About Prior Learning Assessment

Adult Degree Program graduate Dorathea Sanders went on to earn her Master's Degree.


Experiential Learning
Assessment Procedure		 Portfolio
Preparation
Guidelines		 Syllabus
BIS 200C
Portfolio Development		 Portfolio Credit
Appeal Procedure		 Prior Learning
Assessment Criteria		 Priorfolio
Coordinators
Role		 Portfolio
Pathway


American institutions of higher learning have been assessing experiential college level learning for over 30 years. The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) was formed in 1974 and completed a study in 1976 which demonstrated the validity and academic reliability of evaluating learning gained from work and life experiences for academic credit. In 1972, only about 40 institutions had comprehensive programs in place to assess prior learning. Today, over 1,000 participate in this connection between work (or other life-learning) and education. Prior learning assessment for credit has been part of the Adult Degree Program since its inception. The Individualized Studies Committee, appointed by the President and consisting of faculty members across departments, sets the policies and develops guidelines for experiential learning assessment at the university. A focus group of experienced portfolio evaluators provide a continuous feedback loop, offering improvement recommendations to the policy committee.

By assessing experiential learning portfolios for Adult Degree Program students, JMU recognizes that learning takes place throughout life and that college level learning is not limited to the institutions of higher education or to classroom settings. The rational for portfolio assessment is that adult life and work can offer learning equivalent in substance and complexity to that offered in our classrooms. Unless what we teach is fundamentally irrelevant to real human lives, the rational is sound.

People do learn from their experience, and the results of that learning can be reliably assessed and certified for college credit. The significance of systematic recognition of prior learning is the linkage it provides between formal education and adult life. It is a mechanism for recognizing the validity of all learning that is relevant to a college degree and for actively fostering on-going education. Full and effective use of all educational resources is a worthy educational and social goal. JMU provides this opportunity for a population that historically has not had access to college. It is responsive to the economic and academic accountability to meet adult educational needs. The assessment of prior learning acknowledges the changing concepts of what constitutes legitimate learning and the characteristics of an educated person. Through this assessment, the university furthers the idea of education as a continuum and embraces, rather than excludes, the vast potentialities for human development. Employers look to the assessment of experiential learning to credential and advance their most talented technical and skilled staff.

BIS graduates whose transcripts include credit for experiential learning have the same opportunities in career and educational goals as traditional degree holders. Success stories are frequent in our program in both areas. Forty per cent of BIS graduates have gone on to complete graduate programs. Several have completed doctorates. Of those BIS students who have graduated since 1990, approximately sixty per cent prepared portfolios of experiential learning in a wide spectrum of disciplines, earning an average of 28.6 credits.

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