Prior Learning Assessments

Discussion in 'Online & DL Teaching' started by Vonnegut, Feb 25, 2020.

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  1. Vonnegut

    Vonnegut Well-Known Member

    While transcript evaluations and course articulating always contains a bit of voodoo, we are starting to see a national push for prior learning assessments. The emphasis, at least from what I see, is particularly strong with adult learners seeking degree or credential completion. There’s always been some schools that are known for doing large portfolio assessments, such as the big three, or so I have heard. Does anyone have experience with programs that do this successfully? While I used to be an advocate for this concept in theory, I’m starting to have more and more reservations about how it can practically be implemented.
     
  2. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Last edited: Feb 25, 2020
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  3. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    That's exactly why I didn't do PLA when I was at Charter Oak. CLEP was much easier and surer.
     
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  4. Vonnegut

    Vonnegut Well-Known Member

    Many schools technically allow it, but they have always been very obscure and often cloaked in more confusion than a... junior high dance?
     
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  5. Steve Levicoff

    Steve Levicoff Well-Known Member

    Just for the halibut, I thought I'd toss out a reminder that out of the 120 credits on my BA from then-TESC, I did 98 credits by PLA. (I did 16 credits by testing out, and transferred in a whopping 6 credits.) In short, I pulled off 82% of my BA by PLA.

    As always, I laugh at the rest of you who were too dumb to pull it off. For that matter, I laugh at you again. And again. Just for the halibut. :D
     
  6. Vonnegut

    Vonnegut Well-Known Member

    Oh no... trust us, it's obvious you weren't properly edymicated!
     
  7. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    For the newbies, this is Steve's asshole sig line
     
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  8. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    I was confident that I could have gotten dozens of credits by PLA, but as others here have said, the process made it not worth even trying. I would have had to first complete, and pay for, a 3-credit course in how to put a portfolio together and THEN pay a fee for each credit attempted. Attempted. That is, they could have just taken my money and never given me any credits in return.

    The process would have taken so much time and cost so much money that it was much better to just bite the bullet and learn something new. :emoji_nerd:
     
  9. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    When I did my Regents degrees they didn't offer the PLA. No matter, I was too young to have experience that would demonstrate prior learning. Instead, I took my three degrees (AA, BS, BA) by examination, transferring in just 5 credits and gaining the other 165 (120 for the first BS and 45 more for the BA) by examination. Of course, I was only 19 when I started and 20 when I finished, so obviously I wasn't smart like Steve.

    (NB: I see Excelsior has since implemented the PLA process. Good on them and those who successfully earn credits by this rigorous process.)
     
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  10. Jodokk

    Jodokk Member

    Hi Folks,

    Besides teaching Technology Revolution, Professional Presence, Humanities, and the 60s class when they give it to me, I've been facilitating the prior learning assessments for Purdue Global/Kaplan for about eight years now. They have a very straight-forward approach.

    Hope everyone is well, including my old friends on this platform. Dr. Bear and this joint gave me my start in 2002. I owe a bunch to to both.
    Thanks,
    Dan
     
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