1. The PLA Advisor: Negotiation Skills Required!
Prof. Janice Karlen
and
Prof. Susan Sanchirico
CUNY – LaGuardia Community College

2. SENIOR and GRADUATE COLLEGES HONORS and PROFESSIONAL
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

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

4. 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

5. 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.”

6. 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 LaGuardia’s 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

7. 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])

8. 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 Registrar’s Office for processing.

9. 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.

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

11. PLA Advisors
As educators
As mentors
As champions
As negotiators

12. 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.

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. PLA and CUNY
Looking into the crystal ball…..

17. For further information: www.lagcc.cuny.edu/cpl cpl@lagcc.cuny.edu
Thank you!
For further information: