The present documents offers a 78-item annotated bibliography on the topic of nontraditional studies and special degree programs. The bibliography grew out of an interest in published materials on various ways of meeting the special learning needs of adults. Materials included are essays, speeches, magazine articles, and reports of persons who…

This paper, as the title suggests, presents a discussion of the dangers and possibilities of the external degree. There are 8 major dangers that widespread offering of external degrees might precipitate: (1) the deterioration of standards rather than quality education; (2) a proliferation of degrees that might debase the degree; (3) the use of the…

A review is given of the avenues currently available under California law for individuals or institutions to pursue "alternative" teacher certification procedures. An explanation is given of the nature of the District Intern Program, and how it can be used as an alternative credentialing path. (JD)

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)

The formation and use of the Continuing Education Unit (CEU), a uniform nationally accepted unit that provides a mechanism by which most continuing education activities can be measured and recorded, was presented at the 1973 National Adult Education Association Conference. The unit, developed by the National Task Force in 1968 to determine the…

Central Michigan University's experiential learning program and the guidelines for awarding academic credit are described. Graduate students may apply for college credit on the basis of relevant skills which have been acquired as a result of their occupational, military, and personal experiences. The evaluators judge the student's application to…

The history of post secondary education in the U.S., and the role of experiential learning in its improvement are discussed. Topics of discussion include: the relationship of experiential learning to individuals' information processing, the need to clarify objectives, and the potential effect of new educational objectives on teaching and…

Experiential Learning graduate credits are awarded to students enrolled in the Institute for Personal and Career Development (IPCD) graduate programs for knowledge acquired from on-the-job training, on-the-job experiences, non-university workshops, other vocation-related experiences, or avocational achievemnts. These experiences and achievements…

A model for assessing and awarding credit for prior experiential learning is presented; the adult student's experiences are summarized in a portfolio. The model incorporates eight stages: facilitating the construction and assessment of a portfolio, identifying significant prior experiences, expressing the learning outcomes of prior experiences,…

This student guide is directed at the adult student who petitions for college credits based on prior experiential learning. It will assist such adults in maximizing the value of their prior experiences in relation to educational goals and successfully obtaining appropriate credit. The reader is led step by step through the process of identifying…

Fifteen recommendations, based on a two-year study, are presented on the credit and credential system in postsecondary education. Objectives are to increase the awareness of employers and those concerned with postsecondary education of the educational and social significance of credentialing educational accomplishment and to help institutions…

Metropolitan State University, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, is a competence-based, baccalaureate-degree-granting institution created in 1971 to serve adults. The Operational Models Project was designed to improve the university's program for assessing experiential learning. Specific purposes of the project were: (1) to describe a program for…