PD for Teachers - FAQ

For admission requirements, click here.

Students may register online or by completing a paper registration. Please refer to the Forms and Schedules page of the PD For Teachers website​ for the appropriate forms.

Click here to view course fees and payment options.

Full payment is due at the time of registration. 

Students registering through WebAdvisor will be required to provide a credit card payment (under the "AQ, Masters or PhD Students" Menu within Web Advisor, under “Financial Information” - “Make a Payment”.)

Students registering by fax are required to provide a Method of Payment form authorizing payment by credit card.  If registration forms are mailed, payment may be made by credit card, by cheque or by money order.

Non-payment of fees will render a student ineligible for registration in future sessions. Students who are in financial arrears to the University will not be issued a transcript, letter of standing, or related evidence of their academic progress, nor will they be reported to the Ontario College of Teachers until such time that the financial restriction is lifted.

Pre-approval is required for Intermediate ABQ courses, Senior ABQ courses and Honour Specialist (all subjects) courses only.  Click here for the Pre-Approval process.

You may access the Statement of Experience form under the “Forms and Schedule” section on the PD for Teachers website.

Official transcripts are only required when applying for an Intermediate ABQ, a Senior ABQ, an Honour Specialist and/or the Principal's Qualification, Part I course.

French as a Second Language Part I (FSL) qualifies successful candidates to teach FSL in core, extended and immersion programs in elementary and secondary schools in Ontario

Candidates wanting to register for FSL, Part I must successfully complete Nipissing University’s French Language Proficiency test as an entrance requirement before being permitted to register in the course.  Candidates may only be exempt from the test by submitting to the Office of the Registrar either:

• a Certificate of Bilingualism from either Nipissing University, Laurentian University or from the Federal government;

• a transcript showing proof of graduation from a francophone university having studied in the French language;

• Level B2 Diploma (provided upon successful completion of the DELF French proficiency test). 

Click here to access French Language Proficiency test information.

BEd students graduating from an Ontario Faculty of Education may take courses with Nipissing University providing that they have met all the degree requirements to graduate and have registered with OCT prior to the start of the course.   

Students will be required to provide us with their OCT registration number as part of the course registration process.

Students must also provide to the Office of the Registrar a letter from their university verifying successful completion of the BEd Program.  The degree requirements for the BEd program must be completed prior to the start of the AQ or ABQ course.

Should you be required to submit documentation to support your admission to the course, it will be noted on your Confirmation of Registration letter which will be mailed to you shortly after you are registered in the course.  

Students may also view their document status through WebAdvisor in the Teachers or Masters Students menu under “Communication” – “Important Documents-Outstanding/Received”.

Change/update your address and telephone number on-line through WebAdvisor – “User Account” – Mailing/Home Address Change” or contact the Office of the Registrar by email at registrar@nipissingu.ca, or by fax at 705-495-1772. Please include your full name and student number.

A list of required textbooks is located on our website and is updated regularly. Not all courses require textbooks. Unless otherwise noted, textbooks may be ordered from The Education Centre Shop at www.nipissingu.bkstr.com.

In the event that a course is cancelled by the University, registered students will be contacted either by email or by telephone. Impacted students ;will have the option to be placed in a different course if registration is still open. Alternatively, a full refund can be requested.

For information on how to access your on-line course, click here.

You will require your Nipissing username and password to access your course.  This information can be found on your Confirmation of Registration email or letter.

Grades will be posted on WebAdvisor no later than 4 weeks after the last day of the course. You can view your marks through WebAdvisor – Summary of Grades.

A transcript will automatically be mailed to students to the mailing address on file once the qualification has been reported to the Ontario College of Teachers. Requests for additional official transcripts can be made ​through the Office of the Registrar and will be subject to a fee.  Transcript Requests forms can be found on the Office of the Registrar’s webpage at www.nipissingu.ca/registrarforms.

Successful completion of any AQ/ABQ courses with a minimum grade of 60% will be reported to the Ontario College of Teachers. Courses will only be reported if all required documentation has been received and the student is not in financial arrears.

Reports are sent in a batch file to the Ontario College of Teachers usually four weeks after the end date of the course. Sufficient time is required for all grades for the session to be submitted by the instructors, signed off on by the Dean, and verified by the Office of the Registrar. Individual reports will not be sent to OCT in advance of the batch submission.

Students should inform the Office of the Registrar if the course does not appear on their Certificate of Qualification within three months of the official course completion date.

Course delivery options:

On-site and Blended (Partial Distance)

On-site courses are delivered by face-to-face classroom delivery. Participants in these courses enjoy the benefit of sharing knowledge and insights with their peers.

On-site courses are usually held in easily accessible schools in areas across the province.

In some situations, courses may be offered through blended delivery, which means a combination of on-site and online delivery.

On-site and blended courses are offered in regions throughout Ontario.

Online Courses (Blackboard)

Nipissing uses Blackboard for its online course delivery. Our on-line courses are offered in an “asynchronous” environment meaning that students are not required to log on at specified times.

Click here for information on the technology requirement for an online course.

The three-part specialist qualification (Schedule D) requires that a member take three separate courses (Part I, Part II and Part III (Specialist)). These three courses allow the member to build subject area expertise and enhance knowledge about teaching the subject.

The Honour Specialist Qualification is one course and is designed for members who already have expertise and a background in the subject from a previous honours degree.

Yes.  The experience required for a Part II course is different from that required for a Part III Specialist course. For a Part II course you only need one (1) school year (194 days) of successful teaching experience. For a Part III (Specialist) course, you must have two (2) school years (388 days) of successful teaching experience, including one (1) year (194 days) of teaching experience in the subject area the Part III (Specialist) course.

The form must be signed by an appropriate Supervisory Officer prior to the start date of the course.  A Principal’s signature does not satisfy this requirement.

To withdraw from a course, students must either withdraw on-line using WebAdvisor OR submit a written withdrawal letter to the attention of the Office of the Registrar either by fax at 705-495-1772 or by email at registrar@nipissingu.ca prior to the deadline date.

After this request has been processed by the Office of the Registrar, the student is then officially withdrawn and may be eligible for a credit (or portion) or tuition fees to their account.  A mark of “W” (Withdrawn) or “F” (Failed) may appear on a student’s academic record depending on the date that the withdrawal request has been received. 

Note:  Failure to submit payment for a course, discontinuing attendance in classes, login to an on-line course, submit any assignments, notification to the instructor, or stopping payment on a cheque does not constitute an official withdrawal. 

Course withdrawals after the course begins:  $200 non-refundable cancellation fee

Course withdrawals before the course begins:  Receive a full refund

The Withdrawal Date is considered to be the date the student withdraws using WebAdvisor or the date the withdrawal letter is received in the Office of the Registrar.  If a credit remains on a student’s account after all fees are paid, a refund cheque will be issued.  Refund cheques are generally processed 4 to 6 weeks after a student has withdrawn and are mailed to the permanent home address listed on file.  Students will receive a tuition refund (less the applicable cancellation fee) up to the date specified in the Important Dates and Deadline chart below.  Students who withdraw after the specified dates will not be eligible for a tuition refund.

Please view the Important Dates and Deadlines before withdrawing.

Contact the University Technology Services’ (UTS) Help Desk at 705-474-3450 x 4342 or techserv@nipissingu.ca.

Nipissing cannot grant equivalencies. You must submit your documentation to the Ontario College of Teachers for consideration of an equivalency.

Students who are qualified to teach in the Intermediate and/or Senior divisions may be granted an equivalency for Part I of corresponding three-session courses, for the purposes of entry into Part II (once one year of successful teaching experience has been completed).  The equivalency does not work the other way around (i.e., students who have completed Part I of a three-session course are not considered to have the equivalent teachable in the Intermediate or Senior division).

The Intermediate or Senior teachable must be entered on the teacher’s Ontario College of Teachers Certificate of Qualification.

Some School Boards require that prospective employees complete the FSL, Part I course as a condition of hire, even if they hold the Intermediate and/or Senior French qualification.  Therefore it is recommended that you contact the Board(s) in which you wish to teach to clarify their hiring policies.

For further information about equivalent standing, please visit the OCT website.