CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... 1
INTRODUCTION
Portfolio Development: The Cornerstone of the
Prior Learning Assessment Process ........................................................................... 2
THE PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT PROCESS ..................................................... 5
What is A Portfolio? .....................................................................................................7
What Goes Into A Portfolio ........................................................................................ 8
What Objectives Will I Accomplish as a Result of Participating in the
PLA Process via the Development of a Portfolio ........................................................ 8
What Are The Steps in the Portfolio Development/Evaluation Process? ................. 9
What Is the Role of the Portfolio Resource Person ...................................................10
How Is Credit/Recognition Awarded for Prior Learning? ........................................10
PART I
The Chronological Record ........................................................................... 12
Sample I .................................................................................................. 14
Sample II ................................................................................................ 16
PART II
Life History .................................................................................................. 19
Sample ................................................................................................... 27
PART III The Goals Paper .......................................................................................... 32
Reasons for Setting Goals ..................................................................... 33
What Does the Goals Paper Have To Do With
PLA and Portfolio Development ........................................................... 35
Factors to Consider In Goal Setting ...................................................... 35
Criteria for Goals ................................................................................... 36
Steps in Setting Goals ............................................................................ 38
Writing the Goals Paper ........................................................................ 38
Sample Goals Paper ............................................................................... 39
~i~
Educational Planning ............................................................................. 41
Education Training Plan Worksheet ..................................................... 44
Education Plan Worksheet.................................................................... 45
PART IV The Core of the Portfolio - The Narrative of Competencies ....................... 46
Learning Experience Worksheet ........................................................... 49
Sample Learning Experience Worksheet ............................................... 51
Course Training List Worksheet ........................................................... 55
Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Objectives .......................................... 59
Writing Learning Outcomes ................................................................... 61
Steps for Writing A Competency ........................................................... 66
Sample Competency Worksheet ........................................................... 68
Competency Worksheet ........................................................................ 70
PART V
Documentation ............................................................................................75
Evidence Continuum ............................................................................. 78
Sample - Letter Requesting Documentation ........................................ 83
Sample - Background Information ....................................................... 84
Sample I - Verification Letter - Appropriate as Documentation .......... 85
Sample II - Recommendation Letter - Inadequate as Documentation 86
PART VI Assembling the Portfolio ............................................................................ 88
Sample - Cover Letter............................................................................. 91
PART VII The Evaluation of the Portfolio .................................................................. 92
Request For Evaluation ......................................................................... 96
Challenge Evaluation Form................................................................... 97
APPENDICES .............................................................................................................. 98
~ ii ~
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This is the second edition of the guide and it represents an attempt to broaden its focus to
include occupation and workplace-based assessment. It is designed to provide those adults
who participate in the prior learning assessment process with some tangible support and
useful information to assist in this challenging and rewarding task.
It is by no means a final product nor is it an original piece of work. It is a compendium of
materials and ideas drawn from a variety of sources. There are literally hundreds of
organizations, individual adult educators, post-secondary institutions and workplaces
across North America and indeed throughout the world that are making important
contributions to both the theory and practice of prior learning assessment and adult
education.
Paul Zakos
FNTI
March, 2003
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 1
PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT: THE CORNERSTONE OF THE PRIOR
LEARNING ASSESSMENT PROCESS
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 2
The introduction of prior learning assessment has been one of the most significant
occurrences in education in the past twenty years.
Post secondary institutions are faced with increasing numbers of older adults re-entering
the education system. As well, there is increased emphasis on the need for continuously
upgrading the skills and knowledge of the existing workforce in a highly competitive global
economy. These institutions must also contend with a more diverse, steadily increasing
adult population caused in part by changes in immigration policies and a decline in
Canada’s birth rate.
Given such circumstances prior learning assessment is indeed a timely and appropriate
strategy. It recognizes that adult learners enter educational institutions with rich clusters of
post-secondary level skill and knowledge gained from a variety of experiences.
Acknowledging the educational validity of prior learning and equating it to the outcomes of
post-secondary courses or workplace competencies recognizes adults ability to learn
important skills and knowledge outside of school and enriches our educational institutions.
A key element in the prior learning assessment process is the preparation of the portfolio.
This document is a major piece of work and its completion requires a high level of
commitment and strong motivation by the adult learner.
The portfolio is widely recognized as an essential ingredient in a multi-faceted service for
adult development not only for earning potential college credit, but also for assisting with
career change, increasing self-esteem and confidence and organizing one's lifetime
accomplishments.
The portfolio process itself provides some specific components that not only help adults to
identify relevant prior learning but also facilitate re-entry into post-secondary education
and possible vocational change. A growing number of learners seeking credit for prior
learning will likely have been away from school for several years. Many of them may lack
confidence in their ability to learn and will need guidance and support as they attempt to
dispel any previously acquired negative attitudes associated with formal learning. The
process of identifying one's prior learning via the portfolio route is a rigorous task and in
the initial stages it is usually confusing and difficult for most learners. With appropriate
support however, it can be an extremely affirming experience and a significant exercise in
critical thinking. Consequently it is especially important to provide some formal support
mechanisms to assist adult learners with this demanding task. Among the range of options
are: counselling, mentoring, education/career alternatives and self-instructional materials.
Adults should also be provided with clear information concerning the steps involved in the
process of assessment including examples of portfolio materials.
The process used to orient adult learners to the PLAR process is in itself an important
learning event. It serves as a form of instruction for one of the most important and basic
learning activities: identifying how one learns and in the post-secondary area it usually
takes the form of a credit course. In addition to enhancing the adult's awareness of his/her
learning style, the activity is a vital link between the assessment of prior learning and the
identification of future learning and career development plans. The PLAR process has many
other advantages: it signals that post-secondary institutions employers and credentialing
bodies are serious about the way they treat the adult learner and acknowledges the value of
the learning which they bring both to the workplace and the educational institution.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 3
In the educational area an assessment course which has credit value also makes a clear and
direct statement about the educational worth of the assessment process to the learner, the
institution and the community which it serves. The portfolio course is a useful method of
monitoring one's progress, providing support and assistance as necessary.
The fact that learning is assessed as being creditable is not generally a sufficient basis for
the granting of credit. In most cases the validity of evaluating a learning experience for
credit and recognition depends upon a clearly demonstrated relationship to a specific
diploma program or course objectives and workplace competencies. The preparation of the
portfolio is widely reported to be an empowering learning experience for the adult learner,
by adding value for the learner via increased positive self-knowledge. It also enhances the
adult learner’s basic understanding of the assessment of learning and tends to reinforce the
individual’s ability and skill in accepting responsibility for his/her own learning and of the
mutual accountability with the faculty.
Enhanced self-esteem and a more informed understanding of the processes involved in selfassessment are in themselves significant learning outcomes in a society in which four or five
career changes over the course of one's lifetime are predicted to be the norm for many
adults.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 4
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 5
The assessment of prior learning is an experience unique to each person who undertakes
the challenge. In the process of developing your own personalized portfolio you will be
involved in a demanding and intense experience designed to renew your appreciation of
who you are and where you are going.
During this interesting and challenging activity, you will work toward accomplishing the
following goals:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Identify your learning from experience
Match your learning to specific courses/competencies
Identify your education/career goals
Develop an education/career plan
Identify your best prior learning assessment options
Develop your portfolio of prior learning
Initially, you will be helped you identify your learning from a variety of different
experiences which may include work, seminars, workshops, self-study, continuing
education and volunteer activities.
We will also help you match your learning to specific courses and/or competencies. It is
important to keep in mind that while all experiences are a source of learning, not all
learning is able to be credited. We will help you identify your learning related to
education and career goals and help you demonstrate how it compares your educational,
career or vocational objectives.
You will be assisted to identify the best educational and/or career direction for you to follow
in light of your prior experiences and your future goals, academically and/or professionally.
You will be helped to design an education and career plan to guide you as you pursue your
learning goals.
We will help you to identify the best method or methods for you to use to match your
learning against specific outcomes or competencies depending upon whether you are
seeking post-secondary credits or workplace-based recognition.
There are several possible methods from which to choose. They are as follows:
Standardized Tests, Review of Transcripts; Licenses and Certificates;
Challenge Exams; Portfolio Review; Oral Exam/Discussion; Performance
Observation; Skills Demonstration/ Product Assessment and Program Review.
Portfolio Development is the most comprehensive method for organizing one's learning. As
you know a portfolio is a written document used to describe learning acquired through life
experience and to enable that learning to be evaluated for college course equivalency or
recognition of workplace-based competencies.
A main goal of this manual is to help you develop your own portfolio of prior learning.
In essence, most PLA processes involve matching one's previously required learning to
some pre-determined standards. This means that, with the assistance of your PLA
facilitator, you will identify specific competencies/courses for which you wish to request
credit evaluation. For example, as a computer programmer, you may want to request
evaluation for credit for Introduction to Computers. If you have given many presentations,
you may want to request evaluation for credit for Effective Speaking I. In relation to
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 6
occupational competencies, for example, you may wish to demonstrate the skills needed to
qualify for a specific licence or certificate. e.g. cook or electrician.
It is very important to understand that you do NOT receive credit for experience, but you
DO receive credit for LEARNING that has occurred from prior experience. This learning
can be defined as learning that 1) is measurable; 2) demonstrates a level of achievement
defined by faculty or subject matter experts; 3) has a knowledge base; 4) is conceptual as
well as practical; and 5) has a relationship to education/career goals.
NOTE: Clear, concise writing is essential to an effective presentation of your
learning. Enrolment in a basic English course may be advisable if you have doubts
about your writing skills. We are also prepared to work with you as part of preparing
your materials for assessment using the various components, to help hone your
writing skills if they are a bit "rusty".
NOTE: Keep in mind that successful completion of the portfolio in no way should be
interpreted as a guarantee that the content of your learning will automatically
receive credit or recognition. Only appropriate faculty evaluators and/or
subject matter experts can make that judgement.
WHAT IS A PORTFOLIO?
The portfolio is the formal document which defines learning acquired through a variety of
formal and informal learning experiences. It is used to request formal credit/recognition for
your learning from experience.
Portfolio preparation is an exercise in self-evaluation, introspection, analysis, and synthesis.
It is an educational experience in itself. It requires you to relate your past learning
experiences to your education and career goals, to exhibit critical self-analysis, and to
demonstrate your ability to organize documentation in a clear, concise manner.
After you have made the decision to seek formal credit/recognition through the PLA
process, it is a good idea to begin to identify as clearly as possible, your academic and
career goals. The portfolio process demands that you give some thought to the
requirements needed to achieve these goals and how you will go about accomplishing
this task. For example, if you are unable to pursue your educational goals via full time
study, will enough courses be available on a part-time basis for you to accomplish
your goals? One of the prime uses of the portfolio development process is to assist
you to make a clearer decision about which course of action is most appropriate for
you to pursue. Additional educational and career counseling may be useful in
assisting you in making the best possible choices.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 7
WHAT GOES INTO A PORTFOLIO?
Although the portfolio is in many ways a highly individualized portrayal of your own unique
experiences and learning, there is a certain prescribed format to be followed. The portfolio
consists of:
1)
a “Cover Letter”, which states your request for post-secondary credits and/or
formal recognition of your skills and competencies
*2) a 4-5 page “Life History” (autobiography) which outlines the important events of
your life - the events which helped shape you into who you are today
3)
a “Goals Paper”, which describes your personal, career and educational goals
*4) a year-by-year “Chronological Record” of your experiences since high school
(or age 18) up to the present time - usually a sentence or two for each year
5)
the “Competency” (learning match), which provides concise statements of
experience and of the resulting learning, as it relates to a particular course of study
or workplace-based competencies
6) “Documentation” of the learning experience supporting each competency
described
*These two components are optional. Some adults may decide that they do not have the
time necessary to complete these elements of the portfolio development process.
While you will become familiar with each page and document of your portfolio, those
evaluating your portfolio do not have this advantage. Therefore, it is most important that
you follow this format, developing a carefully organized and written portfolio so that a
stranger would be able to follow it logically and identify supporting documentation easily.
WHAT OBJECTIVES WILL I ACCOMPLISH AS A RESULT OF
PARTICIPATING IN THE PLA PROCESS VIA THE DEVELOPMENT OF A
PORTFOLIO?
A major outcome of the Portfolio Development process is the identification, articulation and
documentation of competency statements. Preparing a portfolio is an unfamiliar, laborious,
yet rewarding task. It should have special relevance for you as you begin to examine your
life, seeing it as a series of interwoven learning experiences, a sequence of milestones along
the path of your development. Accordingly, the outcome of the Portfolio Development
process is much more than the completion of a portfolio for formal evaluation and potential
credit for prior learning. It is hoped this process will also allow you to enhance your
self-esteem and your self-concept as a learner and your ability to clarify and reach
important life/work goals. In addition, the portfolio itself is an excellent record of your
effectiveness in a variety of life/work situations, suitable for presentation to prospective
employers and others interested in your skills and competencies.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 8
As a result of participating in the PLA process, you should be able to:
-
describe the conditions needed for participating in the portfolio development
process, the basic elements of the portfolio development/evaluation process, and
the role of the mentor/resource person
-
clarify the importance and purpose of the portfolio in relation to the identification,
articulation, documentation and evaluation of your learning against college
and/or workplace competencies
-
recognize the value and legitimacy of learning from experience
-
appreciate that learning is indeed a lifelong process
*-
write a 4-5 page Life History about yourself
*-
prepare a 1-2 page Chronological Record
-
set life/career goals and priorities
-
write a 2-page Goals Paper
-
differentiate between “theoretical” learning and “practical” learning, to
understand the expectations of faculty evaluators and/or subject matter experts in
the workplace
-
assess your own skills and knowledge competence
-
prepare competency statements for courses/competencies you wish to submit for
evaluation
-
demonstrate understanding of the principles of documentation of your own prior
learning and provide at least 3 documentation alternatives for each learning
description you record in your portfolio
-
describe and document competence developed through experience
-
assemble your own portfolio of life and career accomplishments for submission to
faculty evaluators, prospective employers or others interested in appraising your
competence
-
develop an educational plan for achieving your education/career goals
* These two components are optional.
WHAT ARE THE STEPS IN THE PORTFOLIO
DEVELOPMENT/EVALUATION PROCESS?
With the help of your portfolio course instructor and staff members you will work through
the following steps in the portfolio development process:
1)
You will reflect on your prior experiences and examine what you have learned.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 9
2)
You will clarify your educational, career, and personal objectives in the light of
past growth/experiences, and develop an education/career plan.
3)
With the assistance of the portfolio resource person you will identify and record
learning you have acquired from a variety of sources, and relate it to specific postsecondary and/or workplace courses and competencies to demonstrate
equivalency.
4)
You will document the learning for which you are seeking credit and/or
recognition.
5)
You will complete the portfolio, which includes a statement of educational, career
and personal objectives, *a chronological record, *a life history paper, a
clarification of experiences and related learning, and supportive documentation.
The portfolio will demonstrate how the learning is related to particular courses
and/or competencies. Your specific request for credit/recognition related to your
identified learning is also included.
6)
The portfolio will be reviewed by the portfolio resource person and returned to
you with specific comments, for revisions or corrections as warranted.
7)
You may be required to pay for the individual evaluation of each competency you
have developed, especially if you are seeking post-secondary credits.
8)
The portfolio will be evaluated by faculty and/or subject matter experts based on
the type of credit/recognition requested.
9)
If post-secondary credit is awarded, it will be recorded on your college transcript
in the manner in which the grades are recorded in that institution (e.g. letter or
number). The grade achieved will be included as part of your grade point average.
* These two items are optional.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE PORTFOLIO RESOURCE PERSON?
The main function of the portfolio resource person is to advise you about the basic
principles and steps of the portfolio development process and to assist you in the
preparation of materials for assessment.
The portfolio resource person will provide you with technical assistance, support, and
direction in the development of the portfolio. Your portfolio should ultimately be approved
by this person after sufficient review/discussion of your work and prior to the finished
product being passed along for formal assessment.
HOW IS CREDIT/RECOGNITION AWARDED FOR PRIOR LEARNING?
It is important to remember that you do not receive formal credit/recognition for
experience. Instead, credit and recognition is granted for verifiable learning growing out
of experience. In other words, credit will be granted for the learning, either knowledge or
skills, acquired from a variety of experiences, not for the experiences themselves. For
example, Bill has had ten years' experience as a sales manager. He will not be awarded
credit for his ten years of selling experience, but rather on the basis of his ability to
demonstrate what he has learned about salesmanship that relates to college-level learning
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 10
courses or specific workplace-based competencies. The reason for this is that Bill may have
learned very little after the first year that can be equated to college or workplace
competencies. Remember, it is your responsibility to identify the learning
outcomes resulting from the experience. The portfolio resource person and others,
including colleagues can often assist you with this task.
When you have identified your learning from experience, you then match it to specific
outcomes of post-secondary courses or workplace competencies. The next step in the
process is to prepare a narrative, describing how you learned (prior experience), and what
you have learned in relation to specific outcomes and competencies of courses or
occupations. This narrative, along with your documentation, well be sent to the appropriate
evaluator who will decide whether or not to award credit for your competencies. Please note
that the evaluator, after reading your portfolio, may request additional work from you in
order to demonstrate (or increase) your competence in the specific area being evaluated. To
that end you may be requested to enter into a learning contract which outlines the specific
competencies needed before credit/recognition can be granted.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 11
PART I
THE CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 12
The portfolio is a document about you and what you have learned over the course of your
lifetime. A good way to start the assessment process is by trying to remember what those
experiences have been. You will do this by preparing a “Chronological Record”.
The Chronological Record is a year-by-year account of what you have been doing since
high school or since age 18. For each year, list what you consider to be the important
happenings in your life. You might include:
-
employment
military experience
schools attended
seminars/workshops
volunteer involvement
major life events (marriage, the birth of children, moving, divorce, etc.)
The Chronological Record is a way to begin to organize all your experiences. The format
is simple - using one or two sentences, starting with an action verb, describe the important
events of that year. (Please indicate both city and provincial locations.)
Preparing your Chronological Record will take time. At this point in the process you
may be unsure what you should list. Initially it may be difficult to determine dates and
events for the years since high school. The more information you include, the more helpful
your Chronological Record will be as you identify significant learning experiences. You
will continue to update and modify entries over the next couple of weeks, as you become
more familiar with what is useful.
Your Chronological Record can help to provide the evaluator with an overview of your
experiences.
Samples of two Chronological Records appear on the pages which follow.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 13
Sample I - Bobbi R.
CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD
1975 Graduated Grade 12, E.L. Crossley Secondary School, Fonthill. Robbed at knife point
while working at a gas station. Married high school sweetheart, relocated to
Hamilton.
1976 Graduated Grade 13, Hamilton Collegiate Institute. Worked as an assistant to the
purchasing agent during summer at a steel fabricating company, Arcan Eastern.
1977 Attended full-time studies at McMaster University, Hamilton. Worked as an
assistant to the purchasing agent at Arcan Eastern during summer. Served on jury
duty for two trials.
1978 Separated from husband, changed residence. Had a car accident. co-habited with
new partner, Jimmie (three children). Volunteer for Alternatives for Youth at the
Hamilton Detention Centre.
1979 Graduated B.A. McMaster University, major Psychology. Employed as a Sessional
Instructor Mohawk College, Job Readiness Training Department. Travelled to
Vancouver, B.C. (first trip). Attended Life Skills Coach Conference, Belleville
1980 Travelled to Acapulco Mexico. Hired full-time as a Teaching Master, Mohawk
College. Focus for Change, Women's Program. Volunteer for the Sexual Assault
Centre, Public Education. Attended Life Skills Coach Conference, Barrie
1981 Took all-inclusive trip to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Started taking Wen-Do,
Women’s Self Defense training basic and then intermediate classes
1981 Completed Life Skills Coach Training Course (180 hours). Taught Assertiveness
Training at the YWCA, Ottawa Street
1982 Bought first house. Taught Assertiveness Training at Mohawk College, CE
1982 Completed Wen-Do Instructors Intensive Training Program. Taught Wen-Do in the
WITT (Women in Trades & Technology)
1983 Secondment to Counselling Department, Futures Program. Repeated CPR Training.
1984 Successfully defended myself from an attack at a bus stop. Bought a car. Taught
Focus for Change, Kiwanis Campus. Taught aerobics on lunch hour at Kiwanis Rec
Centre.
1985 Travelled to Virginia to visit best friend who moved away. Learned to operate table
saw to build recreation room.
1986 Taught Technical Upgrading Program, Mo/Mac Centre. Seriously ill with
rheumatoid arthritis. Implemented Ontario Basic Skills Program, Highview Campus.
Enroled in Masters of Education, Brock University. Partner’s first grandchild (son)
was born. Bought an IBM compatible computer and took Saturday courses at
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 14
Mohawk. Partner’s second daughter married, first wedding. Quit smoking New
Year’s Eve.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 15
1987 Became a mentor for Life Skills Coaches and worked on the committee to develop a
pilot project for interns requesting accreditation in ALSCO. Travelled to Puerto
LaCruz, Venezuela. Got braces on my teeth.
1988 Taught Focus on Skills, Brantdale Campus. Travelled to Cartagena, Columbia.
Repeated First Aide Training. Attended P.D. workshop on Coping with Change,
Facilitator: John Hosley. Took WHIMIS Training. Completed Small Business
Course. Taught Resume Writing and Career Planning at Firestone, Plant Closure.
Decided I was due for a career change (10 year itch)
1989 Secondment to the Educational Research & Development Office CAATS/Computer
Based learning Project/Interactive Videodisc Technology. Developed lessons and
taught Word Processing to Focus on Skills and ESL students (WP 4.1). Completed
my own portfolio for accreditation by the Association of Life Skills Coaches of
Ontario. Attended Life Skills Conference, Orillia, made a presentation to my intern
who received accreditation in ALSCO. Travelled to Cartagena, Columbia. Attended
Strategic Planning workshop. Took ballroom Dancing I. Received my 10 year award
as an employee of Mohawk College. Partner's son graduated from Medical Imaging
and got a job in TO. Partner's second grandson born.
1990 Took a Caribbean Cruise: (8 Islands). Empty nest, partner's son moved to Toronto to
be closer to work. Took Ballroom Dancing II. Secondment to the ACCESS
Department as Coordinator of Credit for Prior Experiential Learning. Attended Life
Skills Conference, Orillia. Attended workshop on Long Range Planning at Five Oaks,
Attended Prior Learning Assessment Conference, FNTI, Belleville. Attended Prior
Learning Assessment Conference, Montreal. Attended Prior Learning Assessment
Conference, CAEL, Chicago. Took WordPerfect 5.1 Update Course. Graduated
Masters of Education, Brock University, Major: Adult Education. Won the Jack
Noble Book Prize for highest academic standing in M.Ed. Program.
1991
Attended second annual Prior Learning Assessment Conference, FNTI, Belleville.
Travelled to Europe (Belgium, Germany, France). Sold house. Bought a new house,
relocated to Ancaster. Change in reporting structure at College, reporting to Dean
C.E. Presented at CAEL, Prior Learning Assessment Conference, California.
Vacationed in California and Las Vegas.
1992 Presented at third annual Prior Learning Conference, FNTI, Belleville. Member of
COR Pre-implementation Committee. Attended CAEL Conference, Florida.
Vacationed in Florida. Presented at ACAATO. Partner’s granddaughter born. Fatherin-law died.
1993 Gave invocation at Graduation.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 16
Sample II - Laura B.
CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD
1967 November - left Essex District High School in grade 11.
1968 Married in February. I was 17, he was 19. Moved from my father's home to an
apartment in Leamington. Obtained full-time position in the kitchen of Leamington
District Memorial Hospital (LDMH). Purchased a new car, 1967 Chevy Malibu.
1969 Accepted full time position in the laboratory at LDMH as housekeeper. Position was
transferred to Housekeeping department within 3 months. Accepted a full time
position as an Assistant Lab Technician, trained on the job by the Chief Lab
Technologist. Returned to school for upgrading to complete grade 12 through Essex
County Board of Education. Took correspondence courses as well as evening classes.
1970 Purchased our first home in Leamington.
1971
Completed Grade 12 equivalent. Purchased a new car, 1970 Mercury Montego MX.
1972 Spent many hours decorating, landscaping and fixing the house.
1973 February - Travelled to Hawaii for a 3 week holiday to celebrate 5th anniversary.
November - Had my first child, a boy. Left my position as Assistant Lab Technician
to stay home with new baby. He was not well during the first year of his life.
1974 Sold the house in Leamington and moved into an apartment in Windsor. Husband
went to school full time and continued working full time at Ford Motor Company in
Windsor. Extremely stressful year, but he completed his grade 12 equivalent. Spent
every weekend shopping for a new home in Windsor.
1975 June - Moved into the perfect house in Windsor. July - Had my second child, a girl.
1976 Attended Continuing Education Courses at St. Clair College in Windsor for General
Interest: Transactional Analysis, Adventures in Attitudes (a 3 day workshop which
involved self analysis and personal goal setting). Took tennis lessons.
Attended a Flower Arranging course through St. Clair College. Had my youngest
child, a boy.
1978 Attended adult confirmation classes at Glenwood United Church in Windsor.
Accepted position as Chairperson of the Baptism Committee. February - Started a
small arts and crafts business with my husband (A & M Woodcrafts). Purchased my
own car, 1978 Mercury Zephyr Station Wagon. The auto industry was cutting back
staff and husband quit his job at Ford's to operate the business full time. Sold the
house and moved to new home in the country (10 miles outside of Windsor).
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 17
1979 Attended business courses at St. Clair College, Bookkeeping, Marketing and
Salesmanship. The business expanded from retail to wholesale and my sales territory
consisted of Southwestern Ontario. Purchased company vehicle - 1979 MaxiVan.
Hired a full time/live-in housekeeper and nanny.
1980 Displayed A & M Woodcrafts at the Trade Shows in Toronto. Had 10 people on staff.
The business was growing and successful. Opened a retail outlet in Windsor - The
Tree House. Purchased new vehicle, 1980 Mustang. Decided to give up the travelling
and hired a distributor to market our products.
1981 The country was in the middle of a recession, commercial lending rates hit 23%.
March - The distributor declared bankruptcy. December - A & M Woodcrafts
declared bankruptcy. Lost everything we owned, the house, the business, the
company vehicle.
1982 January - moved to Cambridge with 3 healthy children and my husband. Husband
started new job as CNC operator with Farris Industries. June - Manufactured
product for an Arts and Craft Show in Windsor. Trailer caught on fire en route,
managed to detach the car but the product was lost. Got the children to safety.
September - Obtained a part time position in Continuing Education with Conestoga
College teaching Ontario Management Development Programme: ES Communications and Marketing.
1983 August - Started a full time position as Sales Representative for Co-operative
Insurance. Obtained license to sell Life Insurance. Attended training course in
general insurance. Started 2 year programme - Life Underwriters Agents Training
Course (LUATC).
1984 January - Purchased a home in Cambridge. July - My husband and I separated after
16 years of marriage. Became a single mother with three children. Decided to keep
the house. Took on additional teaching assignments through Conestoga College:
OMDP: Human Relations, Motivation and Leadership and Administration.
1985 Co-instructed a Women's Transition project for single mothers re-entering the
workforce. Taught the Ontario Basic Skills programme. Did guest speaking for
Futures programme - Self Motivation, Understanding the Basics of Insurance.
Completed LUATC. Took a 2 week vacation to Minnesota.
1986 Purchased a lot and started construction on a new home in St. George. Moved in with
B. and his two children in September. Became the mother of 5 children (ages 9 - 15)
in a blended family.
1987 February - Regretfully gave up my position with Co-operators Insurance. Received a
1987 Chrysler Daytona as gift from my parents.
1988 Applied and accepted for adult student status at University of Waterloo: Courses:
Philosophy - Critical Thinking and Local History. Took a 2 week vacation touring
Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana. Accepted 6 month, part time position teaching
Ontario Basic Skills programme at a Drug Rehabilitation Centre. July - Obtained a
full time position as a Commercial Sales Representative with Cowan McVicar
Insurance. Obtained my RIBO license. (Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario).
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 18
1989 My youngest son, was hit by a car while riding his bicycle. Admitted to intensive care
at McMaster Hospital. Life and death situation. He survived with no permanent
injury. Attended C.E. at University of Waterloo: Sociology.
1990 Cowan McVicar Insurance has lost numerous major accounts. Laid off as part of
reducing overhead expenses. May - Hired for a one year pilot project as a Programme
Coordinator at CODA (Community Opportunities Development Association). Joined
the Kitchener/Waterloo Women in Networking. Travelled to Tennessee for a one
week Houseboat vacation. Attended courses in Basic Dos and WordPerfect 5.1 at
Conestoga College.
1991 June - Pilot project concluded. July - Started Business Support Services doing
consulting to small business. Accepted teaching assignment at Conestoga College:
OMDP - Effective Supervision - Administration. Attended a 3 day workshop at the
Canadian Industrial Innovation Centre in Waterloo: Teaching Entrepreneurship.
Wrote 2 articles for Cambridge Cityline Magazine on self employment: 1) Starting a
small business 2) Home Alone. Wrote 3 restaurant reviews for the local newspaper
the St. George Lance. Accepted an invitation to sit on the Citizen's Review Committee
for the Cambridge United Way. Received a 1987 Olds Cutlass Cierra as a gift from my
parents.
1992 Accepted contract positions at Conestoga College through Training and Development
to conduct Job Search Workshops and pre-employment training programme.
Attended one day seminar for Management and Leadership Skills for Women.
Attended a Professional Development Day for Associate Faculty of Conestoga
College. Enroled in C.E. programme at Mohawk College: Credit for Prior Learning as
part of a pilot project for a 2 year General Business Diploma. In the process of
developing a new Training and Development business with a long time acquaintance
and previous associate. Member of the Citizen's Review Committee of Cambridge
United Way to assess programmes of health care related agencies.
1993 Employed by Mohawk college, Job Readiness Training, programme to do sessional
teaching. Accepted contract from Conestoga College to teach OMDP - Effective
Supervision - Human Relations for Toyota Canada employees at Cambridge plant.
Received contracts to write three new manuals for Conestoga College courses:
Entrepreneurial Women - Level I and Level II, and Women at Work. Accepted
position as committee member to co-ordinate a one day conference called Business
Success for Women to be held in November 1993. Currently in the proposal stages to
write a study identifying the gap between training, development and support needs of
women entrepreneurs and available programmes.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 19
PART II
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 20
The Chronological Record allows you to recall most of the varied experiences of your life,
and list them in chronological order. However, it is merely a list. It says very little about
how the experiences affected you, or what you learned from them.
The purpose of the Life History Paper is to help you gain a greater understanding of
yourself, as well as to help you reflect upon how you have grown and changed and how you
have overcome obstacles. Busy adults rarely take time to reflect on the ways their
experiences have affected their lives. The Life History Paper enables you, the adult learner,
to review the goals, decisions and learning that you have experienced, and your ongoing
development as a person.
Your next step is to reflect on the years since high school or when you were 18. What have
you learned from your experiences? How have you changed? How have you progressed in
your job and in other aspects of your life? How have you changed as a person since you were
18? As busy adults, we do not always take the time to think about "where we have been"
(past experiences and "where we are going" (future goals and plans). Both are necessary
steps as you examine your prior learning and clarify your goals. Preparing your Life History
Paper provides you the opportunity to thoughtfully examine "where you have been". Laura
B.’s Life History Paper is a concrete example of how one adult learner chose to reflect on the
significant events in her life.
There is a great deal of talk these days about adult development, and the stages of adult
growth. A life cycle is what takes place between birth and death in the life of a person; it is
his or her personal history. While each individual is unique, several theorists have
attempted to identify common patterns in the adult life cycle. Are there stages of growth
which are common for all people? What are they, and what do they mean? How are these
stages the same and different for men and women? How do they vary depending on age and
racial differences? By understanding these stages, organizations such as educational
institutions, can enhance their ability to facilitate adult development.
A few different theories of adult development are presented in this section for you to
consider as you evaluate your own life experiences. Remember, there is no one right theory
for everyone, but one or another of these theories will hopefully help you in preparing your
Life History Paper. As you read this section, which ideas seem to relate to your own
experiences? Which ideas are different?
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 21
I Daniel Levinson (1978) has done extensive research on the stages of adult development
for Yale Medical School. His findings have suggested that adult development is influenced
by an individual's sociological environment (e.g. work, school, family, friends) and displays
itself in how he/she relates to this environment, in terms of both external behavior and
internal perceptions. Levinson characterized our lives as alternating periods of stability and
transition, which create what he calls our “life structure.”
Learning involves some sort of transition and periods of transition seem to alternate with
periods of stability. Rather than following a strict linear pattern (Figure A) learning and
personal growth seem to move forward between plateaus of stability (Figure B).
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 22
THREE TRANSFORMATION THEMES WHICH ARE INTEGRAL
TO GROWTH AND TRANSITION
1.
RESISTANCE - none of us easily leave our usual ways of thinking, feeling and
doing things behind. Our “old” world is where the “light” is best and most of us no
matter how wise and mature are a little afraid of the “dark” and that the bogey man
might nab us. So we prefer to stay “under the blanket” of our old worlds.
2.
GRIEF - with transformation/change an old order dies and a new one is born.
Whether growth involves a small part of us or our entire being, a loss usually occurs
before a gain. Grieving is often associated with growth but usually overlooked or
under estimated in its influence. Growth and significant change is one of the
highlights of our lives - but like life itself it has pain as well as pleasure. Grief is most
influential when one is between worlds or stages of growth; having left the old and
familiar but not yet arrived at the new. Each of us has our own style of grieving and
ways of handling loss. It is important to be aware of it and make it work to our
advantage.
3.
COURAGE - as we can readily see this quality is an important part of growth. We
often are forced to leave the old world and set out to discover the new one without a
guarantee in advance of what it shall be. The risks tend to intimidate us; and
although we often don’t see ourselves to be courageous, we act in courageous ways at
various times. I have witnessed many examples of such courage and continue to be
awe struck by the hurdles people have overcome in their lives - reading life histories
for example brings this point home. Despite all of our human frailties we as people
possess a certain toughness. Such courage is inherent in all of us and is essential to
growth.
TRANSFORMATION PATTERNS - Development as growth, using these three themes
as the framework, involves adding new things to ourselves, integrating them with what was
there before and as a result transforming a small or large aspect of ourselves perhaps even
our entire being. According to Douglas Robertson these patterns occur in most people but
he believes that if we are aware of them and allow for them and use them in our planning
process that they can be used constructively. Not acknowledging or respecting them
encourages unrealistic expectations and can give rise to frustration and disappointment.
As the diagrams (Figures A & B) demonstrate, transformation/growth is not continuous but
rather occurs in a series of steps involving periods of transition alternating with periods of
stability. This phenomenon is often referred to as a “PARADIGM SHIFT”, i.e. something
new is added to the old and integrated and then transformation occurs.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 23
TRANSITION, STABILITY, TRANSITION, STABILITY
William Bridges (1980) business consultant and transitions expert, in his book,
TRANSITIONS: Making Sense of Life’s Changes, describes the three phases which he
believes characterize life transitions:
A.
ENDINGS - a time of realizing our old ways don’t work as well as we would like,
often triggered by some event - a divorce, birth, promotion, death - forcing us to
realize our old perspective isn’t adequate any more. Endings come in many forms
and our personal reactions to them vary widely. Endings tend to fall into one of five
categories:
1.
MAJOR - MINOR - Does change involve a central part of who we are or
marginal aspect?
2.
ANTICIPATED - UNANTICIPATED - Did we expect the change
(growing older) or was it a surprise?
3.
PLANNED - UNPLANNED - Did we consciously choose it or not?
4.
GRADUAL - ERUPTIVE - Did it develop slowly or “zap” us from out of
the blue?
5.
POSITIVE - NEGATIVE - Were we happy that the change occurred or
was it a devastating blow?
Endings are usually easier if they are minor, anticipated, planned, etc.
B.
NEUTRAL ZONE - Follows endings. We are in transit between worlds, sailing
along getting sea sick but not yet arrived. Nothing is solid or fixed, we are somewhat
disoriented and at times confused. This phase requires that we tolerate ambiguity for
a while. Since it is a relatively empty time we may begin to see “old” things in a
different light, fresh perceptions can occur, new insights emerge and previously
unrecognized options may become apparent. We may also feel freer to experiment
with new ways, behaviours, etc. and to integrate our new learning.
C.
NEW BEGINNINGS - A period of adding the new learning and integrating it with
the old order, transforming our entire being in some fashion. Time is needed to
integrate this newness and let others adjust to it since we are part of a larger set of
systems; the family, community, workplace, nation, global community, etc. Being
aware of this web of connecting lines can help us see the potential ripple effects of
our transformation or growth.
Growth involves adding to ourselves and through the integrating of this variety of new
things, transforming ourselves. Growth builds on our previous experiences, it does not try
to eliminate them - suppressing them can lead to harm, integrating them constructively can
lead to growth.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 24
You may want to identify the periods of transition and stability in your own life. Describe
each transition period. Was it followed by a more stable period in your life? How was this
period different from the transition period? How did these periods of transition and
stability affect your personal and professional life?
II Gail Sheehy (1976), her book Passages, describes seven stages of development which
an adult typically experiences. You may find it interesting to compare your life to these
stages. What is similar? How has your life been different?
Fledgling Adulthood (ages 22-29 years)
This stage is an individual's entry into the adult world. The individual is preparing for
his/her lifework. He/she is trying out the teachings of childhood. Individuals are concerned
with doing what they “should”. An individual passing through the provisional adulthood
stage is seeking the answer to “What do I do?”
Age 30 Transition (ages 29-32)
During this period individuals are typically questioning and re-examining commitments
made in their twenties. The individual questions the “shoulds” and “oughts” of his/her
upbringing. Life begins to look more complex. An individual is seeking the answer to "What
do I really want out of life?"
Putting Down Roots (ages 32-39 years)
During this stage life becomes more rational, less questioning and searching. The individual
seeks to be more established, both personally and professionally. Individuals become
emotionally aware of the reality of death and are concerned with the question “Is there still
time to change?”
Mid-Life Transition (ages 39-43)
For many this is a painful period. The individual re-examines his/her purpose in life,
becoming aware of the fact that we are alone - there is no one to go to for “permission.” It is
often a time of transition filled with both danger and opportunity. Many must face the
realization that there are limits to success and achievement. Youthful dreams may not
match reality. Also, they are concerned with the expectations others have placed on the
individual. The major question of this period is “What do I truly want for myself and
others?”
Realization and Flowering (ages 43-50)
For many individuals this is the best time of life. They have regained their equilibrium.
Having forged through the earlier stages, they have gained a new stability, a renewal of
purpose. They are interested in becoming a mentor, sharing their knowledge and skills with
younger friends and associates. Individuals listen more to their own inner voices than to
external demands.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 25
Renewal (ages 50-65)
This stage is a renewal period for many adults. They have come to grips with what they have
and haven’t done and are eager to build a more authentic life structure. Friends and privacy
are greatly valued. Individuals are concerned with retirement - when to retire, what to do
and how to cope.
Retirement (ages 65 and over)
This is the stage of exciting changes. As a result of better health care and standard of living,
the quality of life has greatly improved. Individuals are living active lives, pursuing new
careers and experiences. They are not retiring, but retreading.
Take a few moments and review your Chronological Record and events in your life, in
relation to these stages. Do they come close to describing your life? How does your life
experience differ? You may find that you do not fit neatly into these stages, do not be
concerned. They are descriptions of average tendencies from group studies, and may not
match your life exactly. You are a unique individual with your own experiences and ways of
reacting.
III Frederick Hudson (1991) argues that this view of the world is no longer applicable.
Individuals cannot expect events to occur in a predictable manner. Adults change careers
several times, return to school, retire at different ages. Individuals may become parents and
grandparents more quickly than they could have ever imagined. Examine your own life.
Have you always been able to predict events? Have you been able to control change? All
these events affect how adults develop. They occur at different times in people's lives and
influence people in different ways.
Hudson suggests that a cyclical view of adult development is more applicable to today's
world and more descriptive of the adult life cycle. Cyclical concepts are patterns that are
repeated but have different meanings at different times in our lives. They are not better or
worse than earlier forms, merely different. For example, you may have attended college
after completing high school. The basic experience of attending school is the same at age
eighteen as at age forty, and yet it is a significantly different experience. You are a different
person, your life is different and your reasons may be very different.
Hudson describes four phases which he believes are continually repeated throughout the
life cycle.
Phase 1: Alignment - Getting My Act Together
Individuals are consciously and unconsciously inventing their life structure. A life
structure is a span of time when life seems clear, purposeful, promising and effective.
During this phase an individual develops their vision of their future and takes action to
accomplish this vision. As they move towards accomplishing this vision they reach a
plateau. A plateau is the point where much of the vision has been realized and
individuals begin to question, “Is that all there is?”
Phase 2: Out of Synch
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 26
During this phase adults continue to manage their life structure while searching for
ways to keep it thriving. It can be a confusing time as adults re-evaluate their vision and
attempt to make changes to regain their earlier sense of purpose. Unanticipated events
may enter the picture which affect the life structure or one’s view of it. Adults face a
momentous decision during this phase of attempting to restructure and rejuvenate the
vision or to abandon the vision. The latter decision throws adults into a Life Transition
as they disengage from their old vision. Hudson refers to this as cocooning, a time for
endings in order to rebuild a new life structure.
Phase 3: Disengagement
This is a time of being rather than doing, as adults turn inward. It is a time of letting go
of external structures, lost dreams, lost roles, lost youth, children, career, income, etc. It
is a time of self-renewal as adults regain a sense of self.
Phase 4: Re-integration
During this phase adults expand their self-renewal to include the external world. It is a
time of exploration, creativity, and networking as adults explore what their new life
structure might look like.
After reviewing your past experiences, developmental stages and transitions, your next step
is to prepare your Life History paper. This paper should be a 4-5 page essay, reflecting on
your past experiences and your development. Taking time to reflect on your life can be an
important part of your growth and development. It is usually a necessary process for adults
who are setting new goals in their lives. This paper should help the evaluator to understand
who you are and the context of your learning experiences.
As you work on the development of your portfolio, there will be experiences that you may
not want to share. We all have had experiences that were painful; that's part of life. As you
reflect on your past experiences you cannot avoid being reminded of such experiences,
however, you do not need to include the experiences in your portfolio.
* Some adult learners share a great deal of information about their personal lives, while
others focus only on their career and educational experiences. You must decide what you
are comfortable sharing in your portfolio.
A sample copy of a Life History paper appears on the following pages.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 27
LIFE HISTORY PAPER
LAURA B.
In 1963, when I was 13 years old, my mother died after a long and courageous battle with
cancer. Looking back on her life, I realized she had left this world a better place by the way
she touched so many lives around her with such gentleness and caring. By example, her
determination and fortitude left me with an inner strength that would not only sustain me
through times of distress and disappointment but give me the ability to pull from each
experience every possible positive lesson that could be learned. It took many years before I
was truly able to understand the profound impact this experience would have on my life, in
my beliefs and on my values.
I left school, left home and married at the young age of 17 and started a full time position in
the kitchen of the Leamington District Memorial Hospital (LDMH). By working hard, I
eventually became a cashier in the cafeteria. In this position, I was able to meet the entire
hospital staff and was eventually approached by the Chief Lab Technologist, John Edwards.
John offered me a full time position cleaning the lab, which I looked at as an opportunity to
advance. After three months in this position, the job was transferred to the housekeeping
department and John offered to train me as an assistant lab technician under his direction
and guidance. Technically, I learned venipuncture, testing of lab specimens, urinalysis,
blood sugar analysis, blood typing, taking electrocardiograms and haematology. Personally,
I learned about human behaviour, caring for others, illness and dying and the need for
dignity in all of us. John encouraged me to go back to school to complete my grade 12,
which I did, and I worked in the lab until my first child was born in 1973. Through this
experience I learned two valuable lessons that would benefit me through my life. The first
was the value of continuing education. Your formal education should never end. By taking
courses and continually upgrading, you keep your mind alert and open to new ideas,
concepts and information. You are able to grow, both personally and professionally and are
able to expand your horizons through life long learning.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 28
The second lesson I learned through my experience at LDMH was the value of giving 100%
to your employer. One comment John made to me after an extremely demanding work day,
has remained with me for 20 years and had a major impact on my working life. “Laura, I
know I can always depend on you.” It sounds so simple, almost insignificant, but that
comment meant to me, being responsible, on time, trustworthy and knowing that if the
effort I put in was 100% of what I had to give, that it would be recognized. That comment
has served me throughout my lifetime.
In 1978, my husband and I started A and M Woodcrafts, a small manufacturing company,
making wooden furnishings and giftware. My husband's responsibility was purchasing,
production and manufacturing and my responsibilities included marketing, promotion and
sales. Although these were our designated areas of responsibility, often our work
overlapped and I would take part in staining, lacquering and packaging orders. We jointly
hired staff and built an effective and capable team of ten employees. I also took care of the
office with regards to bookkeeping, payroll and the accounts payable and receivable.
For 3 ½ years I marketed our product throughout southwestern Ontario, both to retail and
wholesale customers. Throughout this time my business knowledge and experience grew in
areas of sales, marketing and management. I also learned about human behaviour,
initiative, drive, perseverance and commitment to excellence. Because I had been away from
my family for long periods of time, having a live-in Nanny and feeling like a part time
mother, I accepted an arrangement to sell our products through a single distributor. In
retrospect, I realized that by giving away this control in the company was a great mistake. In
1981, Canada was in the middle of a recession. Commercial lending rates had reached 23%
and the distributor that we were selling our products through declared bankruptcy leaving
A and M Woodcrafts with a tremendous receivable that we would never be able to collect. In
late 1981 we were forced to declare bankruptcy.
Through the experience of running a small manufacturing company, I gained an incredible
amount of knowledge and experience in business. Administrative and organizational skills,
financial planning, goal setting, customer service, human relations and marketing and sales
were now part of my experiential credentials. I often think we learn more, and more
effectively, from our failures than from our successes. We had taken an idea from
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 29
conception through inception, from development to expansion and from success to final
closure.
In retrospect, I learned that you may not always be able to have total control over your
financial gain but from each experience you walk away much richer in wisdom, insight and
experience. It then becomes more important for your future to decide what you are going to
do with this knowledge.
The knowledge I had gained from A and M Woodcrafts, offered me an opportunity at
Conestoga College to teach their Ontario Management Development Programme. When I
first started with the College, I thought that I would be able to share my past experience and
knowledge with students who were interested in learning more about business and
supervisory skills. After being with the College for ten years and teaching adult students, I
have not only been able to share with them, but in return, have learned from their
experience and expertise. I have taught Communications, Human relations, Motivation and
Leadership, Administration and Marketing. As an instructor, presenter and teacher, I have
learned about human behaviour and human nature, interaction and interchange, public
speaking and effective presentations and facilitating and motivating. With every course
there is new information and new students, new ways to learn things and new ways to teach
and always an opportunity to grow and improve.
In 1982, after 16 years of marriage, I went through a painful divorce and became a single
mother, supporting 3 children, a dog and a mortgage. I was working for Co-Operators
Insurance as a sales representative where my income was limited only by the hours I had to
put into it. Although I was financially successful and secure, I continued to work with
Conestoga College and was offered my first contract to teach the Ontario Basic Skills
programme to other single mothers who were trying to enter the workforce. Along with
resume preparation, interviewing skills, and job search techniques, I was able to share my
experiences and knowledge in helping students find their own inner motivation, develop a
positive attitude and belief in themselves.
My own philosophy is that one's inner drive, discipline and determination determines your
level of success. Teaching has given to me an opportunity to help others recognize their own
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 30
potential and improve their own self esteem and self confidence. I have also recognized that
the change is not up to me, but instead, up to each individual at the time in their life that is
right for them. Through teaching and training, I have not only been financially rewarded,
but more importantly emotionally rewarded with thanks, praise, cards and roses from
students who believe I have made a difference in their lives. What better reward can there
be for doing a job you love to do. Teaching has also given me skills for doing effective
presentations, selling ideas and new concepts and planning and preparation. It has taught
me how to set goals and monitor and evaluate performance. I have learned about human
behaviour and human relations and how to find in an individual the strengths that will help
them become a more fulfilled person and motivated employee. I have learned to become a
coach and a facilitator while encouraging contribution and growth from each individual.
Through my teaching experience I have become confident in my own abilities to help others
learn to help themselves.
In 1989, my youngest son, then 12 years old, was hit by a car while riding his bicycle. He was
admitted to intensive care at McMaster Hospital in Hamilton and over a period of seven
days I learned the most important lessons of my life. I learned the fragility of life. I learned
to value each person and each experience and to appreciate each day that we have been
given. I learned that until we can walk in the shoes of someone who has watched a loved
one's life hang in the balance for days on end we cannot appreciate and relish in the value of
life itself. Life is too short and unpredictable to think we can waste a moment, a day or a
lifetime wallowing in self pity or complaining about things we cannot change. We need to
seize every moment, find the pleasures and opportunities in it, learn from it and share it
with all of those around us. We need to touch people in a positive way and to leave this
world a better place to be.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 31
My determination, fortitude and persistence can be attributed to having such tremendous
admiration for my mother's ability to give to others even during times of personal distress
and adversity. She lived life to the fullest, taught by example and instilled in me the desire
to do the same.
Laura did not attempt to discuss all the experiences she listed in her Chronological
Record. She selected the experiences she felt were most significant and discussed how they
had influenced her. After reading Laura's Life History, you begin to develop a better
understanding of who she is and how she has developed. The preparation of the Life History
paper is intended to help you reflect on your experiences and examine how they have helped
you to become the person you are today.
As you write your own Life History paper remember that it is not necessary to discuss
all the experiences listed in your Chronological Record. Experiences should be
selected which represent the most significant and influential events from the larger list of
events. After reading the Life History paper it should be easier to understand the learner
from a more personal perspective and to get a clearer picture of the forces which helped shape
his/her development. The evaluator should find this information useful as he/she attempts to
understand the depth and breadth of your learning experiences.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 32
PART III
THE GOALS PAPER
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 33
This section of the Guide is designed to help you continue the process of self-assessment
but the emphasis will shift from the past to the future. Building on the insights you've
acquired from preparing your Chronological Record and Life History Paper and the
insights you will develop as you go through this phase of the Portfolio Development process,
you will be asked to set some goals and prepare a Goals Paper that describes these goals
and your plans for achieving them.
REASONS FOR SETTING GOALS
Most people would agree that being the best we can be and striving to achieve more of our
potential is desirable. However, the pressures of everyday life and normal human failures
often prevent us from giving much attention to achieving this potential. We are often
inhibited by the feeling that we have little control over our fate and we may simply be preoccupied with day-to-day issues and problems.
Setting goals is one useful way to help keep our attention focused on aiming toward
achieving more of our untapped potential. This happens because identifying goals can help
us channel more of our energy. The situation is comparable to driving a car. If you have a
destination in mind, you can use the car's energy to cope with most barriers to your
progress. For example, if a road is blocked, you can choose to turn off the engine and save
gasoline while you wait for the road to be re-opened; or, you can choose to drive the car
along an alternate route. Through these planned responses to the environment, you will
eventually arrive at your destination. However, what if you begin driving with no
destination in mind? You are likely to randomly change direction each time you encounter a
barrier. As a result, while your car may have used just as much gasoline as in the previous
situation, your odds of arriving at a desirable destination are small while your odds of
becoming completely lost are greater.
Similarly, when you have a clearer life or career goal, you can direct your energy toward
attaining that goal and avoid scattering it in other directions. You can start planning the
steps to help attain your goal and begin avoiding unconscious steps away from it. For
instance, if your career goal is to become a buyer for a large retail store, it may not be logical
to take a job working on an assembly line, even if the latter job pays better. Of course, as
with driving to a destination, directing your energy toward a goal does not mean you will
not have to make detours or that you won't be delayed or distracted.
Moreover, if you are goal-directed, you will know that you charted most of this course
yourself. You will have a greater sense of being in control. In addition, having a goal clearly
in mind enables you to know when you have succeeded. This seems obvious, but it is an
important benefit of goal setting. “Success” is a term that most people use but never really
define in their own minds. As a result, a person can accomplish many tasks, receive many
promotions, earn lots of money, be recognized with awards and still not feel “successful.”
Often, this is because she does not know what “success” is - she has never developed a
personal definition for the term. Setting goals is a way of defining “success” for yourself - it
in a way that allows you to recognize your own successes, to be satisfied with them, and to
be motivated to set new goals and strive for new achievements. In other words, you gain a
greater sense of your abilities and potential.
Each person must define what success is for himself or herself. The individuals who are
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 34
successful are those who work to make their lives the way they want them to be. Anthony
Robbins (1987) identified the following seven characteristics that successful people have in
common: Passion, Belief, Strategy, Clarity of Values, Energy, Bonding Power, and
Communications.
First, they have Passion. Successful people have discovered a reason or purpose that drives
them to grow, and to achieve more of their potential. It gives them the fuel to accomplish
their goals and can help them through the rough times.
The second characteristic is Belief. Successful people believe in themselves and in their
capacity to grow and accomplish goals. If you say to yourself, “I could never do that,” then
you will not, no matter how hard you work. To succeed, you have to believe you can.
While Passion and Belief are the fuel for success, success does not automatically happen.
The third characteristic is Strategy. Successful people do not sit around waiting for things
to happen. They make plans - that is, they develop a strategy to achieve what they want.
They also realize the strategy is not carved in granite. It can be changed or modified if they
are faced with roadblocks or new opportunities. They develop a strategy which enables
them to stay focused on their goals.
The fourth characteristic of successful people is a Clarity of Values. Successful people
have a clear idea of their own values. Values are our specific belief systems about what is
right and wrong in our lives. Values are fundamental, ethical, moral, and practical
judgments we make about what really matters to us. Our values affect every decision we
make either directly or indirectly. Successful people understand the importance of values
and have a clear notion of their value system. They also know that values change, adapt and
develop throughout life. Remember when you were 18 and said, “I'll never do that,” only to
find yourself at a later age doing the thing you said you would never do. It may reflect a
change in your values.
The fifth characteristic of successful people is Energy. Accomplishing goals takes effort.
Successful people do not hesitate to use their energy - physical, intellectual, and spiritual
energy - to accomplish what is important to them.
The sixth characteristic is Bonding Power. Successful people know they cannot
accomplish goals alone. Bonding power is our ability to connect with and develop rapport
with people from a variety of backgrounds and beliefs. No matter what you want to do, see,
create, share, or experience, it involves others. Often, other people can help you accomplish
your goals more quickly and easily. Successful people have learned this and have learned to
develop a rapport to solicit the help and partnerships they need.
Finally, successful people understand the importance of Communication. The way we
communicate with ourselves is as important as the way we communicate with others.
Successful people are those who have learned how to take any challenge that life gives them
and communicate that experience to themselves in a way that causes them to successfully
change things. Their self-communication is generally positive - they don't impose “should”,
“oughts”, or “cant's” on themselves.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 35
Successful people have learned and mastered the art of communication. Communication is
perhaps the most important skill we can master. We spend most of our waking hours
communicating - reading, speaking, listening. Steven Covey's (1989) book, 7 Habits of
Highly Effective People, stresses that successful people have developed the art of
empathic listening - they seek first to understand and then to be understood. Empathic
listening helps you to understand another person's frame of reference. You try to see the
world the way he sees it. You don't have to agree with him, but you first try to understand,
and from there you work on mutual problem solving.
WHAT DOES THE GOALS PAPER HAVE TO DO WITH PLA AND
PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT?
Setting attainable goals is an important step in the portfolio development process - if you
want to create a portfolio that can help you earn credit for specific courses and/or
recognition for occupational competencies. In this case, goals are necessary because they
will help direct your efforts as you develop your portfolio. As a result of preparing your
Chronological Record and your Life History Paper, you probably realize that you
cannot write about all your experiences. It is important to be selective about which of your
previous experiences will lead to the identification and documentation of the maximum
number of competencies/ credits and help to clarify your career path.
Your personal/career goals are the starting point for this sorting process. This is how the
process works: once you have your goals in mind, you can select the college program or
occupational grouping that is most likely to help you achieve them. With this goal
established, you can examine the courses required for the diploma and/or requirements for
the occupation and decide which ones cover topics that match your learning from
experience. Then you can sort through your experiences and focus on the ones that yield
relevant learning that is applicable to the program or occupation you have selected. This
entire process will be covered in much greater detail later in the Guide, but the point to
remember is that the process begins with clear goals.
It is important to remember that setting goals is only one part of the process. Once your
goals have been set, it is important to take the necessary action to carry out the plans, thus
accomplishing your goals or revising them if necessary.
FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN GOAL SETTING
The process of setting clear goals begins with remembering past experiences and doing a
careful self-analysis - analysis of your past experiences, your values, your interests, your
abilities, and your needs and wants. This introspection is essential because it is the only way
to develop goals that are truly your own - goals that you believe are worth attaining.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 36
One phase of this self-analysis involves becoming more aware of your own values - of what
is important to you, of what makes you happy. When people list their values, they usually
include such things as money, leisure time, security, independence, social status, helping
others and so forth. However, the priority individuals assign to a particular value varies
from person to person. While one person may value financial security above all else,
another may value leisure time most.
Being aware of what you value most enables you to match these values to the types of
rewards - and costs - that are common in a particular career. For example, a career in sales
may yield an above-average amount of money. However, such a career may have less status
than some other fields. On the other hand, a career as a nurse may provide greater status,
but you may forfeit the ability to make large amounts of money. In the process of examining
your own values, you may become clearer about what you want and what you are willing to
sacrifice in order to get it. The activities which follow and the discussions with the portfolio
resource person will help you with this values clarification process.
Unless you are already certain about your career goals, you may need to give some special
thought to this area. As you set goals, in addition to understanding your own values you
should also be aware of your interests and what attracts and holds your attention. Once you
clarify your interests, you can begin to look for a career that allows you to earn money for
doing tasks similar to those you would choose to do for fun. A professional hockey player is
obviously someone who has found a way to match his livelihood to his interests and make
lots of money too! A less obvious example of the same sort of well-planned matching is the
person who loves to solve puzzles, and makes her/his living de-bugging computer
programs.
However, while taking into account your values and interests, you must also honestly
analyze your abilities. From past experience, you know what you can and cannot do. Now
you need to analyze whether you lack certain skills simply because you were never trained
in them, or whether you lack aptitude in that area. Perhaps you can figure this out on your
own; but, if you cannot, there are several resources in the community which offer career
counselling services to help you.
If there are areas in which you have aptitude but require training, you must decide how
much time, energy, and money you are willing to devote to getting this training. This
decision will affect your career goals. You should decide how much time you can spend
developing your skills and set your goals accordingly.
How much time you can spend depends on your needs and wants - the final factor to
analyze as you set your goals. As an adult, you have a responsibility to meet your own basic
survival needs and perhaps, the needs of others. You must temper your goal-setting
accordingly.
CRITERIA FOR GOALS
As you work on your Goals Paper, keep the following guidelines in mind: your goals should
beBelievable - Remember, if you do not believe you can accomplish something, you
never will.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 37
Conceivable - Is the goal stated in such a way that you can conceive of accomplishing
it? It may not be very conceivable for you to become a professional basketball player if
you are only 4 feet, 11 inches tall. However, it may be entirely conceivable for you to
learn the rules of professional basketball, or improve your own free-throw percentage,
or become a coach.
Achievable - Is the goal achievable? Do you need to break it down into smaller goals
first? Maybe you want a social work degree. your first step might be to earn a Social
Services Diploma, then a Bachelor of Social Work. Do you have the resources (time,
money, determination)?
Desirable - It must be a goal you want to accomplish, not what someone else wants you
to accomplish. You may be considering returning to school because of job pressures, but
if you don't desire education for yourself, you will find subtle ways to sabotage earning a
college diploma or university degree.
Measurable - The more measurable or specific you make your goals statement, the
better it will be for planning as well as evaluation: Did I accomplish my goal? If you say,
“I am going to increase my savings this year,” and in December of this year your savings
have increased by $1, did you accomplish your goal? Well, yes and no. Yes, it is $1 more;
but unless you are a small child, you probably had more than $1 in mind. A much more
useful goal statement would be, "I am going to increase my savings by $600 this year."
You can use this statement to plan to save $50 each month, from January through
December of this year, and on December 31, you can examine your saving account
balance and quickly determine if you have met your goal.
Stated with No Alternatives - A goal statement should never be written, “Maybe I
will go to school, or maybe I won't.” If you give yourself that choice, I’d bet money on “I
won’t” every time. In order for goals to be valuable, they should be stated “I will” or “I
am (going to school, etc.).”
Growth Facilitating - Goals should be established that are not harmful to ourselves or
others, but enable us to learn or accomplish something new.
As you work on your goals, you might find the following questions helpful:
*
Are your goals in line with your personal interests, skills and opportunities?
*
How do your goals statements fit with the other criteria mentioned above? Do you
believe in what you have stated? Are the goals stated with no alternatives? Can you
be even more specific?
*
What is the relationship between your long-term and your immediate goals?
*
How can your immediate goals help you accomplish the long-range ones?
*
Have you established a timetable for reaching the immediate goals? Have you given
yourself enough time? Or can you really get these things done more quickly than you
thought?
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 38
STEPS IN SETTING GOALS
For this course, setting goals involves the following steps:
-
Perform the self-analysis discussed in the preceding paragraphs.
-
Based on this self-knowledge, formulate your long-term goals - decide what you
want your life to be like five or ten years from now.
-
Set short-term goals - goals for next semester or next year. These goals should lead
logically to your long-term goals and serve as stepping stones. (For example, shortterm goals of securing a part-time job as a retail clerk and pursuing a diploma in
Business Administration would be stepping stones to a long-term goal of owning
your own business.)
-
Identify and develop resources to help you achieve your goals.
-
Write a Goals Paper
WRITING THE GOALS PAPER
Once you have gone through the steps described above and know your own goals, you can
write the goals paper that will be included in your portfolio. As you write this paper, make
certain that you clearly state your goals, both long-term and short-term. Also, be sure to
discuss the thought processes you went through in setting these goals. Answer such
questions as: What are your values? How do you know or how did you decide? What are
your interests? What abilities do you have? What skills do you need to develop? What are
your needs and wants? What current responsibilities are affecting your choice of goals?
What plans have you made to help you achieve your goals? What resources have you
identified?
Keeping the above guidelines in mind, write a Goals Paper that emphasizes your future
instead of your past. In two typed pages, you should try to describe your hopes and
aspirations - your plans for the future!
A sample Goals Paper, on the next page, lists personal, educational and career goals.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 39
SAMPLE GOALS PAPER
OCCUPATIONAL GOALS: LAURA B.
2 MONTHS
By December 31, 1992, my partner and I will have completed the business plan, brochure
and business cards for Amaryllis Associates Training and Development Inc. We will be
marketing Personal and Professional Life Skills Training programmes to agencies and
business for staff development. Courses and workshops will include Time Management,
Team Building, Creative Conflict Resolution, managing Stress, Assertiveness Training, Peer
Training, managing Change, Effective Presentations, Communications and Problem Solving
Techniques. At this time both Diane and I will be doing the training, writing and marketing
for Amaryllis.
6 MONTHS
Amaryllis Associates Training and Development plans to have an office opened and contract
trainers hired to provide training of our programmes. Diane and I will have completed the
programme manuals for the above courses and have hired contract trainers to instruct the
workshops. There will also be special workshops “For Women Only” consisting of topics
such as Working Women-Balancing Your Roles, Projecting a Positive Self Image,
Assertiveness Training for Women and Management and Leadership Skills for Women.
1 YEAR
Amaryllis Associates Training and Development plans to have an office opened and contract
trainers hired to provide training of our courses.
We will have developed courses for Entrepreneurial Women's Studies which will be
marketed through educational institutions.
2 YEARS
We will be providing leadership and support to Small Business Support Groups for Women
Entrepreneurs within the region.
Team building and Leadership training will be provided to help them run their own group,
as well as courses in business management.
3 YEARS
We will be involved with the operation of a Women’s Business and Entrepreneurial
Training Centre affiliated with the college, the Ministry of Industry Trade and Technology
and local business. This centre will consist of training rooms, an incubator and private
rental space as well as providing co-operative secretarial, marketing and advertising
support.
5 YEARS
Diane and I will be working as consultants for Women’s Entrepreneurial Studies
programmes and new business opportunities for women.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 40
EDUCATIONAL GOALS
1 YEAR
Working with Roberta B. through the College's Experiential Learning Programme, by
December 31, 1993, I will have applied for experiential learning credits towards a two year
General Business Diploma.
I will also have applied through the Ministry of Colleges and Universities for an Ontario
Management Development Programme (OMDP) Certificate in Business Management
Studies.
3 YEARS
In three years I will have completed the necessary credits and received the General Business
Diploma from the college through continuing education.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 41
EDUCATIONAL PLANNING
You have written your Goals Paper, listing your personal, career, and educational goals.
Writing your goals does not guarantee that they will be achieved. They are best achieved by
making plans and working to carry out those plans. It may be difficult to be successful
without these three components: 1) setting goals; 2) making plans; and 3) taking action.
Planning however, is more than just a list of things to do; it is a process and involves the
following tasks:
*
identifying one's personal and professional goals and objectives
*
identifying personal and professional opportunities, resources and strategies (or
creating tem as need be)
*
setting target dates for accomplishment of objectives - i.e., professional involvement,
continuing education, and organization objectives
*
specifying evidence of accomplishment in some record, file, or notebook
*
specifying how valid the evidence is, i.e., how has it been validated and by whom
*
consulting with others about your plan
*
in implementing the plan, keeping track of the main goals
*
evaluating accomplishments periodically, at least every six months
*
reviewing and setting new goals following every evaluation and/or self-appraisal
There are usually several ways to achieve one’ goals. The planning process allows you to
pre-test the alternatives, mentally trying them out. By doing this, you can begin to develop
the plan that works best for you. Also the plan helps you stay focused on achieving your
goals. By writing down your plan you have a road map to which to refer. You actually have
concrete evidence that you are making progress.
The planning process can help you identify obstacles to successfully achieving your goals.
Obstacles come in all shapes and sizes: lack of money, lack of time, lack of confidence,
illness, lack of support, inflexible hours, community responsibilities, family responsibilities.
If you identify possible obstacles in advance, you can plan how you might try to resolve
them before they prevent you from accomplishing your goals.
Planning alone does not ensure success and as mentioned earlier it is important to develop
your plan and move toward implementing it.
As you begin to do this, you learn as you go and as you well know there is no more powerful
teacher than experience! As you begin to implement your plans, you are no doubt aware
that you may have to adjust your timetable and deal with detours. Don’ despair. Obstacles
and unexpected opportunities are part of the journey. Use your goals and your plan as a way
to re-prioritize, and develop contingency plans to accomplish your goals. When faced with
an obstacle in your plan, it may not be necessary to abandon your goals but rather to look
for an alternate route.
Preparing an educational plan can help you achieve your academic goals. As an adult, you
realize the importance of continuous learning, probably more than ever. Regardless of how
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 42
much importance you place on education, it may tend to fall third or fourth on your list of
priorities. You have to make a living, to raise your children, and so on. You have to juggle
responsibilities and priorities in your life. If you want a diploma, you have to somehow
make space for it. An educational plan can help you examine how to do so. The planning
process helps you to think how you might best proceed.
The forms on the next pages are worksheets for you to use to begin to develop your
educational plan. The purpose of this plan is to assist you to achieve your academic goals.
As you develop it you will decide which education or training programs will help you
accomplish your goals and you may find that you have several alternatives. Developing the
educational plan will help you decide which route is best and fastest. For adult learners,
earning the diploma quickly is often as important as the program they choose. Adults often
have plenty of solid experience but they need the diploma for verification of their
credentials and to enhance their employability.
Developing the educational plan will help to insure that you take advantage of all the
options and services in the local community to help you meet your education and training
needs. We are aware that adults have a variety of needs and concerns as they consider
returning to learning. One of our goals is to minimize the obstacles and increase the
supports needed for you to be successful.
The first step of your educational plan is to list the courses you have completed at college
and/or university. If you have credits at a post-secondary institution, you may wish to
request an official transcript for your records.
Step two is to look at your education and training options and list the courses you wish to
have evaluated based on your prior learning. Remember, writing a portfolio is not the only
method for receiving credit/recognition of one’ learning. A variety of other methods are
available. (See page 2 for a complete list of assessment options.) If you choose a method
other than the portfolio process, you will need some assistance to determine how best to
organize the materials needed for assessment and the most appropriate processes.
Note that the Educational Plan Worksheet forms ask for a projected completion date. It is a
good idea to try to set up a timetable for completing the evaluation of courses. You may also
want to take courses and work on the evaluation of your prior learning at the same time.
Step three is to list the courses that you need to complete your education and/or training
goals that involve new learning. These are activities you know you must take to acquire the
skills which you have identified. Again, your portfolio resource person can help you clarify
just what you need to complete the requirements.
As you work on your educational plan you may wish to think about your plans after you
complete your education/training goals. Do you want a Bachelor's degree, and then a
Master’s degree? If so, you need to think about where you want to go to earn your
Bachelor's degree before you finalize your educational plans. Not all the courses taken at
one institution such as a community college for example, will be accepted by Ontario
universities.
You will have to negotiate an individual arrangement and you may wish to shop around at
more than one university.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 43
Although investing in education can be a rather large expenditure it is an investment that
lasts a lifetime in terms of its long term benefits. Thus, you need to take your time and pick
the best program for you. Be as careful a consumer of education and training as you would
be when you buy a house. Talk with people at the facility, counsellors, instructors, faculty
and students; check out the facility in detail, visit the site; talk with participants and
graduates. Do not be afraid to shop and compare. Look for the circumstances which best
suit your interests, needs, time frames, learning style and resources.
Don't hesitate to investigate non-traditional programs. True, there are some “diploma mills”
offering mail-order diplomas and degrees with questionable value, especially in the USA,
but there are also many excellent legitimate non-traditional programs. More colleges and
universities in Canada are beginning to develop adult-oriented programs, designed to fit
the needs of working adults and degree programs that can be completed at a distance. In
Ontario, for example Waterloo University and Queens University are two schools with
extensive distance education (correspondence) programs which allow adult learners to
pursue degrees on a part-time basis and in some programs, to complete degree
requirements without attending on a full-time basis. Athabasca University in Alberta is
another excellent example of a post-secondary institution that reaches out to adult learners
by offering a variety of part-time, distance education programs across Canada. In addition,
Athabasca has recently opened a career development service with a prior learning
assessment option.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 44
EDUCATION TRAINING PLAN WORKSHEET
Date: ___________________
Name: _____________________________
Total Courses Needed: ________
Name of Program: _____________________
Courses Completed to Date: ________________________________________
Advisor's Name: _____________________ Expected Graduation Date ________
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Projected
Completion
Date?
Other
Learning Contract
Part-Time Day of Evening
ent
Full-Time Day
How will you earn
the credit/demonstrate your
competence?
Other
Training
/Semina
r
Activitie
s
Course Challenge
College/
University
Transfer
Credits
Portfolio Assisted
Assessment
Progra
m
Page 45
EDUCATIONAL PLAN WORKSHEET
Date: ___________________
Name: _____________________________
Total Courses Needed: ________
Name of Program: _____________________
Courses Completed to Date: ________________________________________
Advisor's Name: _____________________ Expected Graduation Date ________
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Projected
Completion
Date?
Other
Learning Contract
Part-Time Day of Evening
Full-Time Day
ent
How will you earn
the credit/demonstrate your
competence?
Other
Training
/Semina
r
Activitie
s
Course Challenge
College/
University
Credits
Portfolio Assisted Assessment
Progra
m
Page 46
PART IV
THE CORE OF PORTFOLIO - THE
NARRATIVE OF COMPETENCIES
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 47
The most difficult part of the whole process is differentiating between what you have done,
and what you have learned from what you have done.
As mentioned earlier, prior learning rather than prior experience will determine
whether credit and/or recognition is awarded. For example: Mary worked as a purchasing
agent for 10 years, Tom has been the proprietor of a furniture refinishing business for 3
years, Edna has worked as a volunteer in the local community for ten years, and Mark has
been involved in training managers for the last 5 years. These are brief descriptions of
various experiences; they are not statements of competence of learning and by themselves
cannot be evaluated for credit and/or recognition.
The primary consideration in evaluation is your ability to demonstrate knowledge and skills
expected by faculty in post-secondary institutions or content experts in business and
industry. The standards and outcomes established for existing courses and occupations act
as the basis for evaluation and to the degree that you can document your competency in
direct relationship to the course/occupational standards, credit/recognition can be
awarded.
Before proceeding any further, remember that you must describe your learning in such a
way that it meets the following criteria. Prior learning should:
-
be measurable.
-
be at a level of achievement defined by faculty and or content experts in
the workplace - that is, you must demonstrate the competencies or course
objectives at the same level of understanding as someone who has taken the course
or is competent in the occupational area.
-
be applicable outside of the specific job or context in which it was
learned. Understanding how to use one particular computer software package may
not be acceptable as post-secondary credit or workplace recognition. You can't get
formal credit or recognition just for learning how to play Super Mario Brothers. Your
understanding of computers may not go beyond that particular application. On the
other hand, you may have a thorough understanding of interviewing, which you can
apply to any professional situation, based on your personal experience and
independent reading on the subject.
-
have a knowledge (theory) base. Do you know the terminology - specific facts conventions - trends - principles of that course or occupation? Can you relate - list repeat - name - record - define - recall the specifics of the course or occupation?
-
imply a conceptual as well as a practical understanding. Do you have
knowledge of the theories and structure? Can you analyze elements of the subject?
Can you analyze relationships? Can you evaluate what you know?
Not all of the experiences listed on the Chronological Record or in your Learning
Experience Worksheet will have resulted in learning significant enough to meet the above
criteria. For example, George has worked as a cook in a fast food restaurant for five years.
The repetitive manual skill involved is demonstrable - but is it worthy of formal
credit/recognition? Does it have a knowledge base? Is there a program at the college or an
occupation for which George might be eligible to receive credit and/or recognition if he can
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 48
demonstrate that he already possesses some of the required skills and knowledge?
George has also been a member of the executive for his church for five years. As a result of
this experience he learned about leadership skills, financing and communications. These
learning outcomes are more difficult to demonstrate, but they fulfil the other important
criteria for significant prior learning. They have a knowledge base, and imply a conceptual
as well as a practical understanding.
The difficult task is to identify and relate prior learning to specific post-secondary courses
and occupational categories. You have listed your significant life experiences on your
Chronological Record. Your next step is to identify and describe the learning derived from
these experiences.
The example on the following pages is designed to help you with this process. This
worksheet will help you begin to identify what you have learned from your experiences and
begin to focus on matching your learning to specific post-secondary programs or
occupations.
Using your Chronological Record to guide you through this process, briefly complete the
information requested on the worksheet. We have provided an example of how you might
complete the worksheet. Once you complete the worksheet, this information will also be
helpful as you develop your Competencies because the Competency requires you to discuss
the information listed on the Learning Experience Worksheet in more detail.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 49
LEARNING EXPERIENCE WORKSHEET – Laura B.
EXPERIENCE
Time
Spent In
Activity
Description of Duties,
Tasks and Activities
Description of Learning Outcomes
and Competencies
Documentation Can
You Suggest Ways
an Evaluator Can
Judge These?
assisted chief technologist,
took samples, prepared
reports
-
steps involved in administering various
lab tests, obtain specimens for testing
by performing venupuncture, blood
sugar analysis, urinalysis
- job descriptions, job
evaluations
- letters of
commendation
- marketing, promoting, selling,
bookkeeping, payroll,
production, employee
relations
-
stages involved in establishing a small
business; setting up bookkeeping and
payroll system
steps involved in customer service and
employee relations
setting production and marketing goals
implementing sales and marketing
plans
evaluating sales and marketing
strategies
Employment:
1.
Assistant Lab
Technician
2. Self-Employed
Family
Business
4 years
4 years
-
-
Original Business Plan:
- sales and marketing
materials
- product samples
- letters from suppliers
and bank manager
7 years
3. Sales Person
- locating potential clients,
scheduling and attending
meetings, identifying
insurance needs, collecting
information, preparing
quotations, completing forms,
delivering policies,
understanding auto and life
insurance policies and
programs
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
-
setting goals, schedule time, identify
and priorize tasks, developing a work
plan
-
interviewing skills and knowledge to
obtain necessary information
-
how to ask questions, active listening,
observing verbal and non-verbal
behavior, identifying and assessing
clients needs, writing reports that were
clear and accurate
- job descriptions
- letter of
commendation
- verification of
employment
Page 50
Education (non-credit
courses and seminars):
Transactional Analysis
Flower arranging
Life Underwriters
Training Course
3 days
-
30 hours
-
steps involved in identifying and assessing
my values and beliefs
personal goal setting
basic components of
-
certificate from LUAC
course outline
sample assignment
-
letter from minister
certificate from volunteer bureau
sample terms of reference for
review committee
-
certificate of completion
course outline
sample flower arrangement
(picture)
-
annotated bibliography
annotated bibliography
-
work plan of training program for
women entrepreneurs
2 years
Volunteer Experience:
Chairperson – United
Baptism Committee
United Way – Citizens
Review Committee
Recreation and Hobbies:
Flower Arranging
Interior Decorating
Organization Abilities:
instructing individuals and groups
presenting ideas, concepts
interpersonal skills
Military Experiences
Licenses, Awards,
Publications:
Magazine Articles
1. Dining Out
2. Starting a Small Business
3. Home Alone
Reading:
Teaching
Management
Other:
Writing Proposals
Once Laura completed the Work/Learning Experience worksheet, she focused on the column “Description of Learning Outcomes
and Competencies”. She noticed that she had mentioned small business development and management, interpersonal
communications, instructing, presenting ideas and organizational abilities several times. Her next step was to examine the
college catalogue for Communications, Teaching and Business Management Courses.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 51
Using the forms on the next two pages, complete your Work/Learning Experience Worksheet.
SAMPLE LEARNING EXPERIENCE WORKSHEET
Experience
Time
Spent in
Activity
Description of Duties,
Tasks and Activities
Description of Learning
Outcomes and Competencies
Documentation: Can
You Suggest Ways an
Evaluator Can Judge
These?
Employment:
Education (non-credit
courses and seminars):
Volunteer Experience:
Recreation and
Hobbies:
Military Experience:
Licenses, Awards,
Publications:
Travel:
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 52
Professional Reading:
Other:
Other:
Other:
Other:
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 53
Now, take another look at your list of learning experiences. Add to it any significant
learning you may have omitted that the following list of activities might bring to mind:
1. Work - include any activity for which you were paid, including military service.
2. Homemaking - include those activities related to child-rearing, home
maintenance, marriage, etc.
3. Volunteer experiences - include internships or apprenticeships without pay,
community aid, community activities, political activities, church activities, service
organizations, elective offices held without pay, volunteer work in social service
agencies, time contributed to supervising youth organizations, etc.
4. Non-credit courses and seminars - include in-service training, workshops,
clinics, conferences, discussion groups, evening courses, lecture series, television or
radio courses, correspondence courses, etc. (for which no academic credit was
given).
5. Recreational activities and hobbies - include performing in a musical group,
acting or working in a community theatre, sports, artistic activities, nonfiction
writing, public speaking, nature interest, attending plays and concerts, visiting art
museums, restoration of furniture, clothing construction and design, gardening, or
any other leisure time activity pursued for the purpose of personal satisfaction and
enjoyment.
6. Independent reading, viewing, and listening - include any subject areas in
which you have done intensive reading for which you have not received college
credit, as well as significant articles read, television programs which you have
viewed, or radio programs to which you have listened. Significant plays or movies
may also be of importance.
7. Travel - include study tours, significant vacations and business trips, living for
extended times in various parts of the country or abroad, participating as a worker or
volunteer in special volunteer activity such as a neighbourhood improvement
project.
8. Conversations with experts - list any significant extensive and intensive
conversations with experts which you have had since you graduated from high school
and which were not related to any activity for which you have already received
college or university credit.
After completing the sample worksheet, pay particular attention to the “Description of
Learning” column. In our example, the learner has extensive learning in Small Business
Development, Management and Communications. Using a college catalogue, she read the
course descriptions for courses in those subject areas and listed the course numbers for
courses that might match her learning. With help from the portfolio resource person she
obtained and examined the course outlines for those courses, selecting courses she felt
matched her learning.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 54
After completing the preceding worksheet, the next step is to decide whether your learning
is related to specific courses taught at a college or university which can help you meet your
education/career goals.
You could begin by searching the post-secondary institutions catalogue, reviewing program
and course descriptions. Carefully read each course description, and relate it to your
learning experiences. More detailed information about the courses is usually available in the
form of course outlines and some course textbooks. Please consult with the portfolio
resource person to obtain these materials.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 55
COURSE TRAINING LIST WORKSHEET
Experience
Taught at
College/University
required for my
program
Taught at College
or University not
required for my
program
Samples:
1) College
Teaching Selling
Insurance
001-050A
001-075B
2) Human
Resource
Management
051-827D
3) Microcomputer
Skills
045-290D
4) Bookkeeping
041-300C
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
No Post-Secondary
course equivalent
(may be field
placement or
practicum credit in
some programs)
Page 56
After identifying learning which you interpret to be post-secondary-equivalent or related to
a specific occupation or group of occupations, you are ready to articulate that learning in the
form of a “Competency”. A Competency is a narrative detailing your learning from prior
experiences as it relates to a specific post-secondary course or occupational profile. You will
prepare a Competency for each of the areas for which you hope to receive credit. Your
objective is to provide the evaluator with: 1) an explanation of the experiences that have
helped you learn about the skills and knowledge covered in a particular course or
occupation; 2) an overview of your skills and knowledge about the course or occupation;
and 3) documentation to verify and support your request.
The competency is prepared on a three-column form using the following headings:
Description of Experience, Learning from Experience and Documentation.
Name: _____________________________ Page: __________ of ________
Course No. __________________________
Course Title: ________________________
Description of Experience
Learning From Experience
Doc.
NOTE: If you have a word processing package and a PC, you may find it easier to create
your own form, using the appropriate headings.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 57
Column 1 - Description of Experience. In the first column, you will describe your
learning experience. The tendency is to write about your experience rather than your
learning. You will want to be careful to keep the description of your experience separate
from the learning you acquired. The first column of the form is reserved for describing your
experience only.
In describing your experience, you should indicate:
1. where the learning took place;
2. when and for how long the experience lasted;
3. your job title
4. your job’s major responsibilities (limit yourself to a brief description);
5. the number of people supervised, if you were in a supervisory role;
6. a description of seminars and workshops you attended;
7. titles and authors, as well as publisher and copyright date, of books and articles
which were helpful to you; and
8. any description that will help an evaluator to better understand the circumstances of
your learning.
Column 2 - Learning from Experience. The learning from your experience should be
specified as precisely as possible in the second column of the Competency form. The
learning should be clearly defined and expressed. It should relate to the specific courses for
which you wish to demonstrate competence.
To relate your own learning to a specific course or occupation, you should refer to the
course description, the course outline and/or occupational profile. Pay particular attention
to the learning outcomes expected for that activity, comparing them to your own learning.
Use the learning outcomes to help organize your description of competence. You may wish
to purchase resource materials such as text books or technical manuals to help you refresh
your memory about the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in that area.
The primary criterion for award of credit is your demonstration that your learning is
comparable to the learning outcomes defined by the faculty or subject matter experts in the
course or occupation for which you are seeking credit/recognition. Since theoretical
learning is often not at required levels despite impressive practical learning, and since
learning from experience is seldom identical to what is expected in the classroom or the
workplace for example, you may find that you are strong in most of the major outcomes or
competencies, but weak in one or two others. In this case, you should attempt to do some
individualized study to develop learning in the weak area or areas. Any additional readings,
essays, or projects you do should be described in the Competency, placing the products of
your individualized study activity (i.e., annotation of chapters of a text or manual you have
read; essays; projects; etc.) in the Documentation section of your portfolio.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 58
The following are suggested “learning terms” you might utilize in the Learning From
Experience section to help you clearly distinguish your experience from your learning. In
performing this task it is important that you use language that is open to few interpretations
and avoid using words which are open to many interpretations. The following lists serve to
illustrate this point:
USE WORDS OPEN TO FEW
INTERPRETATIONS
- to write
- to recite
- to identify
- to differentiate
- to solve
- to construct
- to list
- to compare
- to contrast
AVOID WORDS OPEN TO MANY
INTERPRETATIONS
- to know
- to recite
- really understand
- to appreciate
- to fully appreciate
- to grasp the significance of
- to enjoy
- to believe
- to have faith in
While at times it may be difficult to state your learning using verbs which describe specific
behaviors or actions, it is important to practice doing so because this method allows you to
demonstrate that learning has occurred and to clarify the skills and knowledge for which
you are seeking credit/recognition.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 59
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY OF COGNITIVE OBJECTIVES1
Least
Complex




Level
Interpretation
Knowledge of:
specifics
dealing with specifics
abstractions, principles
The learner can recall
and recognize facts,
terms and principles
in the form they were
taught.
define
state
list
label
reproduce
2. Comprehension
a) translation
b) interpretation
The learner can
understand the
meaning of his/her
knowledge, can
interpret or explain.
justify
illustrate
explain
contrast
classify
3. Application
The learner can use
general principles or
abstractions in
concrete and different
situations.
predict
assess
choose
find
construct
The learner can break
material down into its
parts and know the
inter-relationships.
analyze
identify
compare
criticize
separate
The learner can
combine elements of
his/her knowledge
into a new structure.
summarize
argue
derive
relate
generalize
The learner can judge
the value of material
for a specified
purpose.
judge
evaluate
defend
select
determine
1.
a)
b)
c)
Sample
Associated Verbs
in Objectives



4. Analysis



Most
Complex
5.
a)
b)
c)
Synthesis of:
a unique communication
a plan
abstract relationship
6. Evaluation
a) using evidence
b) using set criteria
1
Bloom B.C. et al, Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: Cognitive Domain New York: McKay, 1956 Note: A useful
way to remember Bloom’s taxonomy is the sentence A Bloom makes a good CAASE for learning… Get it?
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 60
Examples of some cognitive and psychomotor skills and what verbs may be used to
construct specific learning outcomes.
Skills
Active Verbs (examples)
Cognitive ~ Recall
Define, List, Identify, Name, State,
Recognise, Outline
Cognitive ~ Understanding
Explain, Interpret, Predict, Distinguish,
Summarise, Justify, Compose
Cognitive ~ Application
Analyse, Solve, Calculate, Evaluate,
Plan, Devise, Select, Compose, Organize,
Compile
Practical ~ Manual Skills
Assemble,
Measure,
Construct, Perform, Use
Practical ~ Behavioural Skills
Demonstrate, Communicate, Provide
Support, Advise
Manipulate,
In drawing up specific learning outcomes it is important to avoid ambiguous language.
Avoid words like:
Know
Understand
Be familiar with
Become acquainted with
Have a good grasp of
Obtain a working knowledge of
Appreciate
Realize the significance of
Be aware of
Believe
Be interested in
Use words like:
List
Describe
Evaluate
State
Explain
Select
Identify
Distinguish
Design
Construct
Solve
Although the above list is arranged in pairs of contrasting words or phrases there is no
suggestion that the word in the second column is meant to replace the word or phrase in the
same row of the first column. It should be understood that it is not suggested that these are
not worth-while goals for a university or college student. However, these words are
inappropriate for describing how a teacher will recognize whether goals seeking knowledge,
appreciation or understanding have been achieved.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 61
WRITING LEARNING OUTCOMES
When Bloom’s Taxonomy is combined with a list of action verbs, we have a good basic tool
for writing objectives (learning outcomes).
Knowledge: Involves bringing to mind the appropriate facts and combination of facts.
define
list
name
recall
record
relate
repeat
underline
Comprehension: Lowest level of understanding includes understanding of basic concepts,
principles, theories, etc.
describe
discuss
explain
express
identify
locate
recognize
report
restate
review
tell
translate
Application: The selection and use of general rules, procedures and methods for a specific
situation. Involves the process of manipulating information to obtain a particular result.
apply
employ
demonstrate
dramatize
illustrate
interpret
operate
practice
schedule
organize
give examples
predict
Analysis: The breaking down of an organized structure to identify the elements, their
relationships, and the organizational principles involved. Includes the ability to re-organize
the structure.
analyze
appraise
calculate
categorize
compare
contrast
criticize
debate
determine
diagram
differentiate
distinguish
examine
experiment
inspect
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
inventory
question
relate
solve
test
Page 62
Synthesis: Putting together elements and parts to form a new whole. This involves working
with pieces, principles, rules, etc., and organizing them into a new structure not clearly
there before.
arrange
assemble
collect
compose
construct
create
design
formulate
manage
organize
plan
prepare
propose
set-up
Evaluation: Judgement about the value of data, materials, results or methods. Includes
quantitative and qualitative judgements in relation to both obvious and obscure criteria.
appraise
assess
choose
compare
estimate
evaluate
grade
judge
measure
rate
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
revise
score
select
value
Page 63
The following are samples of learning statements which have been used to introduce
learning sections, and may serve to help you get started (it is important to personalize your
portfolio by the use of the word “I”:
*
I can describe the steps necessary to prepare all financial statements for a small
business.
*
I can explain giving reasons for my answer why an important principle of effective
public speaking is to know one’s audience.
*
I can list the six styles of leadership, and describe which style works best for me.
*
I can discuss the basic configuration of a computer system.
*
I can explain and use the operating system for the IBM S34.
*
I can discuss the importance of goal setting and planning in order to improve the
operation of the department.
Those experiences that did not lead to learning that are difficult to document or that are
unrelated to the occupation or course you are requesting to have assessed should not be
included in the sections of the portfolio that will be evaluated. Learning that satisfies the
criteria needed to demonstrate competence should be stated clearly and concisely.
Since you are writing a Competency or Course Match to request credit/recognition for a
particular course or occupational competency, it is important that the Competency only
focus on course objectives or learning outcomes. Your learning experiences will seldom
match the identified competencies in exact order. You will need to organize your
competency to cover only the competencies for whichever course/module you are
describing at the time. For example, Laura was owner of a small manufacturing firm, a
salesperson for a Life Underwriters Association and a Community College teacher. She had
extensive experience in both Management and Communications. She was able to write three
Competencies (one for a Management course and two for a Communications course),
separating her experiences to match the course objectives for each course.
The following are examples of how Laura related her learning to course objectives. Here are
three different courses, with one learning objective described for each course:
MAN 225 - Human Resources Management
Objective: Differentiate between the various modes of motivational behaviour with
emphasis on the theories of Maslow and Herzberg.
Experience: Attended a learning activity sponsored by the Life Underwriter’s Association
of Ontario which is part of a two year program. The course consisted of 100 hours of
classroom instruction over a six month period.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 64
Learning from Experience: I learned from my small business activities and in the Life
Underwriters Training Program that a person's behaviour is really a person’s way of acting.
Individuals behave according to their own nature and thoughts. Their behaviour is simply a
reaction to a situation. Their attitudes, values, environment, their way of life, their
association with people and their job assignment all have an effect on their behaviour.
According to Abraham Maslow, man’s behaviour is directly related to satisfying his
physiological and psychological needs.
A. Physiological needs are:
1. Food
2. Water
3. Rest
B. Psychological needs are:
1. Safety - to feel safe from danger and pain
2. Belonging - to be a part of the group or organization
3. Self-Esteem - to feel worthy and respected
4. Self-Actualizing - to become all he or she can be potentially
COM 211 - Effective Communication I
COM 212 - Effective Communication II
Objective: Explain the seven important elements of effective listening.
Experience: During the four years of running my own business, I had many opportunities
to make presentations to employees, customers and suppliers. I also attended the Life
Underwriters Association course in Toronto on Communication in 1989. Each student was
required to prepare and present three ten-minute speeches.
Learning from Experience: I learned how to be an effective listener by applying the
following principles:
A.
Being prepared to listen both mentally and physically.
B.
Taking the responsibility for comprehending by comparing what is being said to
similar experience.
C.
Listening to understand rather than to relate.
D.
Controlling the emotions by watching out for trigger words and not letting
annoying mannerisms detract from what is being presented.
E.
Listening for main ideas rather than the minute details.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 65
F.
Being mentally agile by concentrating on what is being said.
G.
Taking notes to remember the main ideas.
Laura will add the rest of the objectives for each course, until she has met all the
requirements for the courses she is challenging.
Column 3 - Documentation. Important components of each competency are references
to the documentation you have acquired in order to verify the description of your learning.
These documents make up the final section of your portfolio and should be referenced in
the third column of each competency. (The next section of this Guide contains details about
documentation.)
As with any type of writing, before you write the competency you need to develop a plan for
presenting your experience and learning. You will need to decide what experience you wish
to include in your competency, what skills and knowledge you want to discuss with specific
experiences, and in what order you want to present your ideas.
Keep in mind why and for whom you are writing the competency. You are writing the
competency to request credit/recognition for a specific course or occupational category,
explaining how you have acquired learning in that field (Description of Experience),
and what you have learned about the program/occupation (Learning from Experience).
You are writing the competency for the faculty member or subject matter expert who is
evaluating whether you possess the same competencies he or she is trying to convey to the
traditional classroom student or expects of a successful person in that particular
occupation.
As with any writing assignment you will probably need to spend time organizing your ideas
before you begin to write the Competency. The worksheet and description of steps on the
following pages will help you prepare your first Competency.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 66
STEPS FOR WRITING A COMPETENCY
Step 1 - Identify major learning objectives
After selecting the occupation or program for your first Competency, you need to carefully
review the course objectives or occupational competencies. You will find this information in
the course outline in the case of post-secondary credits or in a job description or
occupational profile in the workplace. You may find it helpful to list the stated competencies
on the worksheet in your own words. This should help you understand what the evaluator
will be looking for. It may also help you focus on gaps in your learning which you may need
to review.
Step 2 - Identify experience(s) relating to learning objectives.
The next step is to determine what experiences helped you learn the identified competencies
listed in Step 1. Review your Chronological Record and list the experiences under Step 2 of
the worksheet. It is usually difficult to determine exactly when you learned something.
Examine your experiences and decide which experiences will help you best explain how and
what you have learned.
Step 3 - Organize Step 1 and Step 2.
By collecting the information for Step 1 and Step 2, you have the basic components of the
Competency. However, they appear as two separate lists: 1) the course
objectives/occupational competencies, and 2) your experiences.
Before you can write the competency you should think about how you will merge Step 1 and
Step 2, i.e. what experiences are you going to use to discuss which course objectives/
occupational competencies? You do not need to discuss outcomes in the same order
presented on the course outline or job description. Rarely do people learn from experience
in the same order as a textbook, course outline or occupational profile.
The most common way to merge the two lists is to use your chronological order of
experiences, fitting the objectives to the experience. Usually you will not be able to make an
exact match with your experiences and the identified competencies. You will need to decide
which experiences will enable you to discuss your learning to its best advantage.
Chronological order may not be the only way to organize your competency statement. You
may have another idea which may be more effective for demonstrating your learning from
experience. The important point is to look at the information in Step 1 and Step 2 and
decide how you will match the two lists. Develop a strategy for writing your Competency;
otherwise you will find it difficult to get started or you may find that you tend to ramble and
repeat yourself.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 67
Step 4 - Writing the Competency.
You are now ready to use the 3-column Competency format to write your Competency.
Keep in mind that the information you listed in Step 2 should be discussed in the
“Description of Experience” column, and the information you listed in Step 1 should be
discussed in the “Learning from Experience” column. The format is designed for the
evaluator to read first about your experience and then about the associated learning, and to
review the appropriate documents, moving back and forth between the columns.
Step 5 - Documentation.
Documentation is discussed in detail in the next section of this Guide.
Step 6 - Revise
After preparing the worksheet, you are ready to prepare the competency in its final form. As
you review your worksheet, ask yourself:
Have I covered the course objectives/occupational competencies?
Have I explained my experiences clearly enough for the evaluator to understand the
situation?
Have I organized my experiences and learning so that the evaluator can easily follow
along?
Have I separated my learning from my experience?
Am I being clear and concise?
Am I leaving too much for the evaluator to assume?
Am I repeating myself too much?
The following pages are an example of how Laura used the worksheet to develop a
Competency for Effective Speaking I (COM 211) and Effective Speaking II (COM 212). You
can use the worksheet on pages 55 and 56 to begin to prepare your competency or you may
find using notebook paper like Laura has done works better for you.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 68
SAMPLE COMPETENCY WORKSHEET - LAURA B.
STEP 1 - IDENTIFY MAJOR LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR THE COURSE
(COM 211 AND 212)
After reviewing the course outline and textbook for COM 211 and COM 212, Effective
Speaking I and II, Laura developed her own list of topics for the course:
1. Components of a Well-Organized Speech
* Selecting an Interesting Topic
* Thesis Statement
* Organization of Material
* Ending Speech
2.
Important Elements of Listening
* Setting Listening Goals
* Focus on Important Words, Phrases, Ideas
* Non-Verbal Feedback
3.
Ways to Establish Rapport with an Audience
4.
Entertaining Speech
* Selecting a Topic
* Organization of Speech
* Presentation
* Critiquing the Speech
5.
Informative Speech
* Selecting a Topic
* Research
* Organization of Speech
6.
Persuasive Speech
* Planning
* Developing Persuasion
* Techniques in Changing Attitudes
STEP 2 - IDENTIFY EXPERIENCES RELATING TO LEARNING
OBJECTIVES
Next Laura reviewed her chronological record to determine what experiences helped her
learn about the topics she listed in Step 1.
Prepared business plan
Organized training classes
Workshops - gave classroom presentations and critiqued others
Interviewed and hired staff
Selling products/services
College teaching
Proposal writing
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 69
Nov. 1993 co-ordinated conference
STEP 3 - ORGANIZE STEPS 1 & 2
Laura gathered the basic components of the competency. Next she had to merge the
information from Steps 1 and 2, matching experiences with course objectives.
Co-ordinator
* Organization of project materials
* Presentation skills
* Listening skills
Training Materials
* Research material
* Organization of ideas
* Presentation of ideas
Classroom
* Developing persuasion skills
* Organization
* Non-verbal communication skills
* Use of humor
* Listening skills
Sales Person
* Listening skills
* Overcome nervousness
* Presentation techniques
Owner/Manager
* Informative speeches
* Established rapport
STEP 4 - WRITE THE COMPETENCY
On the following pages you will find the completed competency for Effective
Communication I, II.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 70
COMPETENCY WORKSHEET
Competency Worksheet for
(Course)
Step 1 -
Identify Major Learning Objectives (Course Outline)
Step 2 -
Identify Experience(s) Relating to Learning Objectives
(Chronological Record)
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 71
Step 3 -
Organize Step 1 and Step 2
Step 4 -
Write Competency
Description of Experience
Step 5 -
Documentation
Step 6 -
Revise
Learning From Experience
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Doc.
Page 72
Name:
LAURA B.
Course No.: COM 211, COM 212
Course Title: EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION I & II
DESCRIPTION OF
EXPERIENCE
LEARNING FROM
EXPERIENCE
1983 - 1987
Planning & Organization
Co-operators Insurance. My responsibilities included: Prospecting for
clients, contacting potential clients,
scheduling and attending meetings
with potential clients, identifying their
insurance needs, collecting information
and preparing quotations, presenting
the insurance which would best fill the
client's needs, accurate completion of
necessary forms, delivery of the
insurance policy, follow-up and contact
after the sale, knowledge of home and
auto insurance and knowledge of life
insurance policies.
I learned how to identify and set long
term and short term goals which were
challenging but attainable. I learned how
to schedule time and prioritize activities.
I learned to plan my work and then work
my plan. I learned persistence and
determination in reaching goals.
1985-1986
I attended weekly training sessions for
two years at Life Underwriters Association Training Course (LUATC) while
employed as sales representatives at
Co-operators Insurance.
1988
I wrote the exam and received
Insurance Broker Licence from
Insurance Brokers Association of
Ontario.
DOC.
A-1
Communication Skills Questioning & Interviewing
I learned to identify when and how to use
open ended and leading questions to get
maximum information. I learned active
listening skills so that I could clearly
understand the message. Listening skills
are usually taken for granted, but in the
insurance business, it was critical to get
accurate and truthful information in
order to assess as risk. Active listening
consists of: concentrating on the
individual, avoiding external distractions,
avoiding internal distractions such as
letting your mind wander, keeping an
open mind, not jumping to conclusions,
creating a positive communication
environment and clarifying the message
you received to be sure it has been
understood.
B-1 to B-4
C2
I learned to identify and assess the needs
of a client.
I learned to identify
unreliable information by asking
questions which could show the answers
were not similar enough to be truthful.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 73
Name:
LAURA B.
Course No.: COM 211, COM 212
Course Title: EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION I & II
DESCRIPTION OF
EXPERIENCE
1988 - 1990
Cowan McVicar Insurance Broker
Responsibilities included: Prospecting
for clients, contacting potential clients,
scheduling meetings with potential
clients, identifying their insurance
needs,
preparing
quotations,
presenting the insurance which would
fill their needs, delivery of the
insurance policy and follow-up and
contact after the sale.
LEARNING FROM
EXPERIENCE
I learned to identify key words or phrases
which indicated the client wished to
purchase the insurance.
DOC
D-1
Professional
Selling/Communication Skills
I learned that product knowledge and a
belief in the product and company were
important for the client to believe in you.
I learned to think of myself as a
professional with in depth knowledge of
auto, home, commercial and life
insurance. I made recommendations to
clients for coverage based on professional
evaluation of their needs and financial
situation. I could identify factors which
helped to assess a risk to be acceptable or
not based on a set of criteria. I made sure
I was aware of competitive products on
the market which enabled me to sell the
strengths of my company. I had a
successful career in sales because I
learned how to implement professional
selling techniques, design and implement
a marketing plan and set and achieve my
goals.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 74
Name:
LAURA B.
Course No.: COM 211, COM 212
Course Title: EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION I & II
DESCRIPTION OF
EXPERIENCE
LEARNING FROM
EXPERIENCE
1991 - 1993
Teaching at Conestoga
Mohawk Colleges
and
Responsibilities included: researching, designing, implementing and evaluating training
programs for adults, research and
design and implement training
manual for women entrepreneurs
I learned how to design and
deliver educational programs to
adults using language that is
clear, concise, jargon free and
based on the experience of the
learners.
DOC
E-1 to E-7
I learned the steps involved in the
preparation and presentation of
materials to adult learners and
the importance of acknowledging
the skills and expertise of the
audience as part of effective
communication.
I learned to identify verbal and
non-verbal signs which indicate
interest in the topic being
presented.
1991
Authored several articles for
magazines in Western Ontario on
the topics of dining out and
starting a small business.
I learned how to apply techniques
involving the use of humour to
get the attention of the audience
in order to relax them, to help
make a point clearly and
concisely.
I acquired skill and knowledge in
the effective use of the over head
projector.
F-1 to F-5
I was able to identify the steps
involved in researching my topic
before writing the article and to
accurately identify the target
audience for whom the article
was intended.
I learned how to develop and
organize my materials so that my
writing skills were effective and
professional.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 75
PART V
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 76
DOCUMENTATION IN PLA
Documentation is a critical element in the assessment of one’s prior learning. Its main
purpose is to help provide evidence that the learning being sought for credit took place and
can be verified.
IMPORTANT POINTS TO CONSIDER: documentation can be divided into two
categories - direct and in-direct.
DIRECT -
products, performances, reports, plans, etc., created by you. Generally
direct documentation is the strongest evidence to support PLA requests.
IN-DIRECT - information about your achievements such as letters written by employers,
business partners, etc., awards, commendations, performance appraisals,
official records (such as transcripts). In-direct documentation generally
refers to information about you and your achievements.
Usually direct evidence is preferable to in-direct evidence.
FOUR BASIC DOCUMENTATION CRITERIA:
1. Directness -
a copy of something you have produced, designed, created, etc.
2. Authenticity - did you produce, create, design, etc. alone or with others?
3. Breadth -
does it show more than superficial knowledge/skill/depth?
4. Quality -
at what level(s) of mastery is the learning demonstrated?
It is important to select and organize your documentation so that it will enhance your
request for credit and/or recognition. Appropriate documentation can help to establish the
credibility of your portfolio and lend authenticity to your description of learning
experiences.
The types of documents you will need to gather for your portfolio will become more
apparent as you identify the courses and/or occupational competencies for which you wish
to write competencies. Remember, you are trying to document your learning and not the
experiences. The documentation you use for Effective Speaking would be different from
what you use to document your learning for Principles Management. For Effective Speaking
you might use an outline of a presentation, certificates from training in which you
participated on how to be a trainer, and evaluations of speeches you presented. For
Principles of Management you might include job descriptions, certificates of supervisory
training, a bibliography of readings, and work samples.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 77
REVIEWING DOCUMENTATION (EVIDENCE)
Key Questions to Consider:
1.
Validity
Does the documentation relate to the standards/learning outcomes for
which credit is being sought? Does it match all or part of the standards
for the trade, program or profession?
2.
Sufficiency
Can the documentation serve as conclusive proof for one or more of
the modules being assessed? What else might be required?
3.
Currency
Is the documentation relatively recent and up-to-date in relation to the
standards for the occupation/program?
4.
Authenticity
Is the direct evidence the work of the candidate? Does the indirect
evidence give an accurate picture to support his/her claims of
competence?
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 78
EVIDENCE CONTINUUM
TYPE OF ACTIVITY
Work Experience
DOCUMENTATION
Good
* Samples of work produced
* Evidence of suggestions adopted
* Explanation of tasks performed
* License, supported by performance
standards for acquiring the license
* Membership in, supported by
requirements for, membership in
professional/trade organization
* Scores on licensing exams
Average (if standing alone)
* Job descriptions
* Promotion evaluations
* Evidence of promotion
* Explanation of ranking, rating, or
classification system in company or
organization
* Licenses
* Membership in professional or trade
organizations
Acceptable
* Awards
* Letters of commendation
* Letters of corroboration from superiors,
peers, clients (without other
documentation)
* Congratulations on high performance
Military Service
Good
* Certificates of completion and grades
attained in service schools
* Work samples
Average
* Service schools attended, courses
completed
* Military records
Acceptable
* Military separation paper
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 79
Community Service Activities
Good
* Evidence of training undertaken and
completed, necessary to achieve the goals
and objectives of the service activity
Average
* Any of the acceptable documentation, with
verified written description of activity
Acceptable
* Commendations
* Awards
* Newspaper and magazine clippings
* Letters of corroboration from fellow
volunteers, clients served, supervisors
Non-College Courses and Training
Good
* Learning outcomes or course objectives
* Evaluation instruments used in the course
and grade achieved
Average
* Number of assignments
* Time spent on outside assignments
* Number of class hours
* Number of clinical or practicum hours
* Course description/outlines
Acceptable
* Certificate of completion
* Syllabus
* Diploma
* Letter confirming student's enrolment
Special Accomplishments
Good
* Books published
* Lectures given on specific topics, with
evaluations
* Writing samples
* Audiovisual presentations
Average
* Copyrights or patents obtained
* Programs from performance activities
* Proposals written
Acceptable
* A lists of books read
* Exhibit
* Speeches given
* Conversations with experts
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 80
Some learning experiences will be difficult to document for a variety of reasons, such as the
fact that “It was so long ago that no one would remember me,” or “I had all the information
stored in the basement and it flooded,” or “the business is no longer in existence and all
their records are gone.” In cases like these, more recent learning experiences may be better
sources of documentation.
In your efforts to document your learning you will assemble a package of documentation to
present to the evaluator. Not all of your documentation will be “good” as previously defined
but in total it should document your learning.
It is easy to get caught up in the process of gathering and submitting documentation,
placing more emphasis on this task than on the competency statement or any other part of
the portfolio. Excessive documentation should never be used as a substitute for
clear articulation of the learning experiences.
Remember, your focus should be on quality, not quantity. A few pieces of very strong
documentation are much better than a box full of poor or inappropriate documentation.
As you acquire verification letters, it is important that you use the following points as a
guide.
1)
The person preparing the statement should have observed you directly.
2)
One person may verify more than one of your experiences. The statement should,
however, comment directly and clearly on each experience.
3)
The letter should describe the learning experience and identify the competencies
acquired. The letter should also address the quality as well as the quantity of the
competencies.
4)
The person writing the letter of verification should identify his or her relationship
to you (supervisor, peer, subordinate) as well as his or her qualifications for
commenting on you experience.
5)
The letter should be written on the official letterhead of the company, organization,
or institution with which the author is associated. If it is not possible for the author
to use paper with an official company or organization logo or letterhead, a brief
explanation should be included in the letter.
6)
The letter must be signed.
Since most people have probably never been asked to write the kind of letters you want as
your documentation, you must explain your needs very carefully. The letter and background
information on the following pages are designed as a guide which you may wish to use as
you contact the people knowledgeable about your learning.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 81
One form of documentation used frequently to verify prior learning is letters written by
people who can verify your learning*. The key word is verification - not be confused with
recommendation! The following examples illustrate the difference between a useful
verification letter and an unacceptable letter of recommendation which tells the evaluator
nothing about your level of knowledge or skill.
Acquiring letters which document your learning from experience may take longer than you
would expect. Sometimes several contacts are necessary before a letter is secured. For this
reason, it is important to keep track of when you make contacts in order to follow up your
requests and ensure timely receipt of documentation. Then, if several weeks pass and an
answer has not been received, there is still time to make additional inquiries by mail, by
telephone or in person. Some employers prefer to send documentation directly to the
evaluator.
Third party letters can verify many types of learning, but adult education courses,
correspondence courses, on-the-job training programs or special institutes or conferences
probably need a different form of documentation. You should document your participation
in these endeavors by means of transcripts, letters from the sponsoring organization
certifying attendance, products of your participation (e.g., tests, term papers, certificates) or
a letter from the instructor.
Verification of your participation in a course, and of the course's duration, will be
considered minimal documentation. Your documentation will be strengthened if you can
provide an outline of content, a bibliography, and an evaluation of your work.
Other excellent forms of documentation are samples of your work. For example, on your job
you many have prepared a complex budget, developed a manual for your employees, or
written a computer program. These are samples of your work which could be used as
documentation.
In other cases, you could use as documentation products your have created while pursuing
an avocation or special project. For instance, writing samples, published work, audiovisual
presentations or samples of artwork or photography are verifications of learning.
Whatever forms of documentation you use, keep the following suggestions in mind as you
acquire your supporting materials:
1)
Many documents for each learning experience are not always necessary. Quality
is more important than quantity and too much documentation can actually
complicate the review process. After you have assembled all your documentation,
you should review it carefully and eliminate duplication or items that do not
specifically and directly contribute to supporting your request for credit.
*Note: These letters are usually stronger forms of documentation when presented in conjunction
with other forms of documentation (See Evidence Continuum Pages 78 & 79.)
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 82
2)
Documentation for every learning experience that contributed to a particular skill
or competence may not be necessary. Sometimes it is difficult or even impossible
to obtain documentation for each experience that contributed to your learning or
skills in a particular area. Do not spend a lot of time or energy in trying to dig up
ancient history. If the skill in question is one that you have continued to use and
you can provide evidence of its current existence, that should suffice.
3)
If products such as canvases, pottery or machines are to be used as documentation,
they could be photographed or reduced to slides.
4)
Often items are not easily presented in an 8 ½” x 11 binder. Rather than trying to
include the product in your portfolio, place a photograph or description of the item
in the portfolio with the statement AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.
This is also true of large documents you have prepared, e.g., procedures manuals,
computer programs, or training manuals. Rather than trying to include the entire
document, making the portfolio extremely awkward to handle in addition to
incurring unnecessary duplication expense, include a brief description of the item
(possibly a table of contents or executive summary), a copy of the cover page of the
document, and the statement AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.
5)
You should underline those parts of the documentation relevant to the claimed
learning outcomes with a colored pen or highlighter.
6)
You should retain originals of any valuable documents such as licenses, certificates,
letters, or commendations, and instead use copies in the portfolio.
7)
Some of your documentation may be highly confidential and cannot be included in
the portfolio. If you can share the information with the faculty evaluator in your
presence, then place a brief description of the item(s) in the portfolio, along with
the statement CONFIDENTIAL, AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 83
SAMPLE
LETTER REQUESTING DOCUMENTATION
(Today's Date)
Dear__________________________:
As a ____________ post-secondary student pursuing a degree/diploma in
_______________, or as a ___________________ (type of skill) pursuing a
licence/certificate in _________________. I am writing to request that you write a letter
verifying my learning and my experience with your organization. As you may know,
_____________ institution/employer has a rigorous process for evaluating and granting
credit/recognition for prior learning gained from a wide variety of experiences. To receive
credit/recognition, I must describe my learning and provide verification that such learning
took place. Evaluation is ultimately the task of ____________ faculty/subject matter
experts in my area(s) of competency.
The letter which I would like you to write is more than the usual letter of recommendation.
This letter should:
1)
2)
3)
4)
specify the period of time I worked under your supervision;
describe the particular duties that I was required to perform;
describe the learning involved in performing these tasks;
evaluate my general level of performance.
This letter is not easy to write and I am enclosing background information about my work
for you and certain other information which may be useful to you in writing it. Since the
letter may be considered in my evaluation for academic credit, the contents will be carefully
scrutinized.
The letter should be directed to ___________ College or ___________ Employer, etc.
To Whom It May Concern or Workplace Supervisor, c/o (name), PLA Co-ordinator. If you
have any questions about the letter or would like any further information, please call me at
(phone #). I would greatly appreciate it if you would send this letter to me by (Date). I
wish to express my thanks for your support and assistance in this matter.
Sincerely,
Eileen Carter
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 84
The following should accompany your request for a verification letter on a separate sheet:
SAMPLE
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Employee Name:
Date of Employment:
Occupation:
1.
Eileen Carter
February 1979 to August 1989
Executive Assistant and Home Support Co-ordinator
Executive Secretary
Duties:
Scheduling appointments, assisting in the preparation of monthly agenda
for board meetings, taking minutes of board meetings, keyboarding and
word processing, training staff in basic computer applications, greeting the
public.
LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE
I learned the procedures for WordPerfect 5.1 and MS Dos operating systems, how to
write minutes and develop agendas for board meetings, how to schedule
appointments and deal with impatient, angry and upset people.
2.
Home Support Co-ordinator
Duties:
Managed a caseload of 65 seniors, taking applications for various types of
assistance such as meals on wheels, appointments with medical specialists,
liaising with a variety of community service providers, making referrals,
planning, implementing and evaluating programs, interviewing and
counselling and preparing reports.
LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE
I learned to be a competent interviewer and the steps involved in completing
application forms accurately and neatly. I learned the importance of identifying
both verbal and non-verbal behaviour, as well as being able to distinguish feelings
from information in the helping interview. I learned the steps involved in making
effective referrals to other agencies and I learned to design, implement and evaluate
programs to meet the social and emotional needs of senior citizens. I learned the
steps involved in the process of advocacy and when to advocate. I also learned how
to write clear, concise reports and how to present verbal reports on my client’s
progress.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 85
SAMPLE I
VERIFICATION LETTER - APPROPRIATE AS DOCUMENTATION
(Date)
PLA Co-ordinator
(College)
(Address)
To Whom It May Concern:
This letter is intended to verify that Ms. Eileen Carter was employed by Community Help
for Seniors in Maberly, Ontario from February 1979 to August 1989.
While working for our agency, Mrs. Carter held the positions of Executive Assistant for a
two year period (1979-1981) and Home Support Co-ordinator from 1982-1989. As executive
secretary to the director, she took an active role in scheduling meetings, taking minutes at
board meetings, typing all correspondence and reports to the board, and installing a word
processor and computer data base for the agency. She also helped train several other staff in
WordPerfect 5.1 and MS Dos operating system.
As home support co-ordinator, she carried a caseload of 65 seniors and was responsible for
ensuring that their physical and emotional needs were being adequately met.
She possessed first-rate interviewing and counselling skills. She was an excellent listener
and had a broad knowledge of other agencies in the community. She was able to make
effective referrals to them on residents' behalf.
Ms. Carter planned several programs for seniors and her planning skills were excellent.
While competent in all phases of program planning, she was especially skilled at assessing
needs, setting goals and program implementation and evaluation.
Eileen worked well on her own. She was responsible, competent worker who needed very
little guidance. She also was a team player and functioned well in group situations. She was
supportive of others in the agency, positive in her verbal and non-verbal interactions and
went out of her way many times to assist other workers when emergencies arose or the
workload became onerous. As her supervisor for five years and having seen her rise through
the ranks from secretary to home support programs co-ordinator, I had the utmost respect
for her as a mature counsellor and a fine human being.
She handled all of her duties with confidence, skill and sensitivity. She fulfilled the
requirements of her job and often went well beyond what is normally expected of people in
such positions. She was a credit to our agency and human service work in general.
Yours truly,
Jean P. Sparling, Executive Director, Community Help For Seniors
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 86
SAMPLE II
RECOMMENDATION LETTER - INADEQUATE AS
DOCUMENTATION
(Date)
PLA Co-ordinator
(College)
(Address)
(Address)
To Whom It May Concern:
I am pleased to furnish a letter on behalf of Ms. Eileen Carter, a person I have known and
respected for several years.
She began work at the agency in a clerical position and through a combination of hard work
and perseverance became Home Support Co-ordinator.
Eileen was always an energetic, alert and willing worker who carried out the requirements
of her job in a professional, competent fashion. She often willingly did more than her job
description required, handling the extra workload with relative ease; in a very responsible
manner.
Eileen in summary, was a valuable part of the agency staff. Her commitment and dedication
to working with the elderly helped us to provide a first rate service to an important and
growing segment of our community.
Yours truly,
Jean P. Sparling, Executive Director
Community Help For Seniors
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 87
The second letter, although positive and supportive in its comments about Ms. Carter’s
skills and knowledge, is too vague. It is more like a general letter of recommendation which
is commonly used when a person is applying for a job. The first example on the other hand,
specifically identifies and describes in more detail her knowledge and skill in a variety of
areas; computers, counselling, planning programs, scheduling, making referrals to other
agencies and group work.
It is this type of detail that helps to answer questions which faculty evaluators may raise
about one's claim for credit in any given course.
See appendices for sample documentation for Communication I and II for Laura B.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 88
PART VI
ASSEMBLING
THE
PORTFOLIO
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 89
It is important that your portfolio be assembled in a professional manner. The overall
presentation of your portfolio could affect the grade you receive for the course being
evaluated. Watch your grammar, sentence structure, and use of punctuation. The typing
should be neat and easy to read, allowing for a wide-enough margin on the left side for
binding. If you are using copies, make sure they are clear and readable. Take time to
proofread your material and correct errors. Remember first impressions are
important and may make a difference!
Each section of your portfolio should be clearly labelled, and the entire documentation
should be enclosed in a binder. (Flat binders are preferred to ringed ones, for mailing
purposes.)
The sections of the portfolio should be assembled in the following order:
1)
the cover letter, which states your name, program, portfolio course instructor,
credit request, and synopsis of experience.
2)
your life history paper, which highlights the important transition stages of your
life;
3)
your goals paper, describing your personal, career, and educational goals;
4)
a year-by-year chronological record of your experiences since leaving high
school, up to the present time;
5)
each competency/course match (in three-column form), which provides
concise statements of your experience and learning, related to each particular
course request;
6)
the course outline you obtained from the portfolio course instructor; and
7)
the documentation for the learning experiences described in the narratives,
separated alphabetically using dividers or index tabs. e.g. for the first portfolio
evaluation request use the letter A to denote documentation intended to support
Your Name
Today's Date
Name of the Program
The Course(s) for which you are requesting assessments
Your Portfolio Course Instructor's Name
your claim and the letter B to denote the second source of documentation and so
on.
Make sure you label the outside of your portfolio. The label should include:
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 90
Make a COPY of EVERYTHING
before it is submitted to the PLA Co-ordinator
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 91
When your portfolio is sent for evaluation, you should submit each course request in a
separate cover. Each folder includes a Cover Letter and a copy of your Life History, Goals
Paper and Chronological Record.
You may retrieve your portfolio when your evaluation has been completed. The best time to
retrieve your portfolio is after you receive your copy of the evaluation form, signed by your
evaluator. However, you should keep your portfolio available for one year following the
evaluation in case there is a question about your grade competency rating.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 92
SAMPLE
COVER LETTER
(Date)
TO:
Name of Post-Secondary Institution
FROM:
(Student’s Name)
RE:
Evaluation of Prior Learning Portfolio
PROGRAM:
Name of Post-Secondary Program
MENTOR/FACULTY:
(Student’s Portfolio Resource Person)
SUBJECT:
Portfolio Assisted Prior Learning Assessment
- Portfolio Development Process
I respectfully submit my expectation for evaluation of this prior learning portfolio for the
following course(s):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
071-406J
071-406J
045-623C
045-628C
085-155E
Total Work/Volunteer Experience:
General Office Administration and
Human Services Work
Presentations I
Presentations II
Introduction to Word Processing
Keyboarding
Interviewing and Counselling I
45 hours
45 hours
45 hours
45 hours
60 hours
28 Years
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 93
PART VII
THE EVALUATION OF THE PORTFOLIO
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 94
When your portfolio is completed and assembled, it is ready to be reviewed and
evaluated. The review is performed by a committee made up of people who assist with and
administer the Portfolio development process. The Committee’s role is to review your
portfolio to make certain that it meets the basic criteria as outlined in this Guide.
Specifically, the committee will use the following questions as they review your portfolio:
1)
Have you separated your experience from your learning?
2) Have you discussed the course objectives?
3) Have you documented your learning?
4) Is the portfolio prepared in a professional manner, i.e., typing, spelling, writing
style, neatness, etc.?
5) Have you included all the parts of the portfolio?
6) Is the portfolio correctly labelled?
7)
Have you labelled each section of the portfolio, using index tabs?
After the review, the Committee makes recommendations to you about the readiness for
evaluation of each of the competencies you have prepared. The Committee will suggest one
of several alternatives:
If the Committee says the portfolio is acceptable, then it is ready to be sent to an
evaluator.
Revise means the competency should be modified before it is sent to an evaluator,
but the Committee feels the revisions will be minor and the portfolio can go to an
evaluator as soon as possible. You should arrange to see your portfolio resource
person for aid in making the needed revisions.
Unsuitable means the competency is not likely to be favourably evaluated in
present form and probably needs some major changes.
Note: It is strongly advised that you follow the recommendations of the
Portfolio Review Committee. If a learner chooses to disregard these
recommendations, a note will accompany the portfolio when it is sent to the
evaluator, advising the faculty of the Committee's concerns.
NOTE: Approval by the Committee in no way indicates that credit
is guaranteed for a particular course. Committee approval only
indicates that the competencies are ready to go on for an evaluation by an
appropriate evaluator.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 95
The evaluation of your portfolio will take place as soon as possible. The evaluation of your
portfolio involves the following steps: (In the case of post-secondary credits the following
steps are usually common to most educational institutions.)
1)
You initiate the evaluation process by submitting a “Portfolio Evaluation
Application Form” with your evaluation fee to the Registrars office. Your portfolio
course instructor or the PLA Co-ordinator will provide you with the application form
when your portfolio has been approved to be evaluated. The evaluation fee is a flat
amount based on the number of courses for which you are requesting evaluation at
that time. Generally the evaluation fee is $89.00 per evaluation request.
2)
You can submit the Evaluation Application Form at any time during the semester,
but the competency must be ready to be evaluated before you pay for the evaluation.
Evaluation fees are not refundable if you change your mind later about the
evaluation. Contact your portfolio instructor or the PLA Co-ordinator for specific
instructions before submitting an Evaluation Application form.
If it is late in the semester your portfolio may not be sent to the faculty evaluator
until near the end of the school year (May-June). (Additional delays may occur
during the summer due to faculty vacations.)
3)
Once you have registered and paid for the evaluation, the PLA Co-ordinator
sends your portfolio to a faculty evaluator who teaches the courses for which you are
requesting credit. (Note: There may be a delay if there is no appropriate evaluator
available for the course you requested; your portfolio instructor or the PLA Coordinator should notify you of any special circumstances.) The faculty evaluator then
begins reading your portfolio. You will receive written or verbal notification telling
you exactly who has received your portfolio and when from the PLA Co-ordinator.
The faculty evaluator may contact you by phone or by mail to arrange a meeting with
you on campus. If you do not hear from the faculty person within two weeks after
he/she receives your portfolio(s), then it is likely that a personal interview will not
occur.
4)
During your personal meeting with the faculty evaluator, you may be asked to
verbally answer questions about your learning; or, the faculty person may ask you to
provide more information. The faculty evaluator may even ask for a demonstration
of your skills (especially in skill areas such as drafting, computer programming, etc.).
In some instances, a faculty evaluator may return a portfolio evaluation to the PLA
Co-ordinator without asking for a personal interview.
5)
Either during or soon after your meeting with the evaluator, you will know the
results of your evaluation. The possibilities are:
Possibility #1 - You have demonstrated competence and should be awarded
credit for the course or occupational competency requested, for a grade of A, B,
C or D or according to a competency rating scale.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 96
Possibility #2 - You have demonstrated competence and should be awarded
credit for a different course or competency, other than the one requested. You
must agree to the substitution before this possibility is used and the person
making the recommendation must be a qualified evaluator for the alternate
course he/she suggests. You would also be awarded an A, B, C or D grade for
this new course or a rating appropriate to the occupational competency.
Possibility #3 - You have not demonstrated competence and will not be
awarded credit/recognition for the course/competency requested.
In the case of post-secondary credit, when the evaluation is completed and the results have
been returned to the PLA Co-ordinator, you will be sent a copy of the evaluation form. At
the time you receive these results the Registrar’s Office receives the same information, and
is instructed to include this information in your permanent record.
Please remember that the faculty evaluator has a responsibility to his/her discipline and to
other students who have learned the course material through class attendance. You may
receive credit only if there is documented proof that the required learning has taken place.
If the learning falls short in any way, the faculty evaluator may deny credit or require some
additional course work to fulfil the course requirements.
Posting of Portfolio Grades
You may need to check with the Registrar’s Office.
Mini-Contract
The faculty evaluator may determine that you do not have sufficient understanding of
significant portions of the learning objectives for the course. The evaluator may be willing to
initiate a mini-contract to help you supplement your knowledge with learning activities. The
mini-contract describes what you and the faculty evaluator have agreed upon to complete
your evaluation.
There may be an additional fee for this process, since the teacher actually performs two
evaluations for the same competency, as well as directing your learning - ask your portfolio
course instructor for details.
Challenging A Grade
If you feel that you did not receive a fair evaluation, there are specific procedures you can
follow to challenge the results. Please consult the PLA course outline and the Loyalist
calendar for proper procedure.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 97
PRIOR LEARNING ASSESSMENT (PLA)
Request for Evaluation
Student Name: _______________________ Student #: _____________
Courses to be Evaluated
Course Code
Name
Method of Evaluation
(Examination/Portfolio)
1.
Faculty Assessor may contact student by mail or phone for a personal interview.
2.
Credit award is not automatic. The assessor is under no obligation to grant credit if learning is below the level expected of
traditional students in the classroom in that course. Additional demonstration of learning (verbal exam, written exam, practical
demonstartion, etc.) may be required.
3.
Student requesting an assessment of prior learning are required to pay an assessment fee. Students will not receive a refund if
credit is denied.
4.
In exceptional circumstances, supplementary assignments may be requested, if an area of learning falls short of a particular
course outcome/objective. Special reading assignments, learning contract, projects or reports and interviews, may be required,
in addition to the initial assessment process. If minimal additional time is spent with students, assignments may be arranged
informally.
5.
Faculty Assessor may contact references or employees as named in the portfolio to verify sources of documentation.
6.
Submission of portfolios must allow sufficient time for completion of the evaluation and processing of paperwork in order for
the grade to appear on transcript.
7.
By signing this application, I certify that all fo the information/documents provided, to support this assessment are authentic,
accurate and true. I agree that my application for credit may be denied if I have falsified any information in any way. I authorize
the use of all documentation, assignments, projects, exams and portfolio by Faculty Assessor, for the purposes of assessing prior
learning. I understand that receiving a credit for prior learning does not guarantee entry into a program of study.
___________________________________________________
___________________________________
___
Student Signature
Date
The information on this form is collected under the legal authority of the Ministry of Colleges and Universities Act, R.S.O. 1980,
Chapter 272, S.S.; R.R.O. 1980, Regulation 640. The information is used for administration and statistical purposes of the College
and/or the Ministries and Agencies of the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada. For further information, please
contact the Registrar of the College.
Amount Due:
Total Number of Courses ____________ x $
= $ _____________
Please make cheques or money orders payable to Loyalist College (Student Number must be written
on the cheque or money order). Mail or deliver the payment with this form to the cashier as soon as
you have been approved for evaluation. The fees are non-refundable. The PLA Co-ordinator will be
advised of your payment.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 98
Loyalist College
Prior Learning Assessment
PORTFOLIO/CHALLENGE EVALUATION FORM
Assessor: ________________________
Student: _______________________
Course Code: __________________
Credit Hours:_____________________
Course Name: __________________
Program (If applicable) ______________
IT IS MY JUDGEMENT AND RECOMMENDATION THAT THE ABOVE NAMED STUDENT:

Has demonstrated competence
in the required learning
outcomes and should be
awarded credit for the course
named above with the following
letter grade:

A
The student has demonstrated
knowledge and skills that meet all
of the required learning outcomes
at an exceptional level of
performance and/or competency.

B
The student has demonstrated
knowledge and skills that meet all
of the required learning outcomes
at more than an acceptable level of
performance and/or competency.

C
The student has demonstrated
knowledge and skills that meet the
required learning outcomes at more
than an acceptable level of
performance and/or competency.

Has demonstrated competence and should
be awarded credit for a course other than/in
addition to, the one requested. (Please complete a
separate evaluation form per course.
Course Name: _______________________
Course Code:
Program:


_____________________
____________________
Learning is incomplete in the course named above and a mini-learning contract is necessary before a
grade can be received.
Has not demonstrated competence and should not be awarded credit for the course named above.
Basis of Evaluation/Comments: __________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Date:
__________ ____________________
Assessor’s Signature
Date: __________ __________________
Dean’s Signature
94/11
Please return one copy of this form, along with the portfolio to the PLA Co-ordinator, room 3N8 by the date on the cover letter
unless other arrangements have been made. Thank you.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 99
APPENDICES
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 100
DOCUMENTATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A-1
Verification of Employment at Co-Operators Insurance
B-1 to 4
1.
2.
3.
4.
C-1
R.I.B.O. Licence and Examination Information
D-1
Letter from Cowan McVicar and Associates
E-1
Courses developed and written for Conestoga College
F-1 to 5
Magazine Articles - written for local publication
Life Underwriters Training Course Certificate
LUATC - Course Outline
LUATC - Course Outline
LUATC - Course Outline
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 101
A-1
VERIFICATION OF EMPLOYMENT AT CO-OPERATION INS.
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 102
B-1
LIFE UNDERWRITERS ASSOCIATION TRAINING COURSE
LUATC CERTIFICATE
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 103
B-2
LUATC COURSE OUTLINE – TAKEN 1985/86
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 104
B-3
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 105
B-4
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 106
C-1
RIBO LICENCE AND EXAMINATION INFORMATION
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 107
D-1
LETTER FROM COWAN MCVICAR AND ASSOCIATES
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 108
E-1
COURSE WRITTEN FOR CONESTOGA COLLEGE
COURSE OUTLINES:
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 109
E-2
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 110
E-3
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 111
E-4
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 112
F-1
DINING OUT ARTICLES WRITTEN FOR THE ST. GEORGE
LANCE
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 113
F-2
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 114
F-3
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 115
F-4
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 116
F-5
PLAR - A Guide to Assist in the Preparation of a Portfolio
For Education, Vocational and Career Planning
Page 117