Where Life Earns Credit...

...Prior Learning Gets a Fresh Assessment

"At first, James A. Nienow was skeptical of the idea. Why should instructors give students academic credit for something they had done outside a classroom?" As the article by Eric Hoover proceeds, this same professor thought, "To assess the skills students acquired elsewhere seemed an imprecise task. To opt out of required course, he recalls thinking, seemed like 'a cheap way to get through.'"

But by mid-article, we learn that portfolio assessments,"are not that different from what faculty members submit for tenure." Proponents of prior learning assessment describe its value as, "a crucial marketing hook, a powerful incentive to enroll, and a key retention tool. At its best, a portfolio program can motivate anxious adults who may not have set foot in a classroom for years."

Prior learning assessment, "propels your forward," says one student. "It's the hands-on, up-to-your-knees involvement in a project or worthy cause which instills practical knowledge and leaves the imprint of what you have learned on your mind, heart, and soul.”

Read the entire article.