New?

Most institutions I’ve served at had some form of “credit by exam” whereby someone who’d taken courses elsewhere that didn’t transfer, or had otherwise already covered course material, could get credit by passing something like a comprehensive final exam for the course.

How is this different?

Jonathan Dresner, at 7:30 am EST on January 18, 2007

King has no clothes?

As noted on The Wall Street Journal editorial page —

http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110009535

Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Michael Dell have shown that, even though you wouldn’t be allowed to teach in a college, you can manage to make a decent living.

What is weird and absurd is how a battle-tested combat medic with a GED and an IQ of 110 couldn’t be admitted to a medical school — but money-grubbers and geeks are (as well as true humanitarian types).

That’s creditialism for you, a present of the U.S. legal system, that rewards endurance rather than experience.

Clayton Bigsby, at 8:35 am EST on January 18, 2007

PLAR

Worldwide (adjective) Vancouver University has granted credit for credible prior learning assessment for 36 years. We actually commenced a few months before Excelsior (then Regents) and Thomas Edison State College, etc. The credibility of our programs is to be readily noted at htt://www.VancouverUniversity.ca/alumni.php Our problem, however, is summarized in thethird text paragraph at http://www.WorldwideUniversity.edu/worldu.php

Because of this problem, we are regularly defamed by people like Contreras, Bear, and public-sector union activists in Canada. We get silly remarks like one in Wikipedia saying that we have been controversial in the “national” (i.e. US) media — when in fact all that happened in that context was that USA Today simply parroted Contreras’ ODA list. It later published a correction — but only in print, not on-line! The copy-cat process in the United States means that Contreras’ list is repeated by various state and other agencies, without any research into how valid or invalid it is to defame us insuch context.

We have supported PLAR for 36 years. We would like a little support back inturn.

Raymond Spencer Rodgers PhD

Raymond Spencer Rodgers PhD, President at Worldwide (adjective) Vancouver University Colleges Society, at 5:05 pm EST on January 19, 2007

Bravo

As innovations such as distance education and the for-profit/proprietary school have served to widen access to traditionally underserved populations, especially the adult learner, the PLA has the potential to do the same. We heartily support the notion that significant learning can and does take place outside of the traditional classroom. Hopefully the PLA concept will continue to gain acceptance.

eLearners.com, at 3:55 pm EST on January 21, 2007

Applause for PLA

In a world where the non-traditional student is becoming a standard, colleges and universities need to consider how to accommodate this growing segment of their population.

Prior Learning Assessment is one solution. Just as an undergraduate student cannot take the same class twice due to duplication of material covered, an adult student should not have to take a course for college credit in an area that they have already gained proficiency.

Traditionalist will argue that college credits are only earned in a classroom. Historically, this is where college credits are earned. However, with a growing population of adult students that need to balance work, family and school, other forms of learning need to be considered. Most working adults have learned through application on the job and in life. Applied learning is a very valuable form of learning that often cannot be achieved in the classroom.

Offering credit for prior learning is encouraging to the adult student as it decreases the amount of time they will need to complete their degree and also ensures that they will be completing classes that they truly need.

Kathleen Gorski, Continuing Education Director, at 5:25 am EST on January 24, 2007

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)

Adults learn continuously; besides, many have gained significant experience in their current professional role, life, and through personal growth. Occasionally, portion of that learning is parallel to college level. Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is an excellent tool for assessing and recognizing competencies, knowledge, and skills that individuals develop through work experience. However, adult learners receive credit for the knowledge gained, not for the experience itself. In addition, credits are awarded for verifiable college-level learning earned through life or work experience. This complex and time-consuming assessment helps potentially qualified people evaluate their prior learning to discover its equivalency to college level learning.

As a health care faculty at a community college, I encounter many students who gained a momentous clinical competence through work experience. Several students applying to health career programs are working at various health facilities; moreover, developing proficiency equivalent to college level courses. For example, certain students applying to nursing and respiratory care programs are either nursing assistants or medical assistants who gained knowledge in basic patient assessment; therefore, those students typically receive advanced standing in the program. Nevertheless, as educators we should encourage students to take advantage of PLA or other assessment tools that ethically evaluate student’s competencies, skills, and knowledge.

Peter Jaswilko, Director of Clinical Education at Triton College, at 5:25 am EST on January 24, 2007

More Power to PLA

Prior Learning Assessment is a worthwhile and needed effort. Let’s face it: It is expensive to attend school in present day America and those costs are not decreasing. Yet, everyone from the president to the community activist rightly encourages people to pursue a post-secondary education, regardless of age, race, gender, or ethnicity. What then is the harm in presenting an opportunity for people who have gained college level knowledge via life and work experience to ask that their prior efforts be evaluated for credit, in lieu of them taking and paying for a class that would likely result in boredom and a lack of new knowledge? More power to PLA! The government has authorized federal tax cuts for costs related to education, and institutions are constantly being urged to initiate cost-cutting measures for their consumers – the students. PLA is an opportunity to do just that, while encouraging more students to take advantage of a formal education and only pay for the classes that they really need.

I do not agree that students should be given academic credit for life experience alone. However, it is absolutely justifiable to award prior college level credit based on a recognized and well respected method of evaluation.

In addition to the acceptance of transfer credit from accredited institutions, the university for which I work offers students the opportunity to gain exemption from taking certain courses by taking proficiency exams. After careful review of documents such as transcripts or proofs of certification for a particular computer program or otherwise, an advisor can adhere to a student’s request to take a proficiency exam for a certain class. The proficiency exam is based on the final exam for the actual class and the student cannot have previously enrolled in the class. A student can only take proficiency exams for a maximum of two classes per semester. Yet, if he or she achieves an 80% or better on the exam, he or she will not have to take the class. The student will only get one chance at exam success. At $500 per credit hour for a class, the opportunity to take a proficiency exam for classes that one may not need is very appreciative.

Connie Shipman, Ed. D. in Leadership student, Higher Education Administration at Argosy University, at 4:30 am EST on January 25, 2007