Credit by proxy: Information for other universities
Overview and Criteria
Dino 101 is an open, free MOOC, and all learners are welcome. This course is being taken concurrently by University of Alberta students for credit at the University of Alberta. If you are a university interested in accepting Dino 101 as academic credit from a learner, you can follow the steps below. Please remember there's no requirement for students to pay to take the exams if they simply want to take the course for free or if you are only interested in a Signature Track verified Coursera certificate.| Ways students can take Dino 101 | What do they get | What do they get for completing/passing | What does it cost them | How do they register? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free course | Complete course | A Statement of Accomplishment | Free | You don't need to do anything else |
| Signature Track | Complete course + Identity Verification | Verified Certificate from Coursera and UAlberta (non-credit) | $69 | Register here |
| Signature Track + Proctored Exams | Complete course + Identity Verification + Proctored midterm and final exam | A Credit by Proxy statement that includes the verification of Signature Track and your grade as marked by the University of Alberta. If you have a passing grade, you will have achieved the equivalent of a University of Alberta course credit. | $69 for Signature Track $263 for the two proctored exams* |
First, register for Signature Track here After the first three weeks of the course you will sent a link to register for the midterm and final |
Student Questions
How can I receive credit from other universities for Dino 101?
Students will need to do two things if you are not a University of Alberta student:
1. Register for Signature Track
Only students who are registered for Signature Track will be allowed to take the midterm and final exams. See Signature Track Guidebook for more details. You can also just take Signature Track for the verified Coursera certificate if you are not interested in taking the exams.
2. Sign up for the midterm and final exams
Signature Track students who are not enrolled at the University of Alberta who want to take the exams will pay a $263 Canadian fee. The exam option for students not enrolled at the University of Alberta will be available soon and all Signature Track students will be alerted by email that they have the option of paying to take the exams.
It is important to understand that Coursera and the University of Alberta can't actually grant you credit at your university or college. The decision to grant you credit is always up to the professors at your university or college. The University of Alberta and Coursera are committed to giving you everything you need to take to your university to request credit. The information on this page gives you everything you need to take to your professors at your university for them to evaluate.
You can take the exams to add to your resume or CV or for the sheer challenge of taking a university-level midterm and exam and be graded, but if you are hoping your university will grant you credit for Dino101, please make sure you have your university's support before you pay to take the exams.
Course Description
Dino 101: Dinosaur Paleobiology, Introduction to Dinosaurs in the Fossil Record
Students will learn the fundamental processes of how and what we know about the fossil record, with a special focus on dinosaurs. Topics include fossilization, fossil collection/curation, morphological analysis, organismal evolution, paleoecology, protection of fossils, speciation, stratigraphy, and taphonomy. Students learn how paleontological research determines the ages, behaviour, breeding, life cycles, physiology, sexes and other aspects of the biology of dinosaurs and other extinct animals.
Other Documentatation
Here's what you'll want to print out and take to your university or college:
- Instructor of Record's biography
- Information about the University of Alberta
- Teaching Outcomes PDF
- Course Outline PDF
- Course Description PDF
To get a feel for what the exam testing experience will be like, we have set up a sample exam in the University of Alberta testing tool. The questions are real questions prepared for the course that will not be used on the midterm and final exams. Please note that this is a sample exam has been optimized for Google Chrome and Safari. For the exams, all modern browsers will be supported.
* This price is for the September - December 2013 session. Prices subject to change.