TESC Prior Learning Assessment for material not yet learned

Hi All!

I was wondering if any of you might know the answer to my question as I haven't been able to get a clear answer from TESC, yet.

Basically, I just transferred a bunch of credits to TESC from other colleges, and I will be starting there in August. I am doing the LDAS or Learning Designed Area of Study in the Bachelor of Science in Applied Science and Technology (BSAST).

There are several courses in my program that I do not yet have the knowledge for, BUT I want to independent study the courses and then apply for the PLA or Prior Learning Assessment (and these courses aren't available at TESC in any other credit-earning method). Since, to get credit for PLA courses, you need to build a portfolio proving that you know the knowledge in the course, it is implied that anyone doing PLA already has the knowledge in the course.

I am confused about the whole PLA process. They offer PLA-100 and PLA-200 which are courses that you can take to learn how to take PLA courses, which I think is completely stupid. I do not want to spend hundreds of dollars to take a course to learn how to take a course.

I am even more confused because on the TESC site it says that you sign up for PLA courses the same way that you sign up for any other course, except that you need to get these courses approved first. I spoke to someone on the phone who said that the PLA-200 course is a course that you take when you've already got your portfolio mostly made (which you might do during PLA-100?) and that PLA-200 is used for refining your portfolios.

So I'm confused. Do I take individual PLA courses or do they all happen at once? Do I take PLA-200 and submit ALL the courses that I wish to get credit for at that time? As I am finishing my degree, can I submit PLA courses over the duration of my degree completion (like if I haven't learned a topic yet, but learn it via independent study and submit each course one by one) or do I do it all at once? Do I even have to take PLA-100 and PLA-200 or can I sign up for PLA courses without those two?

I just do not understand this process.

If anyone has done PLA through TESC before I would greatly appreciate your help on the actual process.

Thanks!

 

This article is a bit dated, in that TESC either didn't have, or didn't require, the portfolio courses at that time, but Steve gives some good examples of how the portfolio process works at TESC (where he earned, if memory serves, 106 of his 120 credits via portfolio.)

I'm sure we've also got some folks that have done portfolio at TESC more recently. I'm interested in how it's changed, myself, since the current structure seems more focused on getting money out of students than actually providing valuable learning.

 

The current fee structure is actually cheaper than the previous one. You used to have to pay $200 and something per credit hour. Now, you only pay $229 per credit hour for the 3 credits of PLA courses. The portfolio assessments are $350, and you can earn up to 12 credits in one subject per portfolio.