Learning Options

Credit Earning Alternatives

Credit for Work Experience
Under certain conditions, university credit will be granted for experience in business and industry. In all cases, a careful evaluation will be made of the appropriateness of such experience to fulfill degree requirements and vocational objectives.

Previous Occupational Experience A maximum of 24 semester hours of technical credit may be earned through examination by those students who have completed three years of skilled occupational experiences beyond the learning level of the occupation. Students with less than this amount of experience may request examination in specific technical courses upon presentation of evidence of appropriate work experience in that area.

Students wishing to receive credit for skilled occupational experiences should first present evidence of the required amount of work to the program director of Career, Technical Education and Training, and associate dean in the School of Education. Such evidence should be presented shortly after the first enrollment at UW-Stout to allow special program consideration. If the work experience is deemed satisfactory, and upon completion of one semester on campus, an examination will be arranged.

• The university will hold examinations to include written work and performance. The National Occupational Competency Testing Institute Examinations will be used when available. The cost of this examination is $300 and is to be deposited in the test exam account. Forms are available from the associate dean, School of Education.

• Successful completion is the 50th percentile on the written and performance examinations.

• Upon successful completion, the student should obtain the NOCTI form from the CTET program director to pay for the 24 credits earned. The fee is $5 for the Registration and Records Office for record keeping, and $5 per credit for a total of $125.

• An application fee of $25 is charged before arrangements are made for the examination. Of this, $5 is credited to the Registration and Records Office for necessary record keeping. The remaining $20 is credited to the department involved for the work of arranging the examination.

• A charge of $5 per credit awarded beyond four (4) credits is made after completion of the examination, with such credits to be determined by the examination committee. The moneys thus charged are credited to the department involved and distributed at the dean's discretion.

Independent Study
Many students at UW-Stout design their own courses for credit under the direction of a faculty adviser. They set their own personal learning objectives; develop the best learning methods to achieve those objectives; design their own final evaluation; and even decide what type of grading system will be used in evaluating their study.

Independent Study is open to all students during any enrollment period. Credits are awarded on the basis of expending approximately 50 hours of effort for each credit. After a topic area for an Independent Study has been selected and approved by an appropriate department chair, a faculty member is then assigned as a learning coordinator to counsel and aid students in achieving their desired learning objectives. At the conclusion of the study, this learning coordinator then assigns a final grade for the study. Students who wish to use independent study credits toward a degree as a program requirement must have prior approval of the program director of the major. Existing courses are not offered as Independent Study topics.

Perhaps the biggest advantage of an Independent Study is for students to develop self-direction. After graduation, this self-direction can be a major factor in helping a person achieve goals in an ever-changing society. This option also provides more scope and depth in the curriculum by allowing students to investigate areas of interest not currently included in any approved course at UW-Stout; study areas and develop projects which cut across course boundaries; or delve more deeply into specific parts of an existing offering.

Applications and additional information are available in the dean's office of each college. Independent Study courses are offered as electives in almost all majors, minors and departments, and at least one Independent Study is now required in several majors and minors.

Field Experiences
Most students use their summers to enroll in this program but part-time work is also usually permissible if it fulfills the requirement of employment, 320 hours. This number of hours, however, is flexible for most majors and is reduced by at least 50 percent for those students volunteering their services. Most students obtain their own field position which is part of the educational experience; however, aids to finding and securing field positions are available. Students may repeat the course for credit, but the experience must be in a different organization or progressively more advanced in the same organization. The student's field position and their own individual learning objectives are reviewed and approved by the chairperson of the department offering the course.

In the past, students have found that field experiences improved their motivation as they discovered the relationships between theory and practice; helped them in developing better human relations and communications skills; and provided them with an effective means of gaining career guidance information concerning their majors.

Field Experience courses are offered as electives in almost all majors, minors and departments, and at least one Field Experience is now required in several majors and minors. Application forms for enrollment in the program are available in the dean's office of each college. A separate summer graduate level Field Experience program has been developed for in-service vocational teachers and guidance counselors employed at both the high school and post-high school levels.

Internships
Internships are available in selected areas for company/agency screened students. The duration of the internship is dictated by proposed projects and needs of the company or agency along with the needs and interests of the student. The type of professional experience engaged is determined through mutual agreement between university representatives and the professional supervisor. Credits earned in an internship are usually greater than that earned through field experience since it is planned as an advanced learning experience. Both summer and six-month internships are administered by each college. Internships are also available in education (4-8 cr.) in an educational institution/agency or business and industry. If you are interested in becoming an intern, contact the dean's office that houses your major.

Part-Time or Summer Jobs
Assistance in locating non-credit part-time or summer jobs is available from the Career Services Office. Some jobs are posted on the bulletin board directly outside of the office, while more extensive and detailed information can be found in the resource center at Career Services, 103 Administration Building.

Cooperative Education Program
The Cooperative Education Program, administered by Career Services, offers students an experiential learning option. Co-op is for those students who feel that field experience in a business, industry or governmental agency related to their academic program will help them reach their professional goals. Most Co-op students leave campus to alternate terms of experience with terms of class attendance; a small number of students Co-op part time with nearby industries while attending UW-Stout part time.

Co-op is a planned, supervised, evaluated learning experience which takes place in an off-campus laboratory. The periods of paid cooperative employment enable students to receive a first-hand view of their career while earning credit and maintaining their full-time student status at UW-Stout.

Program director approval is required prior to the Co-op experience. For more information, contact Career Services, 103 Administration Building.

Continuing Education
UW-Stout has a tradition of providing educational opportunities on a local, statewide , national and international basis as a commitment to life-long learning. The campus is involved in many areas of non- traditional higher education. These areas include both credit courses and noncredit activities such as conferences, workshops and seminars.

UW-Stout's programs in hospitality and tourism management, early childhood, industrial technology, and vocational rehabilitation are among the largest in the world. Off-campus courses are drawn from these strengths as well as counseling, education, arts, and numerous other fields of study and interest.

The coordination of all off-campus educational activities is the responsibility of the Office of Continuing Education. Off-campus credit and non-credit opportunities include:

1. Off-campus courses offered in the rural local service area of UW-Stout, as well as statewide and nationally, based on our special mission within the UW System, including weekend college degree programs.

2. Teleconference courses mediated via the use of telephone network coordinated by our campus.

3. National satellite videoconferences

4. Television courses via ETV Network.

5. Interactive audio/videocoursed via the WONDER Network.

6. Workshops, seminars and clinics.

7. National, regional and state conferences.

8. Computer online credit and noncredit courses.

Extension Credit Courses
A student registered for at least the minimum full undergraduate or graduate load may enroll without additional tuition payment in any off-campus credit course or UW-Extension credit course. The course may be taken on this basis if it is not offered on-campus that semester or there is a schedule conflict. Approval must also be given by the student's program director that the course will be accepted in the student's degree program. Upon completion of the course, the records office will be notified of the grade the student received and the grade will be added to the UW-Stout transcript.

Fee Waiver Students registered for less than a full load may have that portion of tuition which would be in excess of a full course load payment waived. This would occur when the number of credits for an off-campus or extension course would complete and exceed the full load amount.
This policy covers several different delivery systems including:

• UW-Stout off-campus courses

• Independent Learning courses taught by UW-Extension

• Off-campus courses taught by other UW System campuses

Extension independent learning course catalogs, and the necessary application forms, are available from the assistant dean of the UW-Stout college in which the course would be housed or from the Office of Continuing Education. Independent learning courses offered by UW-Extension are available only for undergraduate credit. There are more than 400 courses listed in the Extension catalog. Students have one calendar year to complete an independent learning course and may request an additional extension.