EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING CREDIT University of Memphis

LEARN HOW TO MAKE YOUR EXPERIENCE COUNT Have you gained valuable knowledge and skills throughout your various experiences?

Experiential Learning Credit (ELC) is a highly individualized process whereby students can use the learning outcomes that they have earned through a broad range of experiences to petition for college credit. What is ELC?

An ELC award will accelerate your degree completion. Undergraduate students are permitted up to 30 ELC hours of awarded credit. Graduate students are permitted up to 9 ELC hours of awarded credit. *Contact the ELC Coordinator or your Academic Advisor to find out how many ELC hours your individual program will accept.ELC Coordinator What are the benefits of ELC?

An ELC award will allow you to save a tremendous amount of money. Undergraduate ELC hours are charged at $75.00 per credit hour. Graduate hours are charged at $ per credit hour. What are the benefits of ELC ? *Contact the ELC Coordinator to find out how you may utilize your Financial Aid award to cover ELC costs.ELC Coordinator

 Current or Previous Work Experience  Worksite Training/Professional Development  Military Training  Professional Certifications  Entrepreneurship  Volunteerism  Unique Life Experiences  Open Education Resources What type of experiences may be worthy of ELC?

Credit is based on a faculty evaluator’s assessment of your portfolio. How is ELC awarded?

What do I What do I need to submit for evaluation? 1.Gather any documentation of your certificates, trainings, and licenses 2.Those that are an exact match to a pre-assessed experience will be awarded credit (Option #1)pre-assessed experience 3.Experiential Learning Credit Portfolio (Option #2) Documentation similar but without an exact match. You will be notified of the option of completing an Experiential Learning Portfolio.

 Complete an online portfolio development course with seven modules. This course is intended to guide students. Please note that the ELC process is for highly independent students. If you need a lot of guidance, registering for an on-campus course might be more beneficial. How do I document my experiences in an ELC portfolio?

What are the necessary components of an ELC Portfolio?  Cover Page  Table of Contents  Target Statement  Critical Learning Event Narratives  Reflective Essay  Detailed Resume  Letter of Intent  Timeline of Key Learning Events  Supportive Documentation of your Experiences

What does a finished portfolio look like?  Click here to view Brad’s ELC Portfolio.here  Click here to view Jonathan’s ELC Portfolio.here  Click here to view Jonathan’s evidence.here  Click here to view Janice’s ELC Portfolio.here  Click here to view Jason’s ELC Portfolio.here Undergraduate SubmissionsGraduate Submissions

You will develop your portfolio during the completion of seven modules. The course is self-paced. You will develop a timeline with the ELC Coordinator to fit your schedule. It is highly recommended that the portfolio be completed within a semester in order to incorporate the ELC award into degree planning. How long does it take to develop an ELC Portfolio?

Assessments are completed in a timely fashion, generally within the same semester, dependent upon submission date. The ELC Coordinator will notify you of the evaluator’s decision via . How long does it take to find out if I have been awarded the credit?

I have experiences that are listed as Pre- Assessed. How do I get started?Pre- Assessed  Contact the ELC staff at: to schedule an appointment. OR  Call the office at

It’s time to get started… GATHER ANY DOCUMENTATION Gather any documentation of certifications, formal trainings, or licenses. This will determine which out of the 2 options that you are allowed to be awarded ELC credit. If you do not have any certifications or licenses, you will complete an ELC Portfolio (Option #2). SUBMIT THOSE DOCUMENTATIONS Scan and all of your documentations to OR Make copies and submit them in a manila envelope which contains your full name and University ID Number YOU WILL BE NOTIFIED Our office will notify you of which option that you have to be awarded ELC credit. Contact the ELC Coordinator if you have any questions about how to get started.ELC Coordinator

I have experiences that I want to document in an ELC Portfolio. How do I get started? You will need to complete four steps in order to get started. 1. Complete the Learning Outcomes Worksheet (LOW) 2. Complete the Letter of Intent (LOI) 3. Submit you Portfolio Deposit 4. Forward your LOW, LOI, and a copy of your payment receipt to: COMPLETE YOU LEARNING OUTCOMES WORKSHEET The Learning Outcomes Worksheet allows you to identify those broad disciplines on your resume that connect to the college classroom. COMPLETE THE LETTER OF INTENT The Letter of Intent allows you to identify the areas of your expertise that you hope to receive ELC credit.Letter of Intent SUBMIT YOUR PORTFOLIO DEPOSIT UndergraduateUndergraduate students are required to submit a $75.00 Portfolio Evaluation Deposit. GraduateGraduate students are required to submit a $ Portfolio Evaluation Deposit. Forward your LOW, LOI, & Deposit Forward your Letter of Intent and proof of your deposit to

How do I choose which areas to include in my petition? 1. Meet with your Academic Advisor and develop your plan for degree completion. 2. Your academic advisor will inform you which courses ELC hours may be able to replace. 3. Complete the Learning Outcomes Worksheet. Course / Area of Study

How do I complete the Learning Outcomes Worksheet?  Refer to your resume and examine your documented outcomes  Conduct preliminary research of college and university courses in the areas you intend to petition for credit. Notate the course that correlates with your outcomes. (Please indicate both the course number and the name of the course). Your goal is to gain an understanding of the level of learning worthy of college credit.  Locate connectivity between your resume and the college classroom. Transfer the broad disciplines onto the Learning Outcomes Worksheet  Refer back to your resume. Copy and paste your relevant outcomes under the appropriate category.

How do I complete the Letter of Intent?  The Letter of Intent is a PDF file.Letter of Intent  You will be permitted to type your information into the document.  You are also able to save the document.

How do I complete the Letter of Intent? The purpose of the Letter of Intent is to identify the areas of your expertise that you plan to include in your petition. The bottom portion of the first page asks you to identify the areas of your expertise that you hope to be awarded credit. The top section of the first page asks you to provide basic information.

How do I complete the Letter of Intent? The second page of the document will ask you to acknowledge your understanding of program policies and procedures. Type your name here Click in the boxes to acknowledge you understand each individual statement Type your name here to serve as your electronic signature Click any applicable boxes to identify how you learned about ELC Type your Academic Advisor’s Name Here

Do I have to match my experiences to the remaining courses in my degree program?  You are not required to course match, but you may attempt to receive credit for an exact course that is listed in your degree plan.  ELC is intended to display your unique knowledge base and skills set that you have developed throughout your experiences.

May I petition for credit in areas that are not directly related to my degree program?  You may document experiences that are not directly related to your degree program if you are attempting to receive credit that may be used to satisfy General Elective requirements. *Please contact your Academic Advisor to determine if you have any General Elective requirements remaining.

How do I choose which areas to include in my petition? Ann has worked as an elementary school teacher for the past four years. She created the following categories to reflect the numerous ranges of expertise in her field. Curriculum Development & Assessment Unit & Lesson Planning Behavior Modification Instructional Methods Education Let’s look at an example… Ann could identify these four broad categories as the courses/areas of study that she will detail in her ELC Portfolio.

How do I choose which areas to include in my petition? Martin has worked as a Manager at a local distribution company for the past fifteen years. He created the following categories to reflect the numerous ranges of expertise in his field. Employment LawSupervision Team Development Program Development Education Here’s another example… Martin could identify these four broad categories as the courses/areas of study that he will detail in his ELC Portfolio.

How do I determine the level of my course/area of study?  If you are seeking credit equivalent to a 1000 or 2000 level course please indicate this by putting "Lower" in the Level column.  If you are seeking credit equivalent to a 3000 or 4000 level course please indicate this by putting "Upper" in the Level column.  If you are seeking credit equivalent to a 7000 or 8000 level course please indicate this by putting "Graduate" in the Level column.

Where do I pay my deposit?  Follow the link below to access the Bursar’s online payment portal store_main.jsp?STOREID=24&SINGLESTORE=true  You may also contact the ELC Coordinator to find out how to pay your deposit on campus.ELC Coordinator  Follow the link below to access the Bursar’s online payment portal store_main.jsp?STOREID=30&SINGLESTORE=true You may also contact the ELC Coordinator to find out how to pay your deposit on campus. ELC Coordinator Undergraduate StudentsGraduate Students

Contact the ELC Coordinator to learn how you may EARN from your past!ELC Coordinator Congratulations on choosing to take charge and invest in your future!

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