Credit Overlay - Proposals and Renewals
How do I Propose a New Credit Overlay Class?
How do I Repeat an Existing Approved Credit Overlay Class?
I'd Like to Grade my Class Online
Who Do I Contact for More Information?
Credit Overlay for Professional Development and Training Sessions
- Does your school district, agency, or business offer professional development courses or training sessions?
- Would your employees benefit from receiving university credit for those courses or training sessions?
If so, call the Division of Extended Programs at 503 838-8483 to see if your professional development courses and training sessions may be eligible for academic credit through our Credit Overlay program.
- A wide variety of programs and courses can be approved
- Registration forms and other materials are provided
- Any number of students can participate - no minimum or maximum is required
- Our services to the training unit are made available at no cost
To be eligible your course or training must meet these 3 criteria:
- Your curriculum
needs to have sufficient content
and contact hours for academic
credit.
Helpful credit overlay guides:
Course Proposal Guideline | Guidelines for Development of a Syllabus | Guideline for Writing Learning Outcomes
- Your instructor needs a minimum of a master's degree plus expertise in the content area.
- Your district or agency retains responsibility for the total management and cost of the course or training.
Because your school, agency, or business is responsible for the course or training, WOU is able to offer credit overlay for $50 per credit. either graduate or undergraduate. This is a substantial savings compared to current tuition costs!
What is Credit Overlay?
Credit Overlay is a term we use to offer an "overlay" of university credit for classes, programs, workshops, in-services and/or professional development opportunities that organizations are conducting for their participants. Teachers and professionals have the opportunity to choose to meet academic requirements for a class or seminar they are already planning to attend. And credit overlay is optional - not all participants in the class need to sign up for academic credit.
What kind of credit is this? This is University-approved credit, at either the undergraduate (course numbers 100-499) or graduate (numbers 600-699) level.
Quarter or Semester credits? WOU only offers credits based on the quarter system. The conversion is 3 quarter hour credits = 2 semester hour credits. To convert quarter hours to semester hours, divide the quarter hours by 1.5.
Who takes advantage of Credit Overlay classes? Teachers, students, administrators, and professionals have participated in our credit overlay programs. School districts and businesses seek course or seminar approval to encourage and broaden professional development options.
Professional Development Units (PDU) and Continuing Education Units (CEU) are additional options.
How do I Propose a New Credit Overlay Class?
Print each of these helpful guides before filling out the Course Proposal Form.
Course Proposal Guideline | Guidelines for Development of a Syllabus | Guideline for Writing Learning Outcomes | View a list of the wide variety of programs and courses offered with credit overlay
The form below is set up in Word. It can be completed either online and printed OR saved to your computer and filled in before printing. Put your cursor in the first gray field, then use the Tab key to move on to the next field. The Tab key will allow you to move swiftly through the form to each field that must be completed.
Use if proposing:
- a new course, workshop, or seminar OR
- if your current approval for a course, workshop, or seminar has expired OR
- if any of the following have changed on a currently approved course, workshop, or seminar:
- course prefix/number OR
- course title OR
- number of credits OR
- content OR
- the instructor
Please submit your completed proposal form four weeks before the beginning of your course, workshop, or seminar to allow us the time to route it for consideration and approval.
Courses, once approved, may be offered for seven terms before a new course approval is required. To re-offer your originally approved program anytime during the seven terms, see below: "How Do I Repeat an Existing Approved Credit Overlay Class."
After seven terms the course approval will expire. If you would like to continue offering your course, workshop, or seminar for credit, simply fill out the Course Proposal Form again and submit it for approval. Then you will have another seven terms within which to offer your class.
How do I Repeat an Existing Approved Credit Overlay Class?
Use this form to offer a currently approved course within the seven term approval period.
Repeat Course Form This short form is set up in Word. It can be completed either online and printed OR saved to your computer and filled in before printing. Put your cursor in the first gray field, then use the Tab key to move on to the next field. The Tab key will allow you to move swiftly through the form to each field that must be completed.
The following information must remain the same as the original course:
- course prefix/number AND
- course title AND
- number of credits AND
- content AND
- the instructor.
If any of the information above has changed, submit a Course Proposal Form.
Here's How to Grade Your Class Online
It's easy! Read the directions first: Web Grading Instructions for Faculty
The login link is below, so you can ignore this information in the instructions:
| The web site for entering grades can be found via Western’s home page, clicking on "Administration", clicking on "Registrar", click on "Faculty" and then "Grading". |
Second, print and complete this form: Computer Access/User Information Request Form so you'll be authorized to use our system. Please mail the completed form to: Division of Extended Programs, ATTN: Credit Overlay, Western Oregon University, 345 Monmouth Ave. N, Monmouth, OR 97338.
Third, email Carla using the quick form below. She will send your PIN by return email; please change your PIN to something secure but more user-friendly the first time you access the WOU Student Information System (SIS).
Final step - directly login to the WOU SIS to actually enter the grades:
| WOU SIS Login |
If the web grading dates have passed and you wish to change an incomplete "I" grade, please call the credit overlay program manager at 503-838-8483 to establish another date to grade online.
Who Do I Contact for More Information?
For more information on developing a course for credit or repeating an existing approved credit overlay class, call 503 838-8483 or
800 451-5767 and ask for the credit overlay program manager.