FAQ

If you’ve never taken a course at Dalhousie before, you will need to create an OPEN_X account by entering your email address under "I'm a new student."

If you’ve taken other courses at Dalhousie before, and you have a NetID, you can register for courses and view your enrolled courses by logging in with your NetID.

If you've previously taken a course through the Faculty of Open Learning & Career Development, please double check that your NetID is activated.

To do this, go to myaccount.dal.ca and submit the form to claim your account. You will need to register a Password Reset Email in case you forget your password.

When your NetID has been activated, you will be able to log in to Destiny One using the "I have a NetID username and password" option.

You can use your OPEN_X account to register for courses if you do not have a NetID. If you don’t know your OPEN_X username, you can look it up using your email address.

No, you do not need to set up a separate account. You need to use your NetID username and password to register for our courses. 

Click on the "Forgot Username link" on the Student Login page.  Enter the email associated with your account and click Continue.  If there is an account associated with the email address you entered, you will receive an email with your username.

If your username begins with ‘OPEN_X,’ you will log in using your Destiny One username.

If your username ends with ‘@dal.ca,’ it is a NetID and you will use that username to log in with your NetID.

The first step is always to check your junk or spam email folders.

If you are still not receiving emails and cannot log in to your account, please contact our office at openlearning@dal.ca with the following information:

• First and Last Name

And one of the following:

• Home Address
• Phone Number
• Day/Month of Birth

This is necessary to confirm your identity. Please also include in the message what you believe the email address connected to your account is and what you wish to change it to.

The most common reasons for an email issue are:

1. A typo within the system.

2. Emails from Destiny One may be filtered by your inbox or workplace depending on your permissions. It is recommended to use a Gmail account in order to avoid these types of errors. For more information on this issue, please contact openlearning@dal.ca.

You can activate your NetID at myaccount.dal.ca. If you require assistance with activating your NetID, please reach out to the Help Desk at support@dal.ca or 902-494-HELP (902-494-4357).  

If you have an OPEN_X account, but you still cannot login to OpenDal, please go to the log-in page to reset your password. Users with a Dalhousie NetID should use their NetID to login to OpenDal.

If you are unable to access your account or reset your password, please contact the Faculty of Open Learning & Career Development office at openlearning@dal.ca or 1-800-565-8867. The Faculty of Open Learning & Career Development office is open Monday – Friday 9:00AM – 4:30PM AST. If no one is available to answer your call, please leave a message with your name and contact information and someone will get back to you within one to two business days.

Your Banner Number is a B######## digit number that is associated with you similarly to how a Social Insurance Number is associated with you. It is what the university uses to identify you. You usually receive your Banner Number as an email before the process of activating your Dal Net ID. Please check your Junk or Spam folders for the email with your NetID. 

In order to activate your Dal NetID, you will need to have your Banner Number, so be sure to keep it in a safe place.

Microcredentials are evidence of a skill or competency that has been demonstrated by the student. They are represented by a digital badge that can be added to your social media sites, such as LinkedIn, the footer of your emails, or your digital resume. Potential employers can click on those digital badges and see a record of what you had to do to earn that microcredential.

A digital badge is the image and the metadata embedded in that image that represents an earned microcredential. Essentially, it is the digital equivalent of a certificate and it shows that the earner has successfully demonstrated the skills and competencies to have earned the microcredential. 

Many microcredentials are created in collaboration with related industries or employers. As such, they represent skills that those potential employers are looking for and they are earned through evidence that the employers accept as valid and reliable. This means that microcredentials can be a powerful tool to help you get noticed and land that job in your desired field. 

Microcredentials are offered within select courses. Some microcredentials can be earned by successful completion of a course, others can be earned by successful completion of a specific unit including a competency-based assessment. Once you are enrolled in a course that contains a microcredential, your instructor will give you the details on what you will need to do to earn the associated microcredential. For a list of courses that contain a microcredential component, you can go here. 

Microcredentials are offered at no additional cost. They are extra value added onto the course you are already taking.

No. Microcredentials are an additional (and more specific) evidence of a skill or competency. They do not replace the degree or certificate you will earn by completing a certificate or degree program. 

For a list of courses that contain a microcredential component, you can go here. Microcredentials are continuously being added to courses throughout Dalhousie so check back occasionally to see if microcredentials have been added to any courses you may be interested in. 

Benefits of collaborating with Dalhousie to develop new microcredentials:

• Ensure that students graduating from Dalhousie have the specific skills you want.
• Know that a microcredential represents exactly what you want it to represent.
• Increase the size of the hiring pool of high-quality candidates.
• Create a connection between your company and potential employees. 
• Create evidence of entry-level skills that can allow potential employees to enter your company while still progressing through a degree program. 

Microcredentials are a way to recognize skills, knowledge, or experiences that your learners have gained through your educational experiences. Microcredentials reward the earner by providing them with evidence of their knowledge or ability that can be leveraged for advances in career or employment opportunities. If the earner feels that the microcredential is worthy of display, then your logo, brand, and educational opportunity will be shared on their social networks, emails, and digital resumes for others to see.

A co-branded microcredential is a microcredential that was developed in collaboration with an organization external to Dalhousie. Like other microcredentials, they represent a skill or competency that has been demonstrated through a competency-based assessment. Unlike other Dalhousie microcredentials, the courses and the assessments are administered by the partner organization.  For co-branded microcredentials, the microcredential content and assessment must be approved by Dalhousie’s microcredential team and cannot be changed without agreement from Dalhousie. This ensures that any microcredential containing the Dalhousie logo and branding meets the high standards of Dalhousie University. 

If your institution or company offers trainings, courses, or other learning experiences, you may want to consider creating a co-branded microcredential with Dalhousie. Co-branded microcredentials give your learners evidence of the skills they received from your courses or trainings as well as the knowledge that the skills and assessment has been vetted and approved by Dalhousie. The digital badge image contains the Dalhousie logo and branding and may be seen to carry more authority or validity than the individual microcredential. 

Co-branded microcredentials require an agreement between Dalhousie and the partner institution that requires approval of the microcredential focus and its competency-based assessment. Once approved, the assessment may not be altered without collaboration and approval from Dalhousie. Dalhousie’s microcredential team will assist with the development, organization, management, and distribution your microcredentials.

Scheduled courses require attendance at previously scheduled live sessions with an instructor whereas self-paced courses can be taken at your own pace and at any time. Scheduled courses offer direct and live access to instructors.

By comparison, self-paced courses usually include previously recorded sessions that involve minimal, if any interaction with instructors. 

Visit our Upcoming Courses page for more details.

We recommend registering no later than 48 hours prior to the start of the course.

Most of our certificates allow you to complete courses individually. You do not need to register for the full certificate to take individual courses. 

If you know the course or certificate that you are interested in, you can visit our Student Registration Portal to either sign up for a username and password or add a course/certificate to your cart if you already have these credentials.

If you have a registered for a course, you should have received a confirmation of your registration. If not, please contact openlearning@dal.ca

Yes, we offer a range of courses you can take at your own page and the listing can be found here.  Learners have six months to complete a course from the date of enrollment. 

Most of our courses are offered online and have been designed for working professionals. The amount of courses is entirely up to you, the availability of the course and the date it is offered. 

To access your grades, please use your Destiny One username and password and login in through our Student Registration Portal. 

You can access your final grade from the Student Registration Portal (Destiny One username and password required). You should see your grade added to the portal within a few days of the completion of the course. 

The Faculty recommends an intermediate level of English language proficiency for most effective learning and participation in our online and face-to-face courses. Here is a list of minimum recommended scores on some common English tests:

-Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB): 5
-The Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP): 5
-International English Language Testing System (IELTS) General or Academic: 5.0 overall
-Cambridge B1 Preliminary: 140–159
-Test of English as a Foreign Language (ToEFL): 35
-Duolingo English Test: 75

If you have questions about your English language proficiency and ability to succeed in the course you want to register for, please contact openlearning@dal.ca.

Learners can transfer their enrollment to a section of a different course with the same fee if the section is open for enrollment and there is space available. Leaners can request a transfer by logging in to the Student Portal. Student Services will contact the learners within two (2) business days of the transfer request.  

Course transfers can be requested up to ten (10) business days before the start of the course for which the learner originally registered.

There is no fee to complete a course transfer.

Learners can withdraw from a course by logging in to the Student Portal to officially request to withdraw. Student Services will contact the learners within two (2) business days of the request with any questions or to confirm the withdrawal. 

PLEASE NOTE: Notifying the instructor of the intention to withdraw from a course or not attending live sessions or completing course work does not constitute an official withdrawal. However, we strongly urge learners to inform Instructors and Program Managers of their withdrawal from a course as a courtesy. Learners who do not withdraw from a course and who do not attend live sessions or complete the course work will be assigned “incomplete” on their course completion record. Learners cannot return after the end of a course to complete any remaining assignments or to complete the course.

If learners are required to withdraw from their course(s) for medical or emergency reasons, they should complete the withdrawal request through the Student Portal and contact Student Services at 1-800-565-8867 to discuss their options.

Learners will receive a full course fee refund if they withdraw ten (10) business days or more before the course start date.

Learners will receive an 80% course fee refund if they withdraw between nine (9) and five (5) business days before the course start date.

Learners will not receive a refund if they withdraw less than five (5) business days before the course start date.

Refunds will be made the same way that the payment was made. Refunds to a credit or debit card may take up to five (5) business days to process. Note that there is a maximum refund amount per refund transaction with credit and debit. If the refund amount is more than $1,600.00, your refund will be split into multiple refund transactions.

Refunds requiring a cheque may take up to thirty (30) days to process. Learners should contact Student Services at 1-800-565-8867 for clarification on course refunds if required.

If a course has an application fee, the application fee is non-refundable.

Please note that our English Language Studies courses have a different refund policy due to federal, provincial and industry association policies they need to follow. Please click here for these policies.

The Faculty of Open Learning and Career Development reserves the right to cancel or reschedule courses that do not reach minimum enrollment requirements or in other unforeseen circumstances. Learners will be notified of a course cancellation no later than three business days before the start of the course.  If it is necessary for the Faculty of Open Learning and Career Development to cancel a course, every effort is made to contact enrolled learners and offer the following options:

Transfer to another section of the same course within 12 months
OR Transfer to a section of a different course with the same fees if there is space available within 12 months OR Receive a full refund.

Cancelled Live Sessions

Cancelled live sessions, either online or in person and whether due to instructor illness or inclement weather, are rescheduled to a later date.  Student Services or Program Managers will notify learners of the new date(s) for the live session(s).

Requests for academic accommodation (related to classroom participation, the writing of tests and examinations and/or class evaluation, etc.) while attending courses at the Faculty of Open Learning and Career Development are made under Dalhousie University’s Accommodation Policy for Students. Requests for academic accommodation must be made no later than four weeks in advance of the start date of the course for which accommodation is requested.

Learners should complete a Request for Accommodation Form and make an appointment with an Accessibility Advisor at the Student Accessibility Centre at 902-494-2836 or access@dal.ca to request academic accommodation.

Recogntion of Prior Learning (RPL), formerly referred to as Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR), also known as equivalency, advanced standing or course exemption, may be granted for prior experience or formal learning that demonstrates the learner has the competencies taught in the course. 

Learners can apply for RPL if they are completing a certificate that is eligible for RPL* and the course for which they want equivalency is either a required or elective course for the certificate.

* Please Note: not all certificates are eligible for RPL. A note at that bottom of the certificate page will indicate if it has courses eligible for RPL.  

If RPL is approved, please note that the course approved for equivalency will not appear on the Official Academic Transcript. 

Learners can apply for RPL through the RPL link at the bottom of the certificate information page for the certificate they are interested in taking.

Once all of the documentation required for a RPL is received, the assessment time is up to ten (10) business days. Learners should take this timeline into consideration when planning course registration. If the course for which a learner is seeking equivalency is a prerequisite course, they may register for subsequent courses immediately upon notification of their RPL approval.  If the course for which a learner is seeking equivalency is not a prerequisite course they may register for other courses in the certificate while awaiting their RPL approval.

If you have received an invoice that shows an incorrect amount, please contact openlearning@dal.ca and provide a copy of the invoice you have received.

We currently do not offer payment plans. If you would like to discuss payment options, please contact openlearning@dal.ca

Log in to your Student Portal in Destiny One in order to acess to your tax receipt. 

Tax receipts are now available through the Student Portal.

Visit the Student Portal and log in with either your NetID or OPEN_X account to access your tax receipt.

Once you have logged in to the Student Portal, update your Social Insurance Number by going to My Profile and scrolling down to Personal Information. You are required to either add your Social Insurance Number or decline to provide it; if you decline, you will not receive a T2202.

Your tax receipt will be available through this site after you enter your SIN, just go back to student home and select “Tax Receipt”. If you do not see a tax receipt in this section of the site by mid-March, your course(s) were not eligible. See more details below regarding eligible courses. 

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) requires all designated educational institutions in Canada to issue a T2202, Tuition and Enrollment Certificate, for qualifying students enrolled in a specified educational program.

What is a qualified student? Someone who is:

• Enrolled in a specified educational program**
• 16 years of age or older
• Has spent 12 hours per month on courses in a program

**Course eligibility (in a specified educational program):

• Course(s) are at least three consecutive weeks in length
• Course hours in a program totals at least 12 hours per month
• Tuition fees paid equal or exceed $100
• Student personally paid the tuition fees. (If your employer or company paid on your behalf or you were reimbursed, you are not eligible to claim your T2202)

Courses that are considered preparation to post-secondary education are not eligible for reimbursement, including courses taken through English Language Studies, Refining your Learning Skills, and University Preparation.