications gained at a tertiary institution outside New Zealand. This application fee must be included with your application and is not refundable.

To apply for cross credits, you will need to complete and return an Application for Cross Credits. You should also refer to the relevant Programme Guide for information about how to apply.

To apply for credit transfers you will need to complete and return an Application for Credit Transfer. You should also refer to the relevant Programme Guide for information about how to apply.

Informal advice

You may receive informal advice from the relevant Programme Coordinator, prior to enrolment, on what cross credits or credit transfers you are likely to be granted. The advice given is for guidance only and does not guarantee the award of cross credits/credit transfers upon formal application.

For further information, contact our Customer Service Centre.

Accelerated assessment

If you believe that you already have the skills and knowledge that would be gained from taking a particular course, and are able to demonstrate these, you can choose to be assessed through our accelerated assessment procedure.

You will need to provide authenticated evidence that you have met the learning outcomes of the course. This may include:

• Testimonials and references from appropriately experienced referees, covering specific areas of inquiry for which evidence may be required
• Listing past achievements and the learning sequence that were essential to your successful completion
• Production of monographs, journal articles, speechnotes, etc that you have authored
• Production of reflective journals, annotated training notes, and so on, written by yourself, relating to education and training courses, seminars and workshops you have attended.

To apply for accelerated assessment, you will need to enrol in the relevant course. Once enrolled, you will receive the course material, which will include information about the procedure for accelerated assessment, the specific learning outcomes for that course and the timeline and regulations regarding review and appeal. If you decide to be assessed through accelerated assessment, you will need to make an application to us and provide a portfolio of evidence which will be assessed to see if you have already met the learning outcomes required for the course.

If your application is unsuccessful, you can still complete the course and gain a pass through that avenue. Please contact the Course Leader if you need further information.

Accelerated assessment is available in the following courses:

• 71130 Business Management
• 71150 Information Systems
• 72140 Business Communication
• 72144 Professional & Technical Writing
• 72170 The Information Industry
• 72171 Library Systems and Processes
• 72251 Intercultural Communication
• 72252 Interpersonal Communication
• 400 Accounting Principles
• 501 Accounting Practices
• 530 Organisation and Management
• 560 Business Communication
• 550 Business Computing
• 606 Taxation
• 636 Applied Management

To find out whether cross credits/credit transfer and accelerated assessment are available for the programme or course you wish to enrol in, you should request a copy of the relevant Programme Guide.

For further information, contact a Customer Services Representative.