Earning Credits For Life Experiences

Besides testing, several other methods can be used to earn college credit for the knowledge you have gained outside a formal classroom. These include assessment of prior learning through essays, portfolio development, and expert panel interview. Whether your knowledge was gained through your work, travel, volunteering, hobbies, reading for personal development, or other activities, it can equate to college-level learning.

It is important, however, for you to differentiate between learning and experience. You can report for work every day for ten years, perform your job by rote, and never learn anything. Just because you experienced something doesn't necessarily mean you developed college-level learning from that experience. That learning must be at least equivalent to what other students have achieved in a comparable college class.

As an example, let's say you manufacture computer chips in a clean room. Every day you etch the same patterns, use the same chemicals, and inspect the finished products the same way. What have you learned besides the mechanics of your job? Probably not much. You have gained experience. Now let's say you are interested in getting ahead in your industry, so you grill your boss constantly with questions about the safe handling and disposal of the chemicals. You talk with the design engineers at every opportunity to find out about the functions of the patterns you are etching after they are installed in a computer. You read some books on quality control and develop a new procedure that salvages some of the defective chips. Now, what have you learned? You are beginning to master your craft and you are now ready to take a test, develop a portfolio, or be interviewed by a panel of experts.

Colleges and universities that assess experience for credit have developed extensive processes to ensure that students deserve that credit. Those processes are different for every school, so you must ask what each one requires for assessment of experiential learning. At the University of Phoenix, for example, a student can earn a maximum of 30 prior learning credits as a result of professional training (workshops, seminars, licenses, business and professional courses, and other institutionally sponsored course work). This learning must be documented in an "Experiential Learning Portfolio" that contains detailed evidence of learning outcomes, supporting documentation, and descriptions of personal and professional experience. This can include certifications (CPS, CPIM, CFM, CPCU, MSCE, ATC, PFSM, CPhT), diplomas, licenses (pilot, real estate, and so on) , awards and citations, taped presentations, written speeches, manuscripts, photographs, newspaper articles, artwork, product samples, patents, musical scores, computer programs, printed programs, letters from third parties, and the list goes on, limited only by your imagination.

Once the portfolio is submitted, it is evaluated by faculty evaluators who hold advanced degrees in their respective disciplines. They are chosen for their educational and professional competence and are assigned according to their expertise. The quality ofthe evaluation process is assured through internal auditing of evaluations, comprehensive recordkeeping and tracking systems, and well-defined policies and procedures.

Most colleges and universities use the portfolio and essay methods to evaluate prior learning, but occasionally a student is required to undergo an oral interview instead. This is more likely to be required when demonstrating foreign language proficiency or presenting complex ideas. In such cases, an expert or group of experts questions the student, either in person or via audiotape or videotape. Even if the panel submits its questions in writing , the student is always required to respond to the questions orally. Avoid this type of assessment if you are uncomfortable with communicating orally.

Credits earned through portfolio development, essays, and expert panel interviews are often less expensive than taking an equivalent course. They can be as little as $25 or $50 per credit instead of $200 or more. Not only is it less expensive, but earning credit for experience also means you can achieve your degree goals faster. Since learning has already occurred, demonstrating that learning can take much less time, and you won't have to sit through a class covering information you already know.

For more information on assessment of prior learning, contact:

• Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) 55 East Monroe Street, Suite 1930 Chicago, IL 60603 Phone: (312) 499-2600