The University College of Saint Joseph's University (Pennsylvania) has developed the Experiential Learning Assessment Program (ELAP) which is designed for University College students who wish to apply to and be assessed for college credits gained through experiential learning. The need for such a program was recognized when Archdiocesan teachers,…

This guide is an attempt to inventory undergraduate level, degree-granting external degree programs (EPDs), defined as those emphasizing minimal classroom coursework and minimal residence requirements. There are 134 accredited or approved organizations listed that sponsor among them 244 external degree programs (66 associate and 178 bachelor).…

Results of a 13-item questionnaire mailed to Iona College graduates who had received "life experience" credits as part of their undergraduate degree are presented. The purpose of the study was to determine the acceptability of life-experience credits by graduate schools to improve advising and advocacy activities. (Author/LBH)

Colleges and universities have responded to the need of adults to possess academic credentials by designing programs flexible enough to fit any situation. Portfolio assessment, independent study, credit-by-exam, and credit for prior learning are among the ways people earn degrees. Some women's experiences and sources for study cited. (MLW)

The evaluation of training and education sponsored by the Armed Forces, business, and industry, as well as prior learning assessment has been standardized. One method of standardizing the transcripting of extrainstitutional education to increase its acceptance in traditional institutions is described. (Author/MLW)

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) is a new field, but it has a long history, since children have always learned from adults and demonstrated their competence by observation of their work or by the quality of their products or services. Later, formal learning became more valuable and recognized school credentials paved the way to…

This report contains suggestions on how adults can secure college credit for past education and life experience. According to the report, there are eight categories of life experience that can be worth credit: work; homemaking; volunteer work; noncredit learning; travel; recreational activities and hobbies; reading, viewing, and listening; and…

Experiential learning programs must be marketed effectively if they are to succeed. The formulation of market strategy is discussed including: strategic planning; identification of a market target; and development of a market mix. A commitment to marketing academic programs is seen as a commitment to self-assessment. (MW)

The relationship of life experience prior to the admission to medical school to clinical performance was studied. Age, prior military experience, and educational background were found to be related to clinical performance. The presence of an interest/motivational factor was presented and discussed. (Author/MLW)

An outline is given of the system developed by the American Council on Education through which more than 2,000 colleges have awarded hundreds of thousands of credits toward degrees for prior learning outside colleges, either in military service or employment. (Author/MSE)

The faculty's power to grant course credit assures that standards are fulfilled where credit is awarded. This power enables them to foster or to defeat an institution's policy on recognition of experiential learning as they favor or oppose its application to their respective fields of instruction. (Author/MLW)

Capability is an expert system designed to support the process of compiling portfolios for competence-based assessment, particularly accreditation of prior leaning. The system was designed to provide cost effective management, consistency of rigor, support for tutors in accreditation workshops, and a structured approach to counseling. Outlines…

Canadian Inuit and Mohawk indigenous schools illustrate the meeting of formal and traditional education models and suggest the dangers in oversimplified "learning style" dichotomies. The western cultural package of standard literacy practice, schooling, and abstract thought is challenged. (Contains 46 references.) (Author/LB)

Contextual studies of learning experiences as recalled by working, adult learners entering post-graduate studies in higher education are not widely reported in higher education research. The purpose of this study was to explore the recalled learning experiences of adult students with work experience, but no prior completed academic qualifications,…

This course is designed to assist adults in documenting their prior experience, gaining an understanding of the policy and practices of recognition of prior learning (RPL), and then applying for RPL in either further education or employment. The 30-hour course is designed to be delivered over a series of weeks to allow time for students to reflect…