• Identifying the Scope of the Problem
• Background on Prior Learning Assessments
• What it is
• How it can help
• Who is CAEL?
• Why LearningCounts.org
• How it works
• Who uses it
• Its impact on recruiting and graduation rates
• Questions

Cathy Brigham, Ph.D.
Director of Academic Programs
CAEL, LearningCounts.org
Jo-Carol Fabianke, Ed.D.
Associate Vice Chancellor
Alamo Colleges

Council for Adult and Experiential Learning
A 501(c)(3) non-profit, international organization with nearly 40 years of lifelong learning experience
National leader in PLA best practices, research, and writing
Dedicated to removing barriers to adult learning

 U.S. position as a world leader in education has slipped from 4th –
11th (1997 – 2009)
 By 2018, 63% of jobs will require some college or above
Source: Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements through 2018 ,
Georgetown University, Center for Education and the Workforce, June 2010

 Common core initiatives / Transferability
 2+2 programs create alliances between affordable community colleges and strong four-year programs
 Dual-enrollment programs encourage a more prepared K-16 pipeline
But these are traditional approaches to a nontraditional problem.

Finite number of traditional students –
Focus on adult learners
 Increase the numbers of highly-trained, college-educated individuals in the workforce
 Prepare for emerging industries
 Build on transferable skills

 Increase the numbers of highlytrained, college-educated individuals in the workforce
 Prepare for emerging industries
 Build on transferable skills

P rior L earning A ssessment is a process for evaluating knowledge and skills in order to award college credit for learning from:
On-the-job learning
Corporate training
Independent study
Military service
Volunteer service

12

Fueling the Race to
Postsecondary Success , CAEL,
March 2010

 Not enough colleges granting credit for prior learning
 Need for consistent standards
 Adult learners are not aware of PLA so they often repeat what they already know
 Need for a national, on-line approach with easy access
 Ability to use faculty experts nationwide to review learning portfolios in various disciplines

1.
One-Stop Shop for PLA
2.
Free academic advising
3.
Individualized portfolio development and review

LearningCounts.org educates adult learners about the multiple ways people can earn college credit for what they already know.

Students have the option to speak one-on one with a PLA advisor to find out which PLA option is right for them

CAEL 100: Prior Learning Assessment Theory and Practice
 Six-weeks, credit-bearing, online course
 Facilitated by an instructor
 Asynchronous
 Courses start every few weeks
 Teaches students how to recognize and document college level learning; leads them through the development of their portfolio.
 Cost: $500

Create and Submit Portfolios
 Each portfolio may contain up to 6 credits in any one discipline
 Faculty from colleges and universities from across the country will evaluate portfolios and make credit recommendations
 Two week turn-around
 Credits will be recorded on an American Council on
Education (ACE CREDIT) transcript
 Cost: $250 for 1-6 credits attempted

Portfolio
Credits
Pending, 15%
Portfolio
Credits Denied;
10%
Portfolio
Credits
Recommended;
75%

Business / Mktg/ Finance
Trade Fields
Core Liberal Arts
Human Resources
Education
Criminal Justice
Public Admin

Faculty Assessors
Nearly 800 faculty applications, 71 faculty assessors trained
Online training for assessors
(example?, screenshot?)

 Learners (matriculated and non)
 Institutions – marketing, accreditation, retention and completion improvement plans
 Corporations
 Workforce boards
 Professional associations
 Military to Medicine
 Veterans Upward Bound
 Achieving the Dream

• Access to free academic advising
• Information on all major forms of PLA
• Online – accessible – affordable
• National roster of faculty ensure coverage of all disciplines
• Credit-bearing course guiding them through portfolio
• Timely review of portfolios
• Transcription of results by ACE
• Fast, convenient, and reputable
• Access to philanthropic support

The Walmart Learning Assessment Stipends program will ensure services offered by
LearningCounts.org are available to low-income students.
The stipends will fully support:
1. Enrollment in CAEL 100 (a $500 value)
2. Evaluation of one (or more) portfolio(s)
For requests greater than six credits or across multiple disciplines, students may submit additional portfolios for a fee of $250/portfolio.

Achieving the Dream and LearningCounts.org have partnered to remove obstacles that face adult students and accelerate the pace their learning.

• 33 years old
• Completed
Associates Degree
• 7 years experience in
Finance
• Saved > $3000 in tuition
• Graduating May 2012

Here, a student testimonial was played during the live presentation. To access all of our student testimonials, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/learningcountsorg

Benefits
 Benefit your institution, faculty, and students
 Instant capacity to recruit, serve, and retain more adult learners
 Administer a PLA program simply and cost-effectively
 Refer your students to CAEL 100 and the portfolio process
 Eligible for Walmart Foundation stipends
Requirements
 Agree to accept credit recommendations
 Institutional-level membership in CAEL

Benefits
 Turn-key service with administrative and training support
 Option to list CAEL 100 in your academic catalog
 Flexibility to set your own tuition and assessment rates
 Ability to transcribe assessment results directly
Requirements
 Institutional-level membership in CAEL
 Annual service fee

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Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Learning_Counts
Join us on LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/mRTm0s
Watch us on YouTube: www.youtube.com/LearningCountsORG

For more information email: colleges@learningcounts.org
cbrigham@cael.org
@cathybrigham