Regents External Degrees make it possible for an individual to earn a college degree without the constraints of time or locale, and without necessarily attending college. He or she need only demonstrate college-level competency in a Regents External Degree Program. Credit is granted for a variety of educational experiences--from military training,…

Credit by examination is essentially the awarding of credit for theoretical knowledge gained outside traditional classroom situations. The examination provides the basis for the kinds and numbers of credits awarded. Programs in credit by examination are innovative because they recognize that people do indeed learn, either purposefully or…

Adults learn from many sources, such as volunteer work, community services, homemaking, jobs, and other activities, and they increasingly want this learning to be recognized so that they can reenter the job market, get a promotion, or return to college. Therefore, scientific methods have been developed to help adults document their experiential…

Evaluation of prior learning for college credit towards a general studies degree is discussed in this handbook for faculty evaluators. It is suggested that the major responsibility of the evaluator is to determine if prior learning is college level and how many credits should be awarded. Credit toward the general studies degree is awarded only for…

Educational institutions need to help women get a better education by taking into account the learning they have acquired through experience in homemaking, volunteer work, and other activities. This paper examines the need for recognition of women's prior learning by educational institutions and delves into some of the intricacies of the process.…

Four experiential learning programs that are in the early stages of development are described. The report from the Consortium of the California State University and Colleges details the efforts of a traditional, decentralized system to introduce flexibility into the use of examinations for crediting prior learning. A description of a large,…