Prior Learning Assessment
(PLA) Pilot Project At VSU
Prepared by the PLA
Working Group &
Assessors Group
What is Prior Learning
Assessment (PLA)?
 “The recognition of learning gained
from experiences that may be
granted credit or otherwise certified…
The assessment of learning attained
through experiences irrespective of
the time and place in which they
occurred.”
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From Assessing Learning, 2nd edition, (2006) By Morry
Fiddler, Catherine Marienau, and Urban Whitaker p.12.
The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) at
http://www.cael.org/.
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Criteria for Quality Assurance in
Assessing Learning for Credit
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Credit or its equivalent will be awarded only for learning, and
not for experience.
Assessment should be based on standards and criteria for the
level of acceptable learning.
Assessment should be treated as an integral part of learning,
not separate from it, and should be based on an understanding
of learning processes.
The determination of credit awards and competence levels
must be made by appropriate subject matter and academic or
credentialing experts.
Credit or other credentialing will be appropriate to the
academic context in which it is awarded and accepted.
The program of study and the student’s major, i.e., core,
upper-division, or graduate, of the student determines the
“academic context.”
Adapted From: Morry Fiddler, Catherine Marieneau & Urban Whitaker. Assessing Learning: Standards,
Principles, & Procedures. Chicago: CAEL (Council for Adult and Experiential Learning), 2006.
For more information visit: The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) at http://www.cael.org/.
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Why are we talking about
Prior Learning Assessment
(PLA)
?
 The PLA Pilot Project was initiated by the University
System of Georgia with the initial goal of helping to
address the shortage of teachers.
 Career-changers are a rich source of teachers.
 More than 40% of students nationally are selfsupporting adults age 24 or older.
 This population brings potentially creditable
experience that can accelerate time to graduation.
 PLA provides a way to build on workers’ skills and
increase transferability.
 The project was later extended to cover students in
majors or career fields other than Education.
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A System View:
Enablers of Change
 PLA Project fits with goals and strategic plans of
both USG and VSU
 Move to Outcomes-Based Teaching
 PLA Pilot Project was Initiated at VSU in 2005
with the formation of the PLA Working Group and
Supporting Leadership Group
 Consultants for the project Morry Fiddler and
Catherine Marienau (DePaul University, Chicago, IL; coauthors of the book,
Assessing Learning, published by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning)
 PLA Working Group took online Courses
 PLA Pilot Project supported by Grant resources
from US Department of Education.
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PLA Fit with VSU
Strategic Goals
 From VSU’s Strategic Planning Goals:
5 Goals in 5 Years
 Enrollment & Retention
 Assess and implement changes in faculty load, facilities,
course offerings & class scheduling to enhance the use of
university resources in support of planned growth.
 Increase number of students seeking certification and
licensure renewal.
 Develop a proposal for programs and program delivery
strategies that meet the needs of non-traditional
degree seeking students.
 Financial Support
 Improve profile in the Valdosta community, by continuing to
develop external/community partnerships.
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Explanation of PLA
At VSU
VSU now offers six ways to receive college
credit from Prior Learning Assessment:
 CLEP (The College-Level Examination Program®)
 AP (Advanced Placement)
 DANTES Testing (Defense Activity for Non-Traditional
Educational Support)
 ACE Credits
 Departmental Examinations
Note: All of the above are already available at VSU.
 Prior Learning Documentation
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Explanation of PLA Documentation
 Documentation provides
alternative formats
for candidates to provide evidence
they have the knowledge and skills
for a specific course’s
learning outcomes.
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Evidence of Prior Learning
Many ways to provide evidence of learning:
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Work products
Performance simulations
Interviews
Oral or written exams
Skills demonstrations
Original fine art
Computer software
Poems, books, stories
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Explanation of PLA
Documentation
Learning
 Assessment
focuses on
learning – not just
experience
 Learning is based
on experience and
academic theory
Experience
Theory
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Learning Outcomes Are Critical
Learning outcomes:
 Define expectations for the target course
 Must be clear and explicit
 Should include all valued components
(including process skills)
If learning outcomes are not explicit,
students cannot be held accountable.
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What Students Do
Students must convince assessors that
 They have relevant and appropriate experiences
 They learned from those experiences
 The learning is aligned with learning outcomes
for the target course
 The learning is grounded on relevant theory
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Evidence of Relevant Experience
Students provide evidence to document
relevant experiences.
Relevant experiences could include:
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Courses
Training programs (e.g. military)
Work experience
Community service
Personal study
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Evidence of Learning From Experience
Assessment approach depends on the course
Traditional
Performance-based
Exam e.g. Mathematics
Essay e.g. English
Portfolio e.g. Science
Performance e.g. Education
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Examples
 Mathematics
 Science
 Education
Link to templates:
http://www.valdosta.edu/pla/resources/
We will have time to talk about the templates at the end of the session.
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Assessment of open-ended
mathematical tasks
 Mathematical Knowledge: Knowledge of
mathematical principles and concepts
 Strategic Knowledge: Identification and use
of important elements of the problem that
represent and integrate concepts (e.g.,
models, diagrams, symbols, algorithms).
 Explanation: Written explanation of the
rationales and steps of the solution process. A
justification of each step is provided.
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Process Standards for the
Mathematics courses
 Students will solve non-routine problems and
construct knowledge through problem solving.
 Students will investigate, develop, and
evaluate mathematical arguments.
 Students will understand how mathematical
ideas interconnect and build on one another
and will apply mathematics in other content
areas.
 Students will create and use technology,
pictures, manipulatives, models, and symbols
to organize, record, and communicate
mathematical ideas.
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Possible Scoring Categories
 Sources of Learning (Experiences)
 Evidence of Competencies (aligned with
learning outcomes)
 Competencies aligned with Experiences
 Competencies aligned with Theory
 Breadth / Depth / Significance
 Introduction / Conclusion
 Citation of Source Material
 Documentation
 Sentence Structure, Mechanics, and Overall
Presentation
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Status of PLA Pilot Project
 PLA 2000 Documentation Course is
being offered online
 Six students are enrolled in PLA 2000
this term
 Other students hope to take the
course in either Summer or Fall terms
 We need to have a report on initial
program success by June for grant
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Information on Current Students,
Backgrounds, & Possible Courses
Student
Background
Possible Courses
1
Work experience with Internet Service
Providers (ISPs)
ACED 3100 Comp. Systems
ACED 3400 App. Comp. Tech
2
Works in group home for teenagers
SOCI 3190 Clinical Sociology
SOCI 4540 Internship in Soc.
3
Retired from the Army, has training in a
variety of subjects, experience as a trainer
PERS 2690 Multicultural Amer.
Other PERS Course
4
Courses, network administration work
experience, Microsoft Certification
CS 4121 Data Com Networks
CS 4345 Operating Systems
5
10 years experience in law enforcement, a lot
of training, and is a field training officer
CRJU 4100 Seminar
CRJU 4910 Internship
6
30 years experience as business manager,
including owning his own business
ACED 1100 Intro to Business
ACED 2050 Com for the Wrkpl
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Role of Faculty Assessors
 Help determine appropriate courses
based on backgrounds of students
 Develop assessment methods
 Evaluate student documentation,
portfolios, etc.
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What happens next?
 Training continues on Friday morning
with specific information on the
portfolio evaluation
 We are seeking commitment from
faculty who are willing to take part in
the PLA Project as assessors
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Stipends Available for PLA
Faculty Assessors
 Stipends are available for faculty who
develop assessment methods and evaluate
evidence of learning:
 money is available for work done in Spring &
Maymester
 top priority will be given to assessments for the
classes that fit the needs the current group of
students in PLA 2000
 some stipends may also be available for classes
that may be possible in the future.
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Questions?
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Template and Syllabi
Examples
MSED 7002 Example:
Syllabus
Assessment Template
Marylhurst University PLA Rubric
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