The nontraditional degree program at the University of Minnesota is located in a traditional setting, but the participants are exempted from many of the standard graduation criteria such as fulfillment of language and distribution requirements. Students' academic success is outlined along with the results of the study (evaluated by using…

Methods for validating nontraditional study are discussed and the premises on which they are based are the subject of this article. (Editor/PG)

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…

This report presents guidelines developed by a task force at William Rainey Harper College (Illinois) for translating experiential learning into academic credit. Introductory sections describe the institutional commitment to granting credit for non-traditional learning experiences, a new related Associate in Liberal Studies degree, the current…

This article provides background on several types of nontraditional higher education programs, particularly the external degree programs. The program effectiveness and related costs strategy developed by Empire State College and adapted to several other institutions are reviewed. (JMF)

It is suggested that student learning through cooperative education programs should be evaluated in terms of stated objectives, and that it should be the basis for awarding degree credit. Purposes of, responsibility for, time of, and means of evaluation are discussed. (Author/LBH)

This document includes a project description, an evaluator's report, and other information on an itinerant teacher program at Mount Aloysius Junior College (MAJC) in Cresson, Pennsylvania. MAJC, a private institution sponsored by the Religious Sisters of Mercy, enrolls 550 full-time and 450 part-time students. The program, supported by the Fund…

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…

This handbook gives the adult student information to complete portfolios that are designed to help adult students earn college credits for outside experience. Portfolio assessment is a flexible and efficient way to earn college credit. Nearly any area of learning can be converted into credits as long as it is taught at a regionally accredited…

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…

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…

This is the introduction and summary of a series of six papers discussing major issues about student assessment for the University of Wisconsin Extended Degree Program, a program designed to give academic credit for college level learning derived from experiences outside the scope of formal classes. A distinction is made between prior learning,…

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.…

A general overview of the Cooperative Assessment of Experiential Learning's Operational Models project is presented. The information is intended to aid other institutions in developing a similar model. Three papers are included: Developing an Operational Model for Assessing Experiential Learning by Warren W. Willingham and Kurt F. Geisinger,…