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Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Tracks
This framework can help colleges to understand the breadth of questions and concerns involved, to
ensure engagement and identify and align all the relevant stakeholders and systems at your college for
maximum success.
Resources, Best Practices, Experts,
Samples
Questions and Concerns
Track 1: Institutional Interest
• Would PLA be good for our college (system, state)?
o How would it help us serve our current and potential
students?
o Could we serve more students, some of whom we can’t
serve well without it?
• How do we resolve the tensions and concerns?
o between insisting students t ake (pay for) all classes at our
institution vs CPL improves retention and completion
o between insisting students take OUR classes (and therefore
we KNOW what they know) vs helping them get to their
goals expediently
• What types of CPL options would work well for us? National
exams and certifications (AP, CLEP, DSST, etc), military
experience and training, portfolio assessments, challenge exams.
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•
•
•
ACE has a great deal of content for this
stage, is developing more, focusing on
military, corporate, and non-collegiate
formal learning.
CAEL published a paper with samples
of state / institutional policies,
focusing on portfolio-based approach.
Fueling the Race to Post-Secondary
Success is a major research study of
interest, from CAEL.
MnSCU has policies and procedures.
Track 2: Policies and Procedures
• Which courses and programs are subject to CPL?
o Could we publish a list of courses and programs?
• How many credits can be earned? What type?
o Up to what limit? Resident / non-resident? Major /elective?
o How can we maximize transferability and transparency?
o How will the credits be transcripted?
• Who will evaluate applications?
o What will be our standards?
o How can we serve partners such as employers who send
employees for credentials?
o How will our evaluators be compensated?
o If we will grant credit through assessment of portfolios, what
will be our methods? Will we offer a course?
• How will we support faculty to learn about PLA / CPL
(professional development)?
• How much will we charge for CPL / PLA?
• Do faculty contracts effect charges, payments ,
responsibilities?
• Will we allow repeated applications?
PLA Tracks
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•
•
•
•
•
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LearningCounts offers a portfolio
development course for students.
Missouri Community College
Association is developing a policy /
handbook.
Metropolitan State University (MN) is
a leader.
Inver Hills (MN) is a leader, has a
course (on D2L).
El Centro (TX) has an online PLA class
in Blackboard.
Delaware Co Cmty College has great
website.
Northern Virginia Community College
has a detailed manual and website,
detailed procedures, including course
equivalencies for multiple types of
CPL.
Revised: July 2, 2013
• What exactly are the steps a student takes to apply for and
earn CPL?
o Which offices / staff / faculty are touched in this process?
o Does each stakeholder know and embrace their roles and
responsibilities?
o How do stakeholders coordinate this work?
• Accountability measures must be developed.
• What appeals process shall we institute?
Track 3: Capacity and Staffing
What resources are necessary?
• Websites and other promotional communications
• Staff to explain, accept applications, do communications,
develop and maintain partnerships
• Faculty to evaluate learning
• Challenge exams require some faculty work
• Administrators must be able to evaluate and maintain policies
•
Contact at USDOLETA developed a
thorough faculty guide; works at
UMUC.
•
Rochester (MN) CTC has a great video,
and great procedures, too.
Great PLA websites: Ivy Tech (IN),
Delaware Co CC (PA), College of St
Scholastica (MN; also completion info).
Track 4: Recruit Students
How will we encourage students to apply?
• Have we developed clear policies and procedures, and clear
explanations of them, for a student audience?
• Do we tell students about PLA at orientation sessions and open
houses?
• Have we made the information easy to find on our websites?
•
Track 5: Operate and Maintain
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•
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Policies and procedures
Staff and faculty training
Application process
Integration into college tracking systems (admissions, financial
aid, student records, transcripts, etc.)
Anoka Ramsey has great communications
and forms.
Track 6: Evaluate, Monitor, Adjust as Needed
• Are we meeting our goals?
o What are our goals? E.g. # of students who apply, # of credits
awarded, # students enrolling in PLA course, increased
enrollment, persistence, completion, and/or satisfaction;
quicker time to award.
o What are our results?
• Is the process smooth, clear, successful, satisfying?
o For students?
o For staff?
o For faculty?
o For employer partners, if any?
• Have we preserved the value of our degrees?
PLA Tracks
www.iseek.org
CAEL’s Report offers methods for
evaluation (pp.54 – 56)
www.cael.org/pdfs/PLA_Fueling-the-Race
Both CAEL and ACE offer a variety of PLA
services for college personnel.
Revised: July 2, 2013
o How do we measure this?
o Do we have the right level of staff and other resources?
o Are our choices for types of PLA meeting the needs of our
particular situation (community, student body, and
programs)?
PLA Tracks by Jamie Buss, iSeek Solutions is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
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Please share comments on this document with jamie.buss@iseek.org.
PLA Tracks
www.iseek.org
Revised: July 2, 2013