The PLA Advisor: Negotiation Skills Required!

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The PLA Advisor Negotiation Skills Required!

• Prof. Janice Karlen
• and
• Prof. Susan Sanchirico
• CUNY LaGuardia Community College

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About CUNY
SENIOR and GRADUATE COLLEGES HONORS and PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY COLLEGES
Baruch College Brooklyn College The City College of New York College of Staten Island CUNY Baccalaureate Degree CUNY Online Baccalaureate Degree Hunter College John Jay College of Criminal Justice Lehman College Medgar Evers College New York City College of Technology Queens College York College CUNY Graduate Center CUNY Graduate School of Journalism CUNY School of Law CUNY School of Professional Studies CUNY School of Public Health Macaulay Honors College Borough of Manhattan Community College Bronx Community College Kingsborough Community College LaGuardia Community College Queensborough Community College
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Policy and CUNY

• General Education
• Senior college vs. Community college
• Articulation
• Specific programs at specific schools
• PLA Credit
• Credit varies by program/by college
• Veterans Credit

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Current CUNY PLA initiatives

• CUNY CAEL Grant (Ford Foundation)
• Bronx Community College / Lehman College
• LaGuardia Community College / York College
• CUNY wide PLA
• The Murphy Institute for Worker Education Labor
  Studies
• CUNY BA
• City College
• York College
• LaGuardia Community College

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About LaGuardia

• Founded as a Co-op college, experiential
  learning had been at the core of the academic
  offerings. While program requirements have
  changed, the foundation of experiential learning
  is acknowledged and provides a framework for all
  forms of PLA workplace learning, portfolios,
  internship credit, military experience, etc.
• The PLA program operates under the auspices of
  the Office of Academic Affairs. The faculty
  members who are involved have been designated as
  coordinators.

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LaGuardia PLA Policy

• Exemption Credit for credit courses offered at
  LaGuardia course match
• Granted on basis of an examination or project
  equivalent to final course requirement
• Equivalencies are determined by the faculty of
  the appropriate department
• Approved by the chairperson
• To receive credit by exemption, the student
  applies to the appropriate chairperson or
  designee.
• The maximum number of exemption credits towards a
  LaGuardia degree is 10
• These 10 exemption credits may be applied toward
  LaGuardias 30-credit residency requirement
• The maximum number of exemption credits towards a
  LaGuardia certificate is 6
• Note Exemption credits are awarded to degree
  students only

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PLA at LaGuardia

• National Standardized Tests and Challenge
  Examinations
• Portfolio Evaluation (including ePortfolio)
• Foreign Language Placement Exams
• Register and pass third level course and receive
  6 credits for first and second level language
  courses
• Military Transcripts AARTS, SMART, Community
  College of the Air For
• DD214 Honorable Discharge elective credits
• Published Guides (such as the American Council on
  Education CREDIT program and the Program for
  Non-Collegiate Sponsored Instruction PONSI)

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The Evaluation and Approval Process

• Review materials certificates of completion,
  military transcripts, corporate training, etc.,
  and determine who would be the appropriate
  faculty member for portfolio assessment.
• As a course match institution, any PLA must line
  up with instructional and performance objectives
  of existing courses - do not grant partial or
  blanket credit.
• For courses within our own departments, we can
  prepare the paperwork for credit that will be
  signed by the chairperson. If the course is for
  another department, we facilitate the process
  with the chairperson. Military service credit we
  take directly to the Registrars Office for
  processing.

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The Evaluation and Approval Process

• Military transcripts and the online database are
  utilized to match training to courses at the
  college. If training/courses do not carry the
  exact same name or credit hours, the Admissions
  Office will not process it and students are
  referred to meet with one of the Credit for Prior
  Learning coordinators.
• While the option for portfolio review is
  available, few students consider this option.
  Many do not have the experience necessary to
  document the learning or the writing skills
  required to complete narratives. As there are
  limited electives available in community college
  degrees, their options are often limited.

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Negotiating

• Within CUNY
• Differing institutional models
• Differing levels of commitment
• Within LaGuardia
• The ePortfolio course
• The Business example
• The Math Example
• The Science Example

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PLA Advisors

• As educators
• As mentors
• As champions
• As negotiators

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PLA Advisors

• As educators
• Administration at the college has supported the
  PLA effort. The coordinators have met with
  various departments, chairpersons, committees
  (Academic Standing), and the Senate to provide an
  overview of PLA.
• With the knowledge that the program follows the
  CAEL standards and credit review is based on
  college-level learning and is course match, there
  has been agreement that the program is viable and
  beneficial for students.

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PLA Advisors

• As mentors
• Support the learner to identify what was learned
• Conduct formal or informal pre-screening for
  candidates who can demonstrate college level
  learning
• Assist in the process of determining the learning
  that has resulted from experience
• Assist learner to match prior learning to
  academic program and personal goals

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PLA Advisors

• As champions
• Assist learner with resources (samples, guides)
• Assist learner with strategies to demonstrate
  balance of theory and application
• Assist learner to prepare demonstration of the
  learning and experience
• Encourage/support learner to continue in the
  process

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PLA Advisors

• As negotiators
• Facilitate process with faculty content experts
  who are trained in the assessment practices
• Assist with the determination of the level of
  competency achieved and the credit equivalency as
  needed
• Provide supporting documentation and information
  regarding past practice to assist in credit
  determination
• Reinforce the concept of PLA college level
  learning

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PLA and CUNY

• Looking into the crystal ball..

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Thank you!

• For further information
• www.lagcc.cuny.edu/cpl
• cpl_at_lagcc.cuny.edu