1. Prior Learning Assessment & Individualized Learning at Granite State College
Adapted from Earn College Credit for What You Know, 4th Edition, by Janet Colvin, published by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), 2006.
Updated 2/24/12

2. Presentation Overview
Writing Your Story/Individualizing Your Education
Prior Learning Assessment & Learning Outcomes
Prior Learning & Options for Seeking Credit
Maximizing Credit Awards through Planning
Portfolio Assessment Considerations
Activities in the Portfolio Course: SDLR 551
Components of the Portfolio

3. Our Stories
Erin
Mary
Ryan
Joe
Hear
Maria’s Story!
Chris
Wayne
Ellen

4. Creating Your Story with Individualized Learning

5. Individualized Learning Options at GSC
Individualized Studies Major
Assessment of Prior Learning
Contract Learning

6. Individualizing Degree Requirements with PLA
GSC Degree Requirements
General Education Requirements
Your Goals
Your Prior Learning
Major/Concentration
Requirements
General Elective

7. Individualizing PLA Credit Awards
Advocacy: Legal Procedures & Practice (4)
Adult Transitions (4)
Child Development & Trauma (2)
ENG 600 Expository Writing (4)*
Equestrian Studies (14)
Principles of Writing & Research (4)
MGMT 623 Systems Analysis & Design (4)*
French & Spanish Teaching Methods (4)
MGMT 602 Leadership (4)*
History & Philosophy of the Montessori Method (12)
EDU 553 Creative Arts in Early Childhood Education (4)*
*Equivalent to Granite State College Course

8. Is my experiential learning college-level?
Your college-level learning:
Could have been acquired through means other than taking college courses.
Can be articulated as outcomes comparable to course outcomes.
Can be demonstrated.
Can be assessed, measured & applied to your degree requirements.

9. Additional Considerations for Prior Learning Assessment*
“Credit is awarded only for learning, not for experience.”
“Credit is appropriate to the academic context in which it is accepted.”
“Credit awards and transcript entries are monitored to avoid giving credit twice for the same learning.”
*Council for Adult & Experiential Learning, Earn College Credit, pp

10. Prior Learning Assessment: It’s all about the outcomes!
Course Outcomes: “What is learned as a result of taking a course.”*
*Council for Adult & Experiential Learning, Earn College Credit, p. 9
Your
College-Level Learning
Your Demonstration of Course-Equivalent Outcomes
Credit Award for College-Level Learning

11. GSC Course Outcomes: Applied Studies
APST 515 Grant-Writing
Students will identify funding databases and search potential public and private sector funding sources.
Students will develop a contingency plan in the event that the grant is not funded.

12. GSC Course Outcomes: Behavioral Science
BEHS 502 Human Services & the Helping Process
Students will comprehend the profile of persons in need of social services including those in need of short-term help after a disaster and those eligible for long-term care.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the skills and techniques used by the professional helper in a variety of personal and professional settings.

13. GSC Course Outcomes: Management
MGMT 614 Planning for New Business Ventures
Identify regional and federal sources of information to aid small businesses.
Identify a new venture opportunity and formulate a business concept.

14. Making a Case for Credit
The Argument : I have knowledge and skills in this subject equivalent to that knowledge and those skills taught in this college-level course.
Making the Case:
1. The case has already been made by Granite State College or another organization using the same standards and criteria: workplace/volunteer training objectives have been evaluated and preapproved as equivalent to the learning outcomes of a college course.
2. The student must make the case for credit by identifying and demonstrating college-level learning outcomes by means of an ePortfolio.

15. Options for Prior Learning Credit
Preapproved
Documentation of Completion
Submit with Degree Application
ePortfolio
Narratives & Supporting Documentation
Submit after Degree Evaluation from Admissions Is Rec’d

16. Preapproved Options for Prior Learning Credit
Courses from Colleges with Regional Accreditation
Standardized Testing: CLEP, DSST, Excelsior
Training Evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE)
Training Evaluated by the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS)
Training Evaluated by Granite State College
Occupational Credential Issued by GSC-Approved Agency
Occupational Training Program Accredited by GSC-Approved Agency

17. ~ Courses from Regionally-Accredited Colleges ~ ~ Training Evaluated by ACE ~ Standardized Tests ~
Request an official transcript or score report be sent to GSC Admissions to document completion of:
Courses with minimum grade of “C” from colleges with regional accreditation at the time you attended.
Military training evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE).
Corporate and other training evaluated by ACE.
Previously-completed standardized tests (CLEP, DSST, Excelsior).
Cost: GSC charges no fees to award this type of credit. The other colleges and issuing agencies may charge a fee.

18. Credit for Occupational Credential: Approved Issuing Bodies
American Association of Medical Assistants
American Culinary Federation Education Foundation
American Medical Technologists
American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers
American Registry of Radiologic Technologists
American Society for Clinical Pathology
Federal Aviation Administration
National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians
National Board for Respiratory Care
New Hampshire Board of Nursing

19. Credit for Occupational Credential Approved by GSC
Submit a scanned copy of your certification or license to GSC Admissions to document:
Technical or other occupational credential issued by agency that meets national standards.
Cost: $275. Prior Learning Fee

20. Credit for Training Program Approved by GSC
Request an official transcript be sent to GSC Admissions to document completion of:
Training program accredited by accrediting agency that meets national standards.
Cost: $275. Prior Learning Fee

21. Occupational Training Programs: Approved Accreditors
Accrediting Council for Continuing Education & Training (ACCET)
Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges & Schools (ACICS)
American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)
National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA)

22. Training Evaluated by Granite State College
Primary Training Providers:
New Hampshire Division of Personnel Management
New Hampshire Fire Standards & Training
New Hampshire Police Standards & Training
Northern New England Center for Financial Training
Society for Human Resource Management
Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities

23. Training Evaluated by Granite State College
Request an official transcript or documentation letter on letterhead be sent to GSC Admissions to document completion of:
Training program evaluated by Granite State College.
Cost: $275. Prior Learning Fee

24. Additional Testing Option
Take standardized tests (CLEP, DSST) for prior learning that has equivalent tests. Maximum BS/BA = 64 credits Maximum AS/AA = 32 credits Cost: CLEP = $105. DSST = $110.
7/16/12 – Updated CLEP fee to $105.

25. ePortfolio Options for Prior Learning Credit
Competency-based Training ePortfolio
Outcomes-based Learning ePortfolio for Courses from Colleges without Regional Accreditation
Experiential Learning ePortfolio
7/16/12 Update

26. Competency-Based Training ePortfolio
Request ePortfolio template from Academic Affairs, and submit the required information. Cost: $275. Prior Learning Fee

27. Competency-Based Training ePortfolio Components
Section I
Program of Study
Credit Requests
Section II
Portfolio Resume
Section III
Title of Credit Request
Outcomes/Competencies
Training Objectives &Topics
Competency Narrative
Supporting Documentation
Template

28. ePortfolio Components for Courses from Colleges without Regional Accreditation
Academic Status
Degree Evaluation
Academic History
Credit Requests
Individual Courses
Block Credit
Narrative
Relationship of Courses to GSC Degree
Block Credit: Compare to Accredited Program
List Learning Outcomes/Course Objectives
Discuss 3 Representative Assignments
Discuss 3 Examples of Application of Knowledge & Skills from Course
Supporting Documentation
Accreditation, if any
Official Transcript to GSC Admissions
Completed Assignments/Relevant Work Products
Block Credit: Comparator Program
Individual Course Equivalency: Course Description & Syllabus
Template

29. Experiential Learning ePortfolio
Take SDLR 551 Assessment of Prior Learning, and complete an experiential learning portfolio, if your college-level learning:
Was not acquired through formal instruction.
Was acquired through self-study.
Has no equivalent standardized test.
Prerequisites: CRIT 500, ENG 500, 3 Additional College Courses, Permission of Academic Coach & Permission of Instructor
Four credits will be added to your GSC transcript for successful completion of SDLR 551
Cost: SDLR 551 Tuition, Fees & Textbook = ($1, $25.00)

30. Experiential Learning ePortfolio Components
Section I:
Portfolio Resume
Section II:
GSC Degree Evaluation
GSC Individualized Studies Proposal (for IS majors)
Section III:
Summary of Credit Requests
Section IV:
Portfolio Introduction
Section V: Credit Request #1
Outcome Statements
Experiential Learning Narrative
Supporting Documentation
Letters of Verification 
Section VI: Credit Request #2
Template

31. SDLR 551 Assessment of Prior Learning
Offered three times a year in the Independent Learning Contract format (ILC).
A Moodle course is used as a repository for resources, guidelines, and tracking your progress.

32. SDLR 551 Assessment of Prior Learning
Finalize credit requests from previous planning.
Write learning outcomes for two credit requests.
Analyze experiential learning:
Compare to college courses & programs.
Identify critical incidents.
Apply Kolb’s cycle of learning.
Write two experiential learning narratives.
Compile supporting documentation.
Prepare ePortfolio for evaluation.

33. Experiential Learning Analysis: Compare to College Courses
BEHS 502 Human Services and the Helping Process
This course provides an introduction to the helping process in the context of human services. There are two essential components to this course. The first examines the economic, social and political forces which have shaped the development of human service organizations and their status today. It reviews the issues and obstacles involved in providing quality service to various populations in our society. The second major emphasis offers learners the opportunity to review the basic elements of the helping process. Learners will examine the development of a professional working relationship with clients. They also learn what the process of helping includes. Attention is paid to the influence of personal experiences and values on prospective workers in the helping professions. 4 credits

34. Experiential Learning Analysis: Critical Incidents
Describe a critical incident and your role in the incident.
What happened?
How did you react, and what did you do?
Analyze the critical incident.
In what way did the incident change you?
What did you learn from the incident?
Describe how this incident influenced your future decision-making and behavior.
How did future experiences help you more completely understand this incident?

35. Experiential Learning Analysis: Kolb’s Cycle of Learning
What did you do?
Concrete Experience
Reflection & Observation
What did you notice?
What did you conclude as a result of what happened?
Abstract Conceptualization
How did you apply your learning to future situations?
Active Experimentation

36. Purpose of the Narrative
The purpose of the narrative in the portfolio is to take the college-level learning you have identified and articulated as outcome statements, i.e., what you know and explain to the reader how you came to know it. You will then use examples from your own experience to illustrate how you applied what you learned.  

37. Elements of the Narrative
Introduction – Provides faculty evaluator with relevant context for your experiential learning.
Process Analysis – Detailed account of how you acquired the knowledge and skills in your outcome statements.
Elaborates on the knowledge and skills from your outcome statements to demonstrate the extent of your knowledge and skills.
Illustrates your learning through specific examples of when you applied the knowledge or skills from your outcome statements.
Supports your assertion of college-level learning by demonstrating that knowledge & skills have application beyond the context in which they were acquired.
Conclusion – Reflection on how the learning you just discussed is relevant to your educational goals and how you intend to use it in the future.  

38. Supporting Documentation
Letters of Verification – Required
Annotated Bibliography
Newspaper Article
Web Site
Audio File
Video File
Work Products
Business Plan
Budget
Report
Proposal
Contract
Redacted Case Study

39. Where to begin? Begin with your academic coach!
Set your educational goals.
Determine which GSC degree program will best meet your educational goals.
Apply for admission to your chosen degree program & submit official transcripts.
Complete SDLR 550 if you’re an Individualized Studies major, which will include creating a prior learning assessment plan.
- OR -
If you’re in one of GSC’s structured majors, review your official Degree Evaluation with your academic coach and create a prior learning assessment plan.

40. Where to begin?

41. Gap Analysis Business Definition of Gap Analysis
An observation of the difference between an organization's goals and what it has achieved to date.*
PLA Adaptation of Gap Analysis
An observation of the difference between your goals and what you have achieved to date.
*PCMAG.COM, Encyclopedia, retrieved from January 12, 2011

42. Using Planning to Maximize Credit

43. Prior Learning Assessment Plan

44. All roads lead to . . .
Curriculum Maps

45. And they lived happily ever after!

46. Prior Learning Assessment Planning
Set Goals
Personal, Professional, Academic
Select GSC Degree to Meet Goals
Apply for Admission
Set Credit Baseline
Submit Official Transcripts to GSC Admissions
Submit Other Documentation of Completion for Preapproved Credit to GSC Admissions
Baseline
Review
Degree Evaluation with Requirements Met by Transfer Courses, Prior GSC Courses, Prior Learning Requiring Only Documentation of Completion
Outstanding Degree Requirements Identified
Plan Credit Requests
Identify Courses to Take
Identify Requirements Met by Additional Prior Learning
Identify Prior Learning Assessment Method

47. Jan.Hodges@granite.edu Liz.Gauffreau@granite.edu
Who can help?