Frequently Asked Questions
[Accredition] Are any of the certificates, or courses accreditated with educational authorities? The certificates and Exopolitics diploma are awarded through the Exopolitics Institute. The Institute is a non-profit educational organization registered in the State of Hawaii, USA. The Institute filed with the IRS for tax exempt status as a 501(C)3 organization on May 16, 2006.
[Online courses] Are courses offered online? Currently, all exopolitics courses are offered online through the internet. Seminars are held at a physical location which will be announced for the seminar being held.
[Auditing] Can I audit courses? It is possible to do courses without fulfilling assessment requirements. Instructors may require that you solely participate in online discussions and answer weekly questions to participate. Auditing requires full payment of the course tuition. You do not receive a grade, and course completion is not credited towards any certificate or diploma.
[Changing Courses] Can I change courses after they have begun? It is possible to change courses at the end of the second week of classes without any penalty. You can only change one course per semester. After the second week, you either can defer or audit the course.
[Deferrement] Can I defer my classes and/or program to another semester? You are free to defer your courses or program to later semesters for legitimate family, work or health reasons without any penalty. You will be credited tuition for the later semester/year for the course(s) deferred.
[Diploma] If I do the Exopolitics Diploma, do I also get one or both of the certificates when I complete the coursework/seminar components? Yes, you will receive whatever certificates you earn on the way to completing the Diploma without paying anything in addition to the diploma tuition fees.
[Dropping Courses] Can I drop out of courses and/or my program and receive a refund? Once classes begin for a semsester, it is not possible to receive a refund for that semester. You are free to change classes, audit or defer to a later semester in accord with time constraints for changing/defering courses. You can receive a refund for the advance payment of courses scheduled for later semesters.
[Grading] What Grades are awarded in courses and seminars and do I need to maintain a high average? Course Grades are Distinction, Credit, Pass and Fail. Grades for seminars are Pass or Fail. You do not require a high GPA to complete a certificate or diploma.
[Privacy]: Do you share personal student information with commercial entities or other organizations? The Exopolitics Institute does not share personal information of students with any other organization, commercial entity or mailing list.
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Below are a series of questions and answers between a prospective student and Dr Michael Salla (Certification Program Director).
1) WHAT IS THE FORMAT OF STUDY? DO YOU DO A READING ASSIGNMENT, THEN ANSWER QUESTIONS, WHAT TYPE OF QUESTIONS, SPECIFIC DETAIL, ESSAY, MULTI CHOICE, TRUE FALSE.
Each Instructor chooses a different format for their course. In my courses, each student complete assigned reading each week, answers set questions, prepares a class presenation and completes a final essay. All this is done online.
2) HOW DO YOU MEASURE THE STUDENTS UNDERSTANDING AND COMPREHENSION OF THE MATERIAL?
Again, this differs for each instructor. In my courses, responses to weekly questions test comprehension of weekly reading material. The class presenation tests the student’s ability to coherently present to others what they have read, and to demonstrate creativity. The final essay tests written expression and analytical abilities.
3) DO YOU GIVE GRADES ON TEST? WHAT IS THE GRADING SYSTEM?
The grading system I use is the conventional Distinction, Credit, Pass, Fail, Audit system used in North America. The oveall testing is progressive and based on responses to weekly questions, class presentation, final essay and overall participation.
4) IS THERE A GROUP DISCUSSION OR STUDENT/ INSTRUCTOR DISCUSSION OR A QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD?
Each week the students and instructor discuss set questions that help clarify main issues in the weekly reading.
5) ON THE AVERAGE HOW MUCH TIME EACH WEEK WOULD ONE EXPECT AN AVERAGE STUDENT TO NEED TO DO ONE WEEK OF WORK?
Again, this varies for each instructor. For my courses, each week involves reading approximately 120 pages of material, and answering set questions. This should take between 5-8 hours. The class presentation and the final essay would be approximately 20 hours work each which is completed around the time of their submission.
6) WHAT METHODS OF COMMUNICATIONS DO YOU USE? ANY BESIDES EMAIL?
Again, this varies for each instructor. For my courses, the main communication is by email and discussion on Yahoo Groups. In the future, we are looking at a number of video conferencing options that may be used for courses in a tutorial format.
7) CAN I MAKE TWO PAYMENTS FOR THE $375 SEMESTER FEE FOR ONE COURSE. ONE BEFORE I START AND ONE A MONTH LATER?
Yes, it is possible to enrol on a deferred payment plan and the above sequence of payments would be acceptable.
8) WHAT BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND / CHECKS DO YOU DO OR REQUIRE.
We do not require a background check. The main criteria is language since English is the chosen medium of communication and experience has shown it is difficult for non-English speakers to complete all the course requirements. In such cases, auditing the course is an option.
9) DO YOU SCREEN YOUR APPLICATIONS TO MAKE SURE YOU DON’T GET THE
WRONG ELEMENTS INTO YOUR PROGRAM WITH INTENT TO SABOTAGE OR DISCREDIT IT?i
No screening is required at this stage since the problem has not yet arisen. If students are disruptive then it would be up to each instructor to deal with it in an appropriate manner. Each of the instructors have extensive teaching backgrounds so they are trained to handle a variety of teaching challenges.
10) WHEN ONE COMPLETES THE REQUIREMENTS FOR EACH CERTIFICATE WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM THEM?
At the end of the series of courses making up each Certificate/Diploma, each student would receive a Certificate/Diploma stating they have completed the program. At the end of each course, the student is given a grade and a statement of completion if requested.
11) IF ONE COMPLETED ALL COURSES OFFERED WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM THEM? HOW BEST COULD ONE USE AND APPLY THIS EDUCATION AND WISDOM? TO WHAT SPECIFIC GOALS COULD ONE CHOOSE?
That depends on each student in terms of their backgrounds and current professions. For many, the course material will equip them to become experts in exopolitical issues in order to teach or brief others in corporate, educational, professional or private settings. My own view is that each person that completes the courses would be able to start educating others about exopolitics in ways that align with their educational and professional backgrounds.