Adult students are forced to choose between traditional courses and independent studies and the assessment of learning. An alternative is discussed--educational workshops that focus on the theories in a field and the relationships between those theories and practical experience. (Author/MLW)

The unique opportunities and problems that come with serving diversely prepared learners are discussed. The concept of "diverse preparation" is illustrated with brief sketches of three students, and the ways in which institutions respond to diversity or preparation are examined. (MLW)

Institutions granting credit for life experience are faced with obstacles related to the complex, sensitive, threatening, and ambitious nature of the procedure. A three-step process for implementation of a plan for developing credit for life experiences is provided, along with a dissenting opinion. (MLW)

Portfolio assessment, designed after the model disseminated originally by the Cooperative Assessment of Experiential Learning (CAEL) project, has become the assessment technique of choice in prior learning programs as well as the foundation for adult degree programs. Innovations and changes in the assessment process are discussed. (Author/MLW)

Present efforts by colleges to develop new learning opportunities for adults are characterized as a highly significant movement that seeks to meet the needs of many millions of adults, in the judgment of a former chancellor of universities and university systems. (Author/MSE)

Determines that attitudes toward science teaching is related to both gender and previous exposure to science education as a discipline. Gender favoring males was found to be a variable associated with a higher degree of positiveness of attitudes of preservice Nigerian undergraduate science teachers (N=120). (CS)

Experiential learning programs award college credits for learning achieved through job and life experience. The evaluation of such experience by academic standards provides many adult students a focus for planning the continuation of their education. (SK)

Description of the issues surrounding introduction of assessment of prior experiential learning for nurse practitioners illustrates concerns in contemporary British higher education: multiplicity of purposes, fear that academics are losing control over knowledge creation and assessment, and shift from norm- to criterion-referenced assessment.…

The key features of continuous lifelong learning are open access, recognition of learning wherever it takes place, and new learning networks and partnerships. Lifelong learning is at the heart of the development of the virtual university, which must be a real university offering opportunities otherwise unavailable. (SK)

This inaugural issue of the Journal of the National Institute on the Assessment of Experiential Learning begins with the article, "Semantic and Conceptual Ambiguities in Prior Learning Assessment" (Richard J. Hamilton). It is the basis for a session presented at the National Institute on the Assessment of Experiential Learning in June…

Mathematics learning and practice in school and out of school differ in some significant ways which are explained by the fact that: (1) problem in everyday situations are embedded in real contexts that are meaningful to the problem solver; and (2) the mathematics used outside school is a tool in the service of some broader goal. This paper…

A project was conducted to develop, monitor, and evaluate schemes for assessing the prior experiential learning of individuals enrolling in polytechnic institutes and colleges. A total of 12 evaluation schemes at 15 educational institutions throughout Great Britain were examined. The evaluation schemes studied had been developed to assess the…

This handbook presents information to aid students in applying for prior learning credit at Whatcom Community College (WCC). First, introductory material outlines the types of activities that may qualify a student for prior experiential learning credit and presents a flowchart illustrating the accrediting process. Next, a step-by-step guide is…

Ohio University's Experiential Learning Program includes a portfolio development course to assess prior nonsponsored learning. The program is used as a recruitment and retention device and has attracted former adult students who had not been able to complete their degree programs. (SK)

This study identified instructional strategies that family and consumer science teacher candidates found useful, noting why the strategies aided their learning. A 2-hour lesson on classroom management using small group theory was selected based on its ties to constructivist pedagogy. Before teaching the lesson, the instructor described her…