Students may showcase their learning and mastery of a particular subject or subjects by compiling and submitting a portfolio for assessment. Upon successful review, students may receive college credit for the skills and knowledge they’ve gained through prior learning experiences. Examples of circumstances where a portfolio could be utilized as part of a prior learning assessment process are students who:
Have significant work experience demonstrating depth and breadth of knowledge in a particular field, or in a field that requires certification, registration, or licensure.
– Or –
Have educational experiences outside of the traditional learning environment (i.e., tutorials, private instruction, MOOCs, completed coursework from a non-regionally accredited institution, have advanced high school coursework that does not convey standardized college credit, etc.)
In order to be considered for Credit for Prior Learning Assessment, the learning should possess the following characteristics:
- It should be measurable. This may include learning that has resulted in licenses or certificates for non-credit training programs, and training or experiences leading to demonstrable skills.
- It should be both practical and theoretical. Learning that can be described as leading to both understanding and demonstrable skill is more likely to be deemed worthy of college credit.
- It should be generalized. Learning that lends itself to a broad variety of applications is more likely to be deemed worthy of college credit.
Portfolio Review requires that a student show proof of college-level writing competency or be concurrently enrolled in college writing prior to preparing any portfolio for credit.
