Gen Ed PLARs

Not all Gen Ed themes are eligible in every program of study. Confirm which themes are offered in your program of study by checking out the elective information in the “Courses” section of your Program page. If you have further questions, you can contact the PLAR Office at plar@algonquincollege.com.

When you challenge a Gen Ed through PLAR, credit is granted under a theme rather than under a specific course. Because of this, we’ve created customized self-assessments so you can compare your experience to the expectations of a theme.

Self-assessments can be found on our Resources page, or below:

• GED0011: Theme 1 – Arts in Society
• GED0012: Theme 2 – Civic Life
• GED0013: Theme 3 – Social & Cultural Understanding
• GED0014: Theme 4 – Personal Understanding
• GED0015: Theme 5 – Science & Technology

Complete the online application form to formally apply for PLAR.

Make sure you indicate the Gen Ed theme code (e.g. GED0011) rather than a specific course code, and attach the appropriate self-assessment to the application form.

The academic area will review your self-assessment to ensure you are a good fit to challenge your Gen Ed through PLAR. You will be contacted by the PLAR Office via email, notifying you of your candidacy and next steps.

Please note: being determined eligible to challenge a Gen Ed does not mean you have received the credit; rather, it clears you to proceed to the next stage of the PLAR challenge.

Once you are determined eligible to PLAR a Gen Ed, the PLAR Office will charge you a portfolio fee of $90.70 and email you with payment information.

You will then need to assemble a digital portfolio showcasing your experience. Instructions and grading information can be found on our Resources page.

Once your portfolio is complete, submit it to plar@algonquincollege.com so that it can be forwarded to the academic area.

The PLAR Office will contact you via email with the results of your Gen Ed PLAR challenge. If you are successful, the credit will appear as a CR on your transcript – this indicates that credit was granted, but does not impact your GPA.

Unsuccessful PLAR challenges will not appear on your transcript.