scholarly journals Going online to make learning count

2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 139
Author(s):  
Cathy Brigham ◽  
Rebecca Klein-Collins
Keyword(s):  
Adult Students ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Learning Assessment ◽  
College Level ◽  
Online Service ◽  
Prior Learning ◽  
Prior Learning Assessment ◽  
College Credit ◽  
Self Study ◽  
Philanthropic Organizations

Adult students often come to higher education with college-level learning that they have acquired outside of the classroom – from the workplace, military service, self-study, or hobbies. For decades, many forward-thinking colleges and universities have been offering services to evaluate that learning and award it college credit that counts towards a degree. However, for a range of reasons, not every institution can offer prior learning assessment (PLA) in every discipline or for every student. With funding from several U.S. philanthropic organizations, the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) is launching Learning Counts, a national online service that will offer students a range of opportunities to have their learning evaluated for college credit. This online service will expand the capacity of institutions offering PLA to students and provide an efficient and scalable delivery mechanism for the awarding of credit through PLA.

How Prior Learning Assessment Fits Into Today's Education Landscape

2018 ◽  
pp. 54-65
Author(s):  
Susan Huggins
Keyword(s):  
Formal Education ◽  
Military Training ◽  
Independent Study ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Learning Assessment ◽  
Digital Learning ◽  
College Level ◽  
Prior Learning ◽  
Prior Learning Assessment ◽  
American Council On Education

As defined by the American Council on Education (ACE), prior learning is learning gained outside the college classroom in a variety of settings and through formal and non-formal means, including workplace training, military training and service, independent study, professional certifications, civic activities, or volunteer service. These learning experiences may be equivalent to college-level skills and knowledge and warrant academic credit. Although this definition was coined many years ago, the definition and purpose of prior learning assessment are more pertinent given the changing educational landscape. Today, the proliferation of online and digital learning has opened endless opportunities for learners. With a few clicks on any device, learners can find an immediate solution to their knowledge gap. This increased learning that is occurring outside the walls of formal education increases the need on the assessment process; hence, the growing emphasis on prior learning assessment.

Enhancing Educational Attainment Through Prior Learning Assessment

2021 ◽  
pp. 137-148
Author(s):  
Matt Bergman ◽  
Vin Favoroso
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Higher Education Policy ◽  
Innovative Approach ◽  
Learning Assessment ◽  
College Level ◽  
Prior Learning ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Prior Learning Assessment

Prior learning assessment (PLA) is a path to greater educational attainment for adult learners re-entering higher education. This innovative approach provides academic credit for college-level and credit-worthy learning that happened outside the confines of the college walls. The growth in adoption of PLA at many institutions is in concert with the need for more of America's workforce to earn more postsecondary credentials. This chapter explores the nature of PLA and its evolution into the mainstream of higher education policy and practice. The authors examine two institutions' relevant and rigorous approaches to validating learning via PLA. The authors believe that credit for prior learning will become more standardized with time and awareness of this innovative approach to acknowledging experiential learning external to the academic setting.

Prior Learning Assessment

2017 ◽  
pp. 226-258
Author(s):  
David Starr-Glass
Keyword(s):  
Informal Learning ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Learning Assessment ◽  
College Level ◽  
Prior Learning ◽  
Prior Learning Assessment ◽  
Standardized Examinations ◽  
Tuition Costs

The average time taken to earn an American four-year degree is 55 months, with only 40% of students graduating on time. Increased time to graduate, failure to complete degrees, spiraling tuition costs, and daunting graduate debt have all focused minds on finding ways of accelerating the degree-granting process without eroding its quality. One solution is using Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) to generate college-level credits from learning that has taken place outside the academy. PLA can range from the acceptance of standardized examinations results to the determination of college-level equivalencies by evaluating the student's informal learning. This chapter explores different forms of PLA and suggests that more extensive forms of PLA provide considerable benefits, not only in generating credits but in supporting, integrating, and potentially transforming learning experiences. The chapter discusses the multiple benefits of PLA and explains how it might be implemented to benefit students, faculty, and institution.

scholarly journals Prior Learning Assessment & Recog- nition in Canadian Universities: View from the Web

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-112
Author(s):  
Christine Wihak
Keyword(s):  
Adult Learners ◽  
Adult Students ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Learning Assessment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Prior Learning ◽  
Prior Learning Assessment ◽  
Quality Of Information ◽  
Canadian Universities

Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition (PLAR), the practice of formally assigning credit for learning gained outside the formal education system (Thomas, 2000), offers significant benefits to adult students. Previous research had demonstrated that adult students may not, however, be aware of the availability of PLAR. This study investigated the availability of PLAR information on the websites of 60 Canadian universities. The research found that 24 Canadian universities offered PLAR for advanced standing. Considerable variation existed in the ease with which PLAR information could be located and in the quality of information provided. Universities were also found to vary widely in the supports offered to learners seeking PLAR, in the formality of their institutional PLAR policies, and in the extent to which the practice is institution-wide or restricted to specific faculties or departments. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for adult learners and their advocates and for future research. RDA (Reconnaissance d’acquis), la pratique d’accorder officiellement du crédit pour un apprentissage acquis en dehors du système formel d’éducation (Thomas 2000), offre des bénéfices importants à des étudiants adultes. Des recherches faites auparavant avaient démontré que les étudiants adultes ne seraient peut-être pas au courant du RDA (Schmyr, 2003). Cette étude sur la disponibilité des informations sur RDA dans les sites web de 60 universités canadiennes a eu pour résultat de trouver que 24 universités canadiennes offraient RDA comme designation de classification scolaire avancée. La facilité avec laquelle des renseignements sur RDA pouvaient être localisés, de même que la qualité des renseignements, variaient beaucoup. L’appui offert par des universités à des étudiants recherchant RDA variait énormément, et aussi la formalité des politiques de RDA. Il s’agissait de savoir à quel point la pratique s’étendait à tous les départements d’un institut éducatif ou si elle n’était restreinte qu’à des facultés ou des départements bien spécifiques. On étudie les résultats quant aux implications pour des étudiants adultes et pour les recherches futures.

scholarly journals Back Eddies of Learning In the Recognition of Prior Learning: A Case Study

2013 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoff Peruniak ◽  
Rick Powell
Keyword(s):  
Adult Learners ◽  
Adult Students ◽  
Educational Opportunity ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Learning Assessment ◽  
Prior Learning ◽  
Prior Learning Assessment ◽  
Recognition Of Prior Learning

The limited research that exists in the area of prior learning assessment (PLA) has tended to be descriptive and conceptual in nature. Where empirical studies have been done, they have focussed mainly on PLA as a means of credentialing rather than as a learning experience. Furthermore, there has been very little empirical research into the educational effectiveness of PLA from the student’s point of view. This empirical study used a qualitative approach to investigate the perceptions of a focus group of 32 adult learners who were engaged in portfolio-based PLA in an open and distance education university. The study explored students’ initial expectations of PLA, what they think they got out of the process, and the extent to which these perceived benefits of PLA would extend to other adult students. The study examined the question of whether PLA operates as a motivator or as a selection mechanism and concluded that there was evidence for both factors. Further results indicated that, in general, PLA learners were surprised to find they had been engaged in a learning process. The study concludes that PLA can be an effective educational opportunity for certain kinds of adult learners, but it should not be taken as a panacea.

Support and Recognition for Workplace Learning

1991 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 201-208
Author(s):  
Lois Lamdin
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Workplace Learning ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Learning Assessment ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Prior Learning ◽  
Prior Learning Assessment ◽  
The Usa

In this article, Lois Lamdin reviews current perceptions of ‘employability’ in the USA, the kind and extent of training sponsored by industry, and the difficulties perceived by industry in interacting with higher education in relation to training. She stresses the importance of recognizing the workplace as learning place, discusses the development and benefits of prior learning assessment, and sets out the importance of establishing a national credentialling system for the workforce, taking into account the variety of academic and non-academic ways learning is achieved. Finally, she describes the existing work of the Employee Growth and Development Programs of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, which demonstrate how business, unions, government, and higher education can work together to help respond to the crucial challenge of training and retraining a national workforce.

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