1. Talking PLA & Transferability
MI-litary Equivalency Project
The Council on Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) presents:
Talking PLA & Transferability

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4. Prior Learning Assessment
and
Transferability

5. Today’s Agenda Overview of Prior Learning Assessment
Kristen Himmerick, M. Ed.
Senior Director
LearningCounts
CAEL
Today’s Agenda
Overview of Prior Learning Assessment
The LearningCounts Program
PLA Policies – Best Practices
Tennessee’s PLA Transferability
Maine Community College System & PLA
Q & A
Wilson Finch
Senior Consultant
Workforce & Economic Development
CAEL
Anne St.Pierre
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
Central Maine Community College

6. What Is CAEL? Council for Adult and Experiential Learning
A 501(c)(3) non-profit, international organization with 42 years of lifelong learning experience
National leader in Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) and Competency Based Education (CBE )best practices,research, and writing
Dedicated to removing barriers to adult learning
Standards recognized by regional accrediting bodies

7. Adult Students Ask… “I know this…why do I need this course?”
“Do I have the time to get a lengthy degree?”
“What if I can’t afford to finish my degree?”
“What can I do to finish my degree faster?”
“I know this…why do I need this course?”
How can we help them?
When we are talking to adult students, they have a different set of questions then our traditional aged students.
Something that we here are a lot here are LC, they are sitting in class, looking at their onlkine syllabus, and thinking, I already know this information, why am I taking this class?
What if we had something that could help students save time, save money, move thru their degree faster, and also not make them sit thru classes where they already know the information? It’s so unmotivating for any student when that happens.
And the answer to that is prior learning assessment…definition.
HOW TO REACH THESE STUDENTS AND accelerate completion.

8. What is Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) or Credit for Prior Learning (CPL)?
Prior Learning Assessment is the process for evaluating knowledge and skills to award college credit for learning from:
On-the-job training
Independent Study
Military and Volunteer
Service
Training Courses
and/or Certifications
Work Experience

9. Key Assessment Standards
We established the quality standards for PLA back in the 1970s and have been a leader since then.

10. Prior Learning Assessment Options for Adult Students
Which PLA option will help your student save time and money towards their degree?
Military
Credit
Training
Credit by Exam
Portfolio

11. Prior Learning Assessment Can Help Students
Save Time
Save Money
Graduate Faster

12. Graduation and Completion2X
Associate Degree students are 2X times more likely to persist to graduation

13. What is LearningCounts Portfolio Assessment?
Online Portfolio Development Course
Portfolio Tool and Guidance
Individualized Assessment by Faculty

14. Portfolio Development
Portfolio contains a single course
Students must have syllabus
Must be undergraduate ( ) level
No capstones
No internships
No practicums
No lab courses or courses with lab components
Portfolio evaluations are completed in about two weeks
Portfolio credit recommendations are Pass/Fail
Business and Management
Information Systems/Technology
Human Resources
Finance/Accounting
Criminal Justice/Legal
Hospitality/Event Management
Healthcare Administration

15. Transcripting Portfolio Recommendations

16. LearningCounts Military Member Students
115 portfolios
66% portfolios received credit recommendations
Top subject areas:
Business & Management
Criminal Justice
Information Systems

17. PLA within the University
Registrar
Advising/Admissions
Marketing
Faculty
Legal & Policy
Adult Student
Be positive – use language that is an invitation, not a warning
Be positive – create PLA policy that represents portfolio as an opportunity rather than a risk
Be proactive – don’t wait for them to ask; reach out to students and offer portfolio assessment as a benefit
Be really proactive…
Survey your adult students to find out if they might be good candidates for portfolio

18. Potential Bottlenecks
PLA never mentioned in info sessions or materials that recruit students
PLA never mentioned during the enrollment process
Business Development or Workforce Development never mention PLA to employers they are working with
Advisors and/or Faculty are unaware of or uncomfortable with the CPL process
Administrative flow is unclear (Where do I register? How do I get my credits?)

19. PLA Policy Best Practices

20. What can we do? – Implementation Checklists
Academic Policies
Non-Academic Policies
Outreach and Awareness
Promotion and Marketing
Advising
Professional Development
Process Development
Integrating PLA
Local Business Partnerships
PLA touches across campus. It is not just an “academic program.” Therefore, implementation has to be careful, deliberate, and involved a wide range of roles on campus.
That being said, each institution is different. Different structures and cultures, so I cannot give you the perfect template for implementing PLA. But these are subjects you need to be prepared to address:
Academic Policies – Are they a burden? Are they cumbersome? Can you offer more?
Non-Academic Policies – Are they a burden? Fees? Approvals? Eligibility requirements?
Outreach and Awareness – Internal. Students. Faculty. Staff. Website. Catalog. Direct training and awareness.
Promotion and Marketing – External. Are you using it?
Advising – Direct work. Orientation?
Professional Development – Trainings. New staff. Old staff. Updates?
Process Development – Are your processes a problem?
Integrating PLA – Making it a requirement
Local Business Partnerships – Do you evaluate their training? Do they pay for tuition? Do they know what you accept?
Can you or your institution answer all of the questions and address these concerns?

21. Elements of an Effective PLA Program
As was alluded to earlier, most under-invest in figuring this out how to implement their PLA program. Instead they Create an ad hoc process. Not really thought through intake, forms, responsibilities, who does what, administrative stuff.
So, now that we have touched on what needs to be addressed, we will focus on a few key areas.
We will go into more details now on some of these. We will keep it fairly conceptual here to touch on issues you would need to address, but I would like to leave time for a discussion and questions about specifics if anyone has some.
Manage to get policy in place
Get stuck on portfolio course*

22. Policies and Procedures
Consider all relevant impacts on campus
Policy document draws from existing academic policy
Developed by a group from across the campus #2
Align with general academic policies but specifically address PLA – THINGS LIKE COMMON STANDARDS FOR OUTCOMES AND AWARDING CREDIT, HOW CAN USED IN DEGREE PROGRAMS, LIMITED LISTS OF REASONS FOR DENIALS, POLICIES FOR SPECIFIC PLA TYPES #4
Developed and reviewed by multiple constituencies
#5 – make sure no disconnects

23. Infrastructure Map out process
Administrative structure, staffing, and rules to guide students through PLA
Rules and guides to support faculty and staff
Professional development
Includes organization and business model
Includes BOTH to support it
Need to figure this stuff out and make adjustments as program and demand changes over time. Topics include:
-fin aid
-fees
-advising
-admissions
-records and transcription
-Website, awareness, marketing
Clear organizational chart that indicates the students path through the PLA process – centralized? Will you have a coordinator?
Centralized systems ensure consistent practice with a designated person providing oversight
A centralized system for administering PLA can still provide customization in assessment for departments and programs
FEES

24. Academic Criteria Derived from course learning outcomes
Written and shared prior to student’s participation
Criteria should invite multiple forms of demonstration of learning
How you decide to award credit #1
Course learning outcomes generally serve as academic criteria in course-match PLA programs
Course learning outcomes should apply to all sections of a course within a department
Common set of outcomes for a course, regardless of who is teaching and what section

25. Faculty Involvement Academic quality depends on faculty SMEs
Training in PLA generally and portfolio assessment in particular
Beyond portfolio, determine use of other assessments:
standardized tests
challenge/departmental exams
reviewing certifications and training #1
Subject matter experts in designated disciplines
Hold qualifications and teaching experience

26. Student Support
Clear and consistent information easily accessible to students
Policy information
Procedure and guides
Integration into degree
Expectations
Advisors and other intake staff should use the same information
Screening tools help advisors assist students in determining the best forms of PLA for them #1
Information provided in multiple formats and locations
ALSO MARKETING
#2 Purpose of advising and screening IS to support decision-making about participation in PLA

27. Oversight and Research
Quality assurance
Data
Identifies impact of PLA on student outcomes
Identifies areas for professional development and program revision
Maintenance, growth, and review of program
APPEALS
New assessments
Periodic reviews

28. Inter-Institutional Cooperation: Transferring PLA within Tennessee
Requested by institutions for efficiency and confidence
Built upon existing framework
Task force of all institutions
That are other policy areas you must consider which may be outside of your individual institutional control (or would greatly benefit from coordination), such as transcription, data collection, or transfer.
Talk about TN transfer

29. Additional Considerations
Institutional context and history
Competing demands
Accreditation
Available resources
Always remember

30. Mechanism for Policy Development
Task Force/Committee
Role diversity
Goals and tasks
Review and expand
Decision Points
Decision
Decision marker(s)
Resources
Barriers
E.g. Challenge exam fees
Business office
“PLA is Your Business;” other MI institutions
Costs vs. what student will pay; system policies/procedures.

31. Maine Community College System
To choose a divider slide with a different photo: Right click this slide in the panel to the left and select “Layout”

32. 7 community colleges
6 off-campus centers
Online courses also offered

33. MCCS Prior Learning Program: Core Principles
Academic integrity
Credit for prior learning, not experience
College-level learning:  A course equivalency model
Based on learning outcomes: a balance of theory and application
Appropriate to student’s academic context
Based on CAEL standards
Types of PLA Transfer credit
Exams: CLEP/DSST/IB/AP/FLATS, Credential review, Military, Portfolio

34. MCCS PLA Strategy
Campus-based reviews: Challenge exam, Credential review, and Portfolio review will be transferable to any system campus without further review
Standardized PLA coding on transcripts (Registrars)
Course equivalency model helps transferability
 Blocking credit for like programs in MCCS (e.g. military, credential)
Issues: Registrars, ROI, Faculty

35. Thank you! Q & A Contact: khimmerick@cael.org wfinch@cael.org