YouTubing AU
As I’ve mentioned before, AU’s YouTube channel houses videos from AU Press. But it is also home to a video channel for Athabasca University itself.
While the AU Press channel has been dormant for the past two years, AU is continually updating the Athabasca University channel, with content added just last month. The most recent addition is the fourth part of a series supplementing a book looking at the energy industry in Northern Alberta. Unfortunately, the book itself is not freely available to students.
The Athabasca University channel also offers a variety of videos: lessons on how to operate stereoscopic and compound microscopes, a short introduction to the theory of learning called connectivism (and an interview for one of its originators, Dr. George Siemens), and a number of advertisements AU has produced about itself.
While there is not a lot of material here, the book supplementary series is very interesting, and it would be good if AU continued to produce more material like this and the work on connectivism, to show the kind of research and thinking that the University can promote.
PLAR Portfolio Examples
The Centre for Learning Accreditation site has been upgraded and now includes an example of what a completed portfolio for Prior Learning and Assessment Recognition (PLAR) should look like. If you have been working at a specific profession for some time and wish to have your experience and knowledge in your field recognized, you might want to investigate creating and submitting a portfolio for PLAR. With the right experience, you could significantly shorten the time and effort required to get a certificate or a degree.
However, creating a full portfolio for PLAR is not an easy task, as looking at their example portfolio will show you. Additionally, the cost of a PLAR is $750, so you’ll want to take a careful look at what type of credits you can expect to get from a PLAR and whether you really think you’ve gained the experience to warrant it.