Registration is as simple as submitting your payment. For other courses, you may be asked to answer some registration questions. Once payment is submitted, you will receive a receipt by email. A confirmation of registration will follow in the coming days once one of our Registration Assistants have reviewed your file.
Tip: When searching a course, click on a Course Code to see: course description, registration deadline, list of prerequisites, course dates, instructor, cost, etc. Interested in more? Have a look at our course cycle.
Access begins on the start date of your course. This start date can be found in the course description on our website, on your Confirmation of Registration email, or on your Registrant Home Page in your account. Once the start date arrives, sign into your Professional Learning account and click on the blue “Go to Moodle” button on your Registrant Home Page. We recommend bookmarking the sign in page. Access to course content will remain for 6 months after the course ends.
No. Don’t worry, Moodle is fully compatible with all devices once you’re signed in. We recommend bookmarking the Professional Learning account sign in page for a fast sign-in process.
Sign into your Professional Learning account. On your Registrant Home Page, click on the “Update Contact Info” link.
Please email us at raiseyouraq@edu.yorku.ca. Please include your OCT number in your email so we can easily locate your account.
Please email us at raiseyouraq@edu.yorku.ca and include your OCT number.
York University, Faculty of Education
Office of Professional Learning
3150 Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Building
4700 Keele Street
Toronto, ON M3J 1P3
This can be shortened to:
York U – Edu – Prof. Learning
3150 VP Dahdaleh Bldg
4700 Keele St
Toronto, ON M3J 1P3
See transcripts section for more information on this topic.
Our system accepts Visa or MasterCard credit cards. Debit Visa or Debit MasterCard are not accepted.
Sign in to your Professional Learning account. On your Registrant Home Page beside your course is a “pay now” button. If it does not appear, please email raiseyouraq@edu.yorku.ca.
Yes, we do have a payment plan option, if needed. To initiate the request, please email raiseyouraq@edu.yorku.ca. Provide your full name, OCT number and course code that you are interested in taking.
The link to the request form is on your Registrant Home Page in your Professional Learning account. It will remain here until the withdrawal deadline. All refunds and transfers are subject to our standard policy. The deadline provided in your Confirmation of Registration email is the last date a partial refund or transfer will be considered.
Tax receipts may be downloaded from the “Tax Receipt” link on your Registrant Home Page within your Professional Learning account. You must provide your SIN number (this section of our site has added protections) so it can appear on your tax receipt, as required by the federal government.
Tax receipts are available by the end of February in the year following the completion of an AQ course.
T2202A Tax receipts from 2018 and prior were sent via email. Back copies of tax receipts for these years are available by request. (link the “by request” to our email)
To learn more about the legislation related to the collection of SINs, please refer to the CRA website.
The Teaching Experience Form must be submitted to verify teaching experience prerequisites for AQs and can be downloaded here. Please email your completed form to raiseyouraq@edu.yorku.ca. More information on Teaching Experience.
Read about AQ Fundamentals here.
Our courses are designed with you in mind. Please visit our AQ Course Cycle for information on course formats, assessment, registration, deadlines, fees, withdrawals and recommendations to the OCT.
- Read the course description and review the prerequisites. All prerequisites must be acquired prior to the course start date.
- Verify that you have the teaching experience before the course starts by getting your Teaching Experience Form signed.
- We do not conduct pre-assessments. Once you have applied, you may choose to send us an unofficial copy of your transcripts (non-York Alumni). If you are an Alumni, we will have your transcript on file.
- If it is found that you don’t qualify for a course after you have registered, you will be given the option to transfer to a different course, or request a full refund, less your $50 non-refundable fee.
· Fall, Winter & Spring sessions: 10 or 11 weeks to complete; require about 9 hours of participation per week.
· Summer session: 4 weeks to complete; require about 5 hours of participation every day (25 hours/week)
In addition, there is a 25-hour independent project which consists of:
· Part 1 course candidates develop three lessons
· Part 2 course candidates develop a unit of study
· Specialist course candidates plan for a leadership activity such as a workshop or training session
Why an IP? This is your chance to delve into a topic that interests you the most! Hoping to learn something specific in an AQ? Use this project as your opportunity to get the learning that best suits your needs.
You will receive a Purchase Receipt (immediate), followed by a Confirmation of Registration email (1 – 15 business days), and a Welcome email (1 – 3 days prior to course start date).
Access begins on the start date of your course. This start date can be found in the course description on our website, on your Confirmation of Registration email, or on your Registrant Home Page in your account. Once the start date arrives, sign into your Professional Learning account and click on the blue “Go to Moodle” button on your Registrant Home Page. We recommend bookmarking the sign in page. Access to course content will remain for 6 months after the course ends.
- You need a browser such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari or Internet Explorer, all of which are freely available.
- For web browser support, check:
- Firefox help: http://support.mozilla.org
- Chrome help: http://www.google.com/support/chrome/
- Microsoft Edge help: https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/products/microsoft-edge
- Safari help: go to Safari > Preferences. The settings are located on the Security and Privacy tabs.
- For Moodle to function correctly, we recommended the following:
- Pop-ups are enabled
- Cookies are enabled
- Java is installed, up-to-date and enabled
- Replay the user tour as often as needed at any point during the course.
- Your instructor is your first level of support if you need any assistance with Moodle.
- We are available at raiseyouraq@edu.yorku.ca Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm, if you need further assistance. All inquiries are responded to as quickly as possible.
An Additional Qualification (AQ) allows teachers to:
- expand knowledge and skills in the divisions and subjects in which they are already qualified
- acquire knowledge in new subject areas
- extend knowledge and skills in the design and delivery of specific programs
- prepare teachers to assume specific roles such as coordinator or consultant for a particular course or program
An ABQ course allows teachers to:
- prepare to teach students at the primary, junior, intermediate or senior level
- add another division or general studies subject area to what they are already qualified to teach
- provide English or French-speaking teachers with the skills to work in the other language
- extend skills and knowledge in design, delivery and assessment in the division or subject
The main difference is the prerequisites – one has an academic prerequisite where the other does not. There’s also only one course for the Honour Specialist and there are 3 courses to get a Specialist. Teachers eligible to enroll in an Honour Specialist AQ have completed the following prior to registration:
- A FOUR-year (20 full courses) academic undergraduate degree, (excluding education courses)
- NINE full undergraduate courses in the subject area of the AQ with at least a B average
- Minimum TWO years certified teaching experience by the first day of the course, subsequent to certification including at least ONE year in the subject area of the AQ
Teachers eligible to enroll in a Part 3 Specialist AQ have completed the following prior to registration:
- Part 1 and Part 2 of the AQ (Or the teachable at the Intermediate or Senior level AND the Part 2 AQ)
- Minimum TWO years certified teaching experience by the first day of the course, subsequent to certification including at least ONE year in the subject area of the AQ
Whether you're an ECE or work for a private/independent school you may still take an AQ. Once you register online, we will send you a waiver to sign digitally. This waiver will validate your understanding that this course will not be recognized by the OCT now, or in the future if you become OCT certified.
If you are a teacher candidate, you will need to wait until you are OCT certified to take an AQ.
If you are a new to Ontario teacher and are not yet OCT certified, contact visit the OCT website for information on how to become certified.
- Read about AQ Fundamentals here.
- Get to know our Learning Plan! The “Launch” courses are for new B.Ed. graduates and new to Ontario teachers.
- New to Teaching Additional Qualification Courses - The content addressed in these courses is intended to assist educators with some or little Ontario classroom experience in the design, implementation, and assessment of programs for students at all grade levels.
- Add a new subject or division: Whether you graduated with P/J, J/I or I/S divisions, you may add a new division or teachable subject to these qualifications. To add a division you must take an ABQ (Additional Basic Qualification). Read more about AQ Fundamentals in the link above.
- Prerequisites. Read the full course description course prerequisites. Some courses have academic prerequisites, some have teaching experience prerequisites, some have both. Please see the AQ Fundamentals page and click on AQ Prerequisites at-a-Glance for greater detail.
We can help! Please email us at raiseyouraq@edu.yorku.ca. We will need a copy of the letter you received from the OCT with your conditions. If you are looking for “complimentary education courses”, Schedule C AQs will satisfy this condition.
One year is equivalent to 194 teaching days that are not limited to a calendar year. This may be obtained from supply teaching, LTOs or permanent work. Acceptable teaching experience descriptions and requirements for both Ontario certified teachers, non-certified teachers, and those who have teaching experience outside of Ontario can be found on the OCT site here.
Part 2 – One year of certified general teaching experience obtained prior to the start date of this course.
Part 3 – Two years of certified teaching experience obtained prior to the start date of this course, one of which must be in the subject of the AQ.
Honour Specialist – Two years of certified teaching experience obtained prior to the start date of this course, one of which must be in the subject of the AQ.
PQP – Five years of certified general teaching experience obtained prior to the start date of this course.
The Teaching Experience Form can be found here. Completed forms are to be emailed to raiseyouraq@edu.yorku.ca.
If it is found that you do not qualify for the course that you have applied for, you'll be given two choices:
- Transfer to a different course at no charge (same or next session) or
- Request a refund of your course fees, less your $50 non-refundable deposit.
York AQs do not typically require a textbook. Our instructors utilize a variety of online and hard copy resources. If additional resources are required, the instructor will provide notice at the start of the course. Candidates in our courses have online access to York University Scott Library at Keele Campus.
- Full attendance and effective participation of 125 hours are mandatory as regulated by the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT)
- For blended courses: Candidates who miss two or more sessions put their success in the course in jeopardy and may receive written notification that recommendation for an Additional Qualification is not possible
- For online courses: Candidates who do not participate regularly and actively put their success in the course in jeopardy and may receive written notification that recommendation for an Additional Qualification is not possible
- Vacations should be scheduled outside the timelines for online or blended courses
- Candidates are required to contact their instructor immediately if, due to exceptional circumstances, course time is missed. Make-up work will be required.
- We recommend candidates do not take an online course during our condensed summer session if they have any other time commitments. For guidelines used to develop courses and programs visit the OCT website.
A petition is a formal request to waive a policy or decision. Course registrants have the right to petition on reasonable grounds for special consideration. Registrants who wish to petition a decision or evaluation, please apply in writing to raiseyouraq@edu.yorku.ca to indicate their intent and the office will advise them on the next steps depending on the nature of the petition request.
Our fantastic Instructional Leaders can be found on our site here. Click on a name and see what courses they're currently teaching or are about to teach in the upcoming session. Some instructors include short bios and testimonials.
Yes. You can enable course notifications with the "notify me" option at the bottom of a course description in the course of your interest when searching them on our site here.
For accommodation requests, once you've registered for the course, please contact Student Accessibility Services at https://accessibility.students.yorku.ca/contact-accessibility. You will need to provide them with your registration information and what accommodation you require. The accessibility office will communicate directly with your instructor after, and they'll work on an action plan together for you. Please email raiseyouraq@edu.yorku.ca if further assistance is required.
We recommend taking one course at a time, especially if this is your first AQ with us.
Registration for the majority of AQs closes 1 week prior to a course’s posted start date. Please do not wait to the last minute. Why?
- To secure your spot - there are limited spaces per course.
- If you run into any trouble, there will be time for us to assist you.
Learn more about teaching experience prerequisites for AQs. Learn more about acceptable teaching experience from the OCT’s guidelines.
Which AQ you take will depend on several factors:
- what you’re interested in,
- what you’ve been educated on,
- what your employer wants/prefers you to take
- QECO, if you’re taking an AQ to move up on the pay scale (please contact QECO for any pay scale related questions)
Yes. All those enrolled in AQ courses with us have access for the duration of their AQ course. To obtain access to the York U library online, please scroll to the bottom of your screen in Moodle to the Information Section and click on Library Information. Follow the instructions and the library staff should respond within 1 business day with your access credentials and instructions. A new request must be submitted the next time you take an AQ with us.
AQ transcripts are available to order from within your Professional Learning account. Please use the link on your Registrant Home Page and follow the online process. If your AQ was completed in 1993 or prior, these are housed with the York U Registrar and must be ordered through them.
This is similar to an unofficial transcript. It contains a record of the AQs you have completed with us, but it is not equivalent to an official transcript.
Transcripts must be official originals sent directly from the issuing institution in an institutionally sealed envelope (that remains unopened), carrying an official stamp, seal and/or authorizing signature of the issuing institution. An official digital transcript will also be accepted if it is sent directly from the issuing institution to us via email to: raiseyouraq@edu.yorku.ca
York University does not currently have a digitized version of an official transcript. Due to COVID- 19 we are providing a PDF copy of your transcript to recognized institutions. Please note: this PDF transcript differs from an official transcript which is printed, as both the signatory as well as logos are not present.
You may email a copy of your transcript to us to speed up the assessment process once you have registered for a course. These may be emailed to: raiseyouraq@edu.yorku.ca An official transcript will be required before the end of the course if you are found eligible.
Transcripts submitted for verifying academic prerequisites for AQ courses are to be sent directly from the issuing institution by one of two methods:
Email to: raiseyouraq@edu.yorku.ca
Mail via standard post to:
Professional Learning, Faculty of Education
3150 V.P. Dahdaleh Bldg
4700 Keele St
Toronto, ON
M3J 1P3
York University Alumni are not required to submit transcripts. York Alumni that completed their B.Ed. will have their York records checked to see if their undergrad transcript was scanned at the time of admission.
More questions? Contact us @ raiseyouraq@edu.yorku.ca