The influx of an unprecedented number of reentry women into educational programs and paid work requires more research on the transferability of women's competencies and life experiences to specific occupations. A questionnaire was developed to survey the life experiences of adult women (N=131) who were participating in various programs of career…

The purpose of this Massachusetts Department of Education document is to create an awareness of, and to provide information about, adult high school credentialing programs based upon assessment of skills, which augment existing ways to earn a high school diploma. It is intended for staffs of adult learning centers, adult education programs, CETA…

The ways that Wisconsin colleges, technical institutes and high schools award credit for learning acquired through work experience are described. This guide was written after a statewide study of the policies and procedures of both postsecondary and secondary schools. Data were gathered in interviews with nearly every postsecondary school in…

With the increase in mature, highly (although informally) educated students returning to or beginning high school or college, the need for a system of crediting prior experiential learning has also increased. Prior experiential learning refers to knowledge for which no course corresponding to a student's learning exists in a curriculum, but that…

The concept of lifelong education is discussed in this the last of four transcripts of radio programs on college today. Dialogue is presented in the following area: Ronald Gross on lifelong learning; the old view of lifelong learning; the view of the President of the University of Rhode Island; classes on the Long Island Railroad (Adelphi…

Begun when a student challenged a statement in the college catalog, Wisconsin's workable system for giving credit for prior learning is described. Suggestions are offered for having faculty set policy, involving maximum faculty, establish a review mechanism, and keep individuals away from their traditional roles. (Author/LBH)

Current practices of assessing prior learning are reported. Both faculty and staff are heavily involved in the total crediting procedure, dealing with: information student advisement, tutorials or seminar instruction, program planning, and the actual evaluation process itself. (Author/LBH)

The portfolio method of assessing past experience for the award of academic credit is compared and contrasted to the project-syllabus method. It is suggested that the project-syllabus method is a more appropriate form for evaluating past experience. (Author/SF)

Traces the history of and rationale for awarding college credit for experiential learning in order to avoid duplicating educational experiences, accommodate preferred learning styles, respond to social changes, and promote lifelong learning. Reviews methods of assessing and documenting prior learning. Considers implications for practice. (DMM)

Discusses the importance of experience and experiential learning in distance education. Models of prior knowledge and experiential learning are discussed, the measurement of experiential learning is described, a model of the portfolio assessment method is explained, and implications for Dutch higher education and the Open University are suggested.…

Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) is now an established but relatively under used process in higher education (HE). In our review article, we argue that this is because APEL not only challenges the traditional university monopoly of knowledge but also challenges other established processes and social constructions. Work-Based…

After forty-nine years of watching and working in higher education, Arthur Chickering has determined that three R's truly are fundamental to helping students learn. In stark contrast to the traditional set, Chickering's three R's challenge educators to recognize, respect, and respond to wide-ranging individual differences among diverse learners.…

The powerful role of prior experiences and cultural schemata in guiding novice teachers' conceptions of how to teach is hardly contested. We report on a "reflective practicum" at the very beginning of a pre-service teacher education course that interconnects prior beliefs, reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action and that, in principle,…

This publication is based on the session on assessment of prior learning and the accrediting process at the 1991 National Institute on the Assessment of Experiential Learning. The paper by Paula Hooper Mayhew focuses on regional accreditation, including the evaluation team visit and accrediting prior learning assessment during the visit. Amy K.…

This manual provides an overview of the concepts and issues involved in the assessment of prior learning in the context of the increasing numbers of older, nontraditional students returning to higher education. Section 1 gives background information about prior learning assessment (PLA) and defines PLA as assessment by some valid and reliable…