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Life Experience Credit As an adult student you may be short on time, money and study skills. But there's one thing you probably have in abundance – experience. If you've been working in accounting for years, is it really necessary to take that Intro to Accounting class? Why do you have take Public Presentations if you're training staff groups every day? You may not have to. Recognizing that adult students have gained considerable knowledge outside the traditional classroom, more schools are willing to accommodate non-traditional means of granting credit. While the specifics vary (amount of credit granted, subjects acceptable, etc.) there are some consistent requirements. Your learning: Some popular alternatives for getting credit for prior learning are: credit for professional training, testing, life work credit, portfolio review. But before you choose the best alternative for you, ask your advisor! Each school and even each department within a school may have a different policy on prior learning – from not accepting prior learning at all (e.g., many business programs) to setting limits on the number of prior learning credits acceptable. Professional training Many adults have attended corporate-sponsored or field-specific training programs. Typically these are non-accredited programs, so do not qualify as transfer credits when the student applies to a college or university. If this is your situation, you may still be able to gain credit for your training. The American Council on Education regularly reviews these programs to determine applicability to college-level learning. If your course is recommended for college credit in the ACE National Guide, your school may grant you credit for it. This is the fastest, least expensive method of gaining credit. Testing If you are knowledgeable in a field but have not taken a professional training program (or if your program is not recommended), you may earn credits by taking a standardized, subject-specific exam. The commonly used CLEP and DANTES exams are widely available – possibly even at your own school. There are also state-level exams, e.g., Excelsior (formerly Regents) Exams in New York State. Credit by exam is a fairly quick, inexpensive method of gaining credit. There are fees for the exams (under $50 each), and your school may also charge a small processing fee per credit. But be warned that not all schools accept all of the exams – or even any of the exams – for credit. That depends on the school and on the program. Again, ASK your advisor. Credit for Life Work/Portfolio Review If your experience can't be easily tested, or a standardized exam does not exist in your field, you may still be able to gain credit for prior learning through an assessment process. Credit for life work and portfolio review/assessment are closely related. The distinction sometimes made is that credit for life work grants credit for experience specifically related to a course in the school's catalog, and portfolio review grants credit for experience not specifically related to one of the school's courses. Typically, the portfolio review process will require more depth and documentation. The assessment process can be a valuable learning experience in itself – almost like taking a course. You will be required to reflect on your experience in relation to your goals. You'll also work closely with an advisor to develop your "case" which will then be individually assessed by department faculty. While it's more comprehensive, the process does take time and is more expensive than other methods. There is generally an "assessment" fee in addition to processing fees. Your "portfolio" is at the heart of the assessment process. You will be required to gather evidence to support your case to be granted credit for your prior learning. This evidence takes the form of: The narrative for life work credit is usually brief and must relate your experience to the course selected. The narrative for portfolio review is more in-depth. It must demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the subject, and show not only what was learned but how it was learned and how it's now being applied. Developing your portfolio: 1. Do an inventory of your knowledge and skills (these could be gained through job, training, hobbies, volunteer work, etc.) 2. Choose the areas in which you'd like to receive credit 3. Find a course description in the college catalog to match (if required) 4. Gather documentation 5. Write your supporting essay 6. Present in a binder for assessment by the department It sounds like a lot of work, but if it saves you a term's worth of courses (and tuition), it's worth it! 7/24/01 TOP |
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