Increasing numbers of colleges and universities are responding to the needs of adults seeking professional training and have come to recognize the value of experiential learning. One method of assessing previous learning is to prepare a portfolio with documentation of life experiences as they related to the learning process. The East Central College Consortium, which is made up of eight colleges in Ohio and Pennsylvania, currently offers an assessment system whereby authorized faculty members from whom a petitioner is seeking credit evaluate a portfolio consisting of seven elements. The first six of these are a resume, an autobiography, a specific credit request, an abstract of learning outcomes, an explanation of learning outcomes (in which the petitioner attempts to explain the relationship of the learning outcomes to the credits requested), and a statement of educational goals. The seventh element--documentation of work experience, community service activities, noncredit courses and other training, and special accomplishments--can be presented in various forms including awards, letters of corroboration from superiors or peers, congratulatory messages of high performance, awards, newspaper and magazine clippings, diplomas, certificates, records of military service or training, books or articles published, writing samples, and lectures given on specific topics. After the assessor reviews the portfolio, a consortium board makes the final decision as to the amount of credit to be awarded. (MN)