INVESTING IN ADULT LEARNER SUCCESS: PRIOR LEARNING ASSESSMENT

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INVESTING IN ADULT LEARNER SUCCESS  PRIOR
LEARNING ASSESSMENT

• Student Success Assessment Summit
• June 23, 2009

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• Intro Prior Learning Assessment
• Learning From Experience
• CAEL Standards
• PLA in Ohio
• Deeper into PLA
• Adopting PLA
• Continuing Conversations

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Learning from Experience(different from
experiential learning)

• When learning experiences occur
• and
• when these experiences are purposefully reflected
  upon and integrated, they can yield explicit
  knowledge and skills.

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What is PLA?

• Prior Learning Assessment is a purposeful
  process between a learner and an institution.
• Within this process learners take responsibility
  for providing evidence of acquired knowledge and
  proficiencies.

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. . . continued

• Institutions provide information and resources
  that assist learners prepare and/or provide
  evidence. Institutions determine if the evidence
  provided matches college course outcome
  proficiencies.
• If a learners skills and knowledge match these
  expected proficiencies, institutions grant
  college credit.

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Determining Acquired Knowledge and Proficiencies

• Proficiency or Challenge Exams (ACE)
• Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education
  Support (DANTES)
• College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
• Advanced Placement Programs (AP)
• Portfolio Assessment and Portfolio courses
• Transcript Analysis
• Demonstrations, performance, videos

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Common Methods Used in Ohio to Measure K S
include
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From an Ohio survey (3/09)

• 21 Institutions offer PLA programs/services
• AA, BA, MA, PhD, JD programs certificates
• Positioned in academic affairs, colleges,
  academic departments and units, adult/continuing
  education
• 71 of institutions, department/units accept
  credits granted via prior learning assessment
  from other institutions, 29 do not.
• Variety of disciplines math, IT, urban affairs,
  engineering and engineering tech, social science,
  tech based AA, nursing, and degree completion

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Who are PLA learners?

• CEO of major organization with 4 year degree (not
  accredited, however)
• Bookkeeper with 30 years experience wanting a
  degree
• Manufacturing worker with on the job experience
  in auto industryknows GPS systems in and out
  has worked informally with two cities and GIS
  tracking
• Displaced homemakers, laid off workers
• Nurses, and more

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Adopting PLA

• Helpful in accreditation (HLC, AQIP)
• Welcoming to adults who want degrees values
  uniqueness and knowledge
• Lessens time and costs to matriculation
• Legitimizes many ways to learn / to assess
• Must create outcomes - based course/degree
  expectations
• Portfolio assessment/courses

• Unacceptable for some disciplines accreditation
• Challenges traditional classroom norms
• Quality assurance issues
• The need to develop outcomes assessments
• Administrative support/adequate resources/extra
  time
• Transcripting
• Tradition

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In National Studies

• PLA students often enroll for more (not fewer)
  courses than those with no PLA credits.
• -- 2001 Simpson College study (ALSO 75
  retention with PLA vs. 38 for those without PLA)
• PLA students show better complex problem-solving
  skills than classroom students.
• -- 2002 University of Connecticut study in the
  Journal of Continuing Higher Education

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continued . . .

• Portfolio PLA students tend to show higher
  cumulative GPAs.
•     -- Studies in 1992 _at_ UMUC, and in 2003 among
  1600 students in 4 Illinois public universities
• A recent College Board study of 1500 adults rated
  credit for prior learning policy as more
  important than small class size or
  availability of financial aid.

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CAEL National Standards(handout)

• 5 Standards for the credit-bearing assessment
  processes and
• 5 Standards for quality assurance for the
  administrative aspects of Prior Learning
  Assessment activities and programs.

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Resources

• CAEL http//www.cael.org/pla.htm
• ACE
• http//www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?SectionSea
  rchtemplate/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfmContentID21961
• Antioch University McGregor
• http//www.mcgregor.edu/us/transferprilearncredit
  .html
• Lorain County Community College
• http//www.lorainccc.edu/FacultyandStaff/Center
  forTeachingExcellence/ResourcesandLinks/Portfo
  lio.htm
• Sinclair Community College
• http//www.sinclair.edu/about/administrative/vpi/
  trs/
• The Union Institute and University
• httpwww/myunion.edu
• Thomas Edison College
• http//www.tesc.edu/698.php

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Dorinda Smith Associate Professor Coordinator of
Public Administration, Political Science, Urban
Studies, Geographic Information Systems,
Archeology   Lorain County Community
College dsmith_at_lorainccc.edu 440-366-7237 Patty
Brewer Dean, Pre-Cohort Ph.D. ProgramUnion
Institute and Universitypatricia.brewer_at_myunion.e
du 513-487-1182 Sheryl Hansen Director,
Professional Development Programs Ohio Learning
Network shansen_at_oln.org 614-995-3240