Prior Learning Assessment
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
“PLA 101”
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
What is Prior Learning Assessment, or
‘PLA’?
 The evaluation for college credit of the
knowledge and skills one gains from life
experiences (or from non-college
instructional programs) including
employment, parenting, travel, hobbies,
and volunteer service.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Four Approaches to PLA:
 Nationally standardized exams in
specified disciplines
 ‘Challenge’ exams for local courses
 Evaluated non-college programs
 Individualized assessments
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Types of Standardized Exams:
 AP Exams
 CLEP Tests
 Excelsior College Exams
 DANTES Subject Standardized
Tests (DSST)
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
More on Advanced Placement (AP)
Exams:
 34 Exams in 19 subject areas
 Common for high school students
 Run by the College Board
 74% within CAEL survey use them
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
More on College Level Examination
Program (CLEP) Tests:
 34 tests of “101”-level material
 3 to 12 credits for each exam taken
 5 million users since 1967
 79% within CAEL survey use them
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
More on Excelsior College Exams
(aka Regents College; ACT/PEP)
 Proficiency-based exams
 About 40 exams in many areas
 Excelsior College (New York)
 31% within CAEL survey use them
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
More on DANTES Subject Standardized
Tests (DSST):
 Developed for the military, available to
civilians
 Nearly 40 exams in many areas
 Run by Chauncey Group Int’l of ETS
 53% within CAEL survey use them
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
“Challenge” exams of local courses:
 At institutional discretion, using
locally-developed tests/exams
 May be final exams of courses
 63% within CAEL survey use them
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Evaluated non-college programs of
instruction (externally evaluated):
 American Council on Education
“National Guides” with credit
recommendations
 Hundreds of organizations and
programs, military & civilian
 68% with CAEL survey use military
guides, 34% use civilian guides
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Individualized assessments (of
students and of programs):
 Portfolio process – 48% within
CAEL survey use this approach
 College-based assessments of
external certifications – 17% within
CAEL survey use this approach
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Data source:
 Prior Learning Assessment: A
Guidebook to American
Institutional Practices (1999)
published by CAEL.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
CAEL’s early history in PLA:
 1977 – CAEL Validation Report
 1977 – Principles of Good Practice
 1979 – ACE, COPA, & AACRAO
endorse PLA & CAEL Principles
 1979 – 1st CAEL Survey of PLA
Practices
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
CAEL today:
 Has 700+ members
 Consults with employers and
colleges about PLA and “adultfriendly” other service features
 Also manages tuition
reimbursement programs for a
workforce of 500,000 for clients
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Why Portfolio PLA? 3 MYTHS –
 PLA depresses enrollment.
 Tests are rigorous but portfolio
PLA is not.
 Only ‘weak’ or ‘lazy’ students
want PLA.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Why PLA? Enrollment effects:
 PLA students often enroll for
more (not fewer) courses vs.
those with no PLA credits.
 2001 Simpson College study:
75% retention with PLA vs.
38% for those without PLA.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Why PLA? Portfolio effects:
 Portfolio PLA students show
better complex problemsolving skills (vs. classroom)
 2002 University of Connecticut
study in the Journal of
Continuing Higher Education
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Why PLA? PLA & Performance:
 Portfolio PLA students tend to
show higher cumulative GPAs
 Studies in 1992 @ UMUC, and
in 2003 among 1600 students in
4 Illinois public universities.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Why PLA? As a choice factor:
 2000 College Board study of
1500 adults who rated ‘credit
for prior learning policy’ as
more important than ‘small
class size’ or ‘availability of
financial aid’.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Higher Learning Commission
Recommends “assessment of prior
learning using principles
advocated by such organizations as
the Council for Adult and
Experiential Learning (CAEL)…”
 Source: Adult Degree Completion
Programs, June 22, 2000

CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
PLA Endorsed:

See “Evaluation of Extra-Institutional
and Experiential Learning for
Purposes of Transfer and Award of
Credit,” in the joint statement of
American Association of Collegiate
Registrars and Admissions Officers,
American Council on Education, & the
Council for Higher Education
Accreditation, Sept. 28, 2001
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
PLA Policy Considerations:
Federal level – PLA not aid-eligible
 State level – Some states regulate PLA
as an activity, setting ‘caps’
 Institutional level – ‘Faculty Senate’
program approval may be required
 Department level – Academic
disciplines vary in attitude toward PLA

CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Activity: Discussion
 Read
the ‘Sally S’ Scenario.
What questions about PLA
does this scenario raise for
you and your colleagues?
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
How Do Adults Learn?
 The (David) Kolb Model of
Experiential Learning

Source: Experiential Learning:
Experience as the Source of Learning &
Development, Prentice-Hall, 1984
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
The Kolb Model: 4 Dimensions:
 Concrete Experience
 Reflective Observation
 Abstract Conceptualization
 Active Experimentation
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Kolb & ‘Learning Style’:
 Concrete Experience:

Feelers: favor sensation
 Reflective

observation:
Observers: favor watching
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Kolb & ‘Learning Style’:
 Abstract Conceptualization:

Thinkers: favor abstraction
 Active

Experimentation:
Doers: favor activity
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Kolb: people grow & develop:
 Affectively: to sense/feel
 Symbolically: to think
 Behaviorally: to act
 Perceptually: to observe
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Possible Portfolio Components:
 Title Page / Summary
 Statement of Credit Requested
 Personal Goals Statement
 Academic Degree Plan
 Resume
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Possible Portfolio Components:
 List of Learning Competencies
 ‘Learning Autobiography’
 Academic Transcripts
 ‘Certificated’ Learning
 Other Evidence of Learning
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Possible Portfolio Components:
 Bibliography of Readings
 Course Descriptions
 Letters of Recommendation
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Discussion Question:
 Given what has been said
about adult learning theory,
and the possible portfolio
components, which of the
components would you require
of adults, and why?
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
6 Steps to Assess Prior Learning:
 #1 - Identification: Review
experience to identify
potentially creditable learning.

Faculty guide adults, often
through a portfolio
development course.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
6 Steps to Assess Prior Learning:
 #2 - Articulation: Relate
proposed credit to academic,
personal, and professional
goals.

A joint responsibility of the
learner and faculty.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
6 Steps to Assess Prior Learning:
 #2 - Articulation: an important
additional note: Both assessors
and those assessed must be
clear about learning outcomes,
not just the learning content!
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
6 Steps to Assess Prior Learning:
 #3 - Documentation: Prepare
evidence to support the claim
for credit.

Primarily for the learner to do,
perhaps in a portfolio
development course.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
6 Steps to Assess Prior Learning:
 #4 - Measurement: Determine
the degree and level of
competence achieved.

Faculty must do this step.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
6 Steps to Assess Prior Learning:
 #4 - Measurement: an
additional note: there are
multiple techniques to assess
learning! Learner & assessor
should agree upon approach.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
6 Steps to Assess Prior Learning:
 #5 - Evaluation: Determine the
credit equivalency.

Faculty must do this step.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
6 Steps to Assess Prior Learning:
 #6 - Transcription: Prepare a
useful record of the results.

Task of administration, with
the advice of appropriate
faculty.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
What is College Level Learning?
 Curricular Characteristics:
 Breadth: communication, arts &
humanities, social sciences, etc.
 Depth: in a disciplinary area
 Integration: Coherence, synthesis
 Rigor: demanding, challenging
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
What ‘other’ techniques might be
used to assess prior learning?
Performance tests (work samples)
 Simulations (games, role-play)
 Essays (learning autobiographies)
 Interviews (structured, paneled)
 Checklists, rating schemes

CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
What is College Level Learning?
 Process Features:
 Collaboration: between faculty &
student, & between students
 Self-reflection: on personal values
 Scholarship: research basis
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
What is College Level Learning?
 Performance Domains:
 Communication
 Computation
 Critical Thinking
 Aesthetic & Ethical Awareness
 Lifelong Learning
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
What is College Level Learning?
 Additional Characteristics:
 Having a theoretical basis
 Having generality beyond the
context in which it was acquired
 Having representation in existing
college curricula
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
ACTIVITY: A Portfolio Excerpt
 Let’s
look at a segment of an
actual student portfolio to test
the preceding concepts …
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Quality Assurance Principles:
 Source: Assessing Learning:
Standards, Principles, &
Procedures, by Urban
Whitaker. CAEL: 1989
 (each followed by examples of
malpractice of the principle..)
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Quality Assurance Principles:
 #1 - Credit should be awarded
only for learning, not for
experience.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
‘Malpractice’ on Principle 1:
 Credit for ‘time served’
 Example: Following WWI &
WWII, GI’s received 9 to 15
units for a year and a day of
enlisted or commissioned duty.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Quality Assurance Principles:
 #2 - College credit should be
awarded only for college-level
learning.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
‘Malpractice’ on Principle 2:
 Credit for ‘progress’ or ‘effort’
rather than accomplishment.
 Example: The ‘A’ for effort
despite lack of competence.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Quality Assurance Principles:
 #3 - Credit should be awarded
only for learning that has a
balance, appropriate to the
subject, between theory and
practical application.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
‘Malpractice’ on Principle 3:
 Credit for incomplete learning,
missing theoretical or practical
components.
 Question: Would you trust
pilots or physicians who lacked
either component?
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Quality Assurance Principles:
 #4 - The determination of
competence levels and of
credit awards must be made by
appropriate subject matter and
academic experts.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
‘Malpractice’ on Principle 4:
 Implying or promising in
promotional materials that
credit is to be awarded for
experience, when real
judgments must be made by
qualified assessors.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Quality Assurance Principles:
 #5 - Credit should be
appropriate to the academic
context in which it is accepted.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
‘Malpractice’ on Principle 5:
 ‘Redlining’ general education
or major areas for PLA credit,
making it ‘elective only.’
 Example: business credits
counted only as electives, not
in the appropriate major area.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Quality Assurance Principles:
 #6 - Credit awards and their
transcript entries should be
monitored to avoid giving
credit twice for the same
learning.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
‘Malpractice’ on Principle 6:
 ‘Double counting’ of credit.
 The integrity of the degree and
curriculum is in question when
double-counting occurs.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Quality Assurance Principles:
 #7 - Policies and procedures
applied to assessment,
including provision for appeal,
should be fully disclosed and
prominently available.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
‘Malpractice’ on Principle 7:
 Policies in name only, not in
practice, such as for appeals.
 No institution can put itself in
the situation above without
jeopardizing its integrity.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Quality Assurance Principles:
 #8 - Fees charged for
assessment should be based on
the services performed in the
process and not determined by
the amount of credit awarded.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
‘Malpractice’ on Principle 8:
 Billing students for PLA fees
based on credits awarded.
 Question: How does the
assessor or institution resist the
‘perverse incentive’ in this?!
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Quality Assurance Principles:
 #9
- All personnel involved in the
assessment of learning should
receive adequate training for the
functions they perform, and
there should be provision for
their continued professional
development.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
‘Malpractice’ on Principle 9:
 Assigning assessment work to
persons untrained for it.
 An analogy: We know that
content experts are not also
automatically teaching experts.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Quality Assurance Principles:
 #10
- Assessment programs
should be regularly monitored,
reviewed, evaluated, and revised
as needed to reflect changes in
the needs being served and in
the state of the assessment arts.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
‘Malpractice’ on Principle 10:
 Assessment program
stagnation.
 Without maintenance, even
strong structures will weaken
and eventually collapse.
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
Pausing Now for Discussion:
 What parts of the preceding
“ring true” for you? Why?
 What parts of the preceding
material do you want to
question or to challenge?
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
CAEL’s recommended
development process for
implementing portfolio PLA:
 Build awareness & legitimacy
 Design an appropriate
program
 Implement it with training
 Troubleshoot startup problems
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
PLA from a “systems” view:
Option 1: Local PLA programs &
policies at each college/university
 Option 2: One statewide center for
PLA decision-making; credits
transferred as needed (Vermont)
 Option 3: ‘Mixed’ models of
individuality with collaboration

CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
CAEL’s resources to help your
school start portfolio PLA:
 Publications
 Public PLA workshops
 OnLine PLA certification
 On-campus consulting help
CAEL
Prior Learning Assessment
For More Information:
WWW.CAEL.ORG
CAEL