Dr. Teresa Bagamery Clark
Lipscomb University
October 1, 2012
Background

 Higher education since 2003
 Adult learning since 2006
 Research, design and teaching position last fall
 Educated at Geneva College and Vanderbilt
University
Outcomes

 Review (or discover) portfolio background
 Develop a process map
 Reassess to try again
National Context

 (No) Surprise: Adult learners on the rise
 G.I. Bill
 Presidential Goal
 Lumina Foundation
 Workforce Needs
National (2)

 Veterans
 Women
 20-somethings
 Baby-Boomers
Lipscomb Adult Program

 Over 200 students
 Has grown 238% since 2006
 93% retention rate fall to spring (all)
 74% retention rate fall to fall (first time)
What is PLA?

 Prior Learning Assessment (PLA): “A process for
evaluating knowledge and skills in order to award college
credit for college-level learning gained from like
experiences.” (Wertheim, 2012)
 Types:







CLEP
CBE
DSST
AP
IB
ACE
Portfolio
Your Experience

 What types of PLA does your institution offer or
grant credit for?
 Does your institution have a portfolio system in
place?
PLA Benefits

 Motivate
 Move faster toward degree
 Save time
 Save money
 Persist
 More than twice as likely to graduate
What is a Portfolio?

 A collection of documents and essays that seek to
demonstrate college-level learning completed
outside the classroom.
 Documentation




Essays
Letters
Certificates
Samples of work
Portfolio History

 Council on Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL)
founded in the 1970s
 Increase in overall enrollment in ‘60s
 Rise of community colleges
 University of Phoenix
 Portfolios 1980s
 New G.I. Bill
 More specialization
 Declining liberal arts colleges
Our Goals

 More students
 Recruited
 Retained
 Graduated
 Enter the arena
 Competitive advantage
 Repertoire
Portfolio Groundwork

 Proposal in 2011 following CAEL conference
 Resistance
 Resurgence with new college
Road to Approval

 December 2011 new proposal
 Spring 2012 one-on-one meetings with deans/VPs
 Spring 2012 joined state task force
Road to Approval (2)

 CAEL advisor and assessor training
 Policy committee (Provost-appointed)
 Summer 2012 Approval for Adult Degree Program
Mission Statement

 Lipscomb University acknowledges certain adult
learners come to the university with a significant
body of professional or voluntary experience that
may have equipped them with knowledge and
learning that can be demonstrated through the
portfolio process. Therefore, the mission of prior
learning assessment through portfolio evaluation is
to recognize and grant undergraduate academic
credit for demonstrated achievement of higher
learning objectives.
Policy Highlights

 Required course
 Course-match system (vs. block credit)
 4000-level courses and field study ineligible
 Fees and compensation
Portfolio Quick Steps

 Student completes self-evaluation
 Student completes Portfolio Workshop
 Student submits portfolio
 Portfolio reviewed by assessor
 Portfolio approved by assessor and reviewed by
department chair
Quick Steps (2)

 Student may revise and resubmit
 Assessor and department chair sign off
 College of Professional Studies and Registrar sign off
 Account charged and credit posted
Portfolio Workshop

 Non-credit, four-week, flat-fee, online
 Offered fall and spring
 Description:
 Online course for students planning to prepare a PLA
portfolio.
 Through one-on-one meetings and regular
communication with the professor, students will work
to organize an initial portfolio.
Paper Trail

 Catalog
 Policies and procedures
 Forms
Advertising

 Word of mouth
 Website
 Radio
 Information session
Staff

 Information session approved by Provost
 Guests: Admissions, Registrar, Veterans Affairs,
Financial Aid, Student Accounts
 CAEL’s Advising the Adult Learner Toolkit
 Policies and procedures
 Scheduled for October
Faculty

 Assessor training
 Provost’s letter
 Deans’ selection
 CAEL’s Prior Learning Assessment: Ensuring Academic
Quality
 Policies and procedures
 Scheduled for October
Measurement

 Recruitment
 Student participation
 Credit awarded
 Retention
 Graduation
Recommendations

 Research to give an answer
 Capitalize on receptive culture
 Secure a respected spokesperson
 Individual meetings with key players for buy-in
 Prepare to compromise
Discussion

 Share your portfolio stories, successes, roadblocks
 Discuss how Lipscomb’s journey mirrors your
experience, how it might encourage you, how it
could save you some headaches
 General questions
Thank You

 Dr. Teresa Bagamery Clark
 Lipscomb University
 One University Park Drive, Nashville, TN 37211
 Teresa.clark@lipscomb.edu
Resources

 CAEL (2012). Advising the adult learner toolkit.
 CAEL (April 2011). Research brief.
 Colvin, J. (2006). Earn college credit for what you know,
4th ed. CAEL and Kendall-Hunt.
 Fiddler, M., Marienau, C. and Whitaker, U. (2006).
Assessing learning: Standards, principles and procedures,
2nd ed. CAEL and Kendall-Hunt.
Resources (2)

 Hart, D.M. and Hickerson, J.H. (2008). Prior learning
portfolios: A representative collection. CAEL and
Kendall-Hunt
 Lederman, D. (2010). The ‘prior learning’ edge. Inside
Higher Education. Retrieved from:
http://www.insidehighered.com.
 Wertheim, J. (2012). Faculty assessors’ workbook.
CAEL.