This study collected and examined the beliefs, opinions, and perceptions of Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) at three public universities in the Pacific Northwest. This study used a qualitative multiple-case study design and provided the opportunity to collectively compare data collected on each campus and across the three campuses. Through…

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) programs are unique to the institution and the students they serve. While a variety of best practices persist, the need for academically rigorous and credible programs is ever-present as institutions evolve to keep up with the growing needs of adult learners today. This article provides a case study overview of…

This study explores how first-year seminar (FYS) instructors at four-year institutions in New England create meaningful adult learning environments for traditional-aged college students and apply adult learning principles. The research examines classroom practices and teaching philosophies using qualitative methods grounded in andragogy and…

This study examined nontraditional students using linguistic inquiry and word count (LIWC) of their reflective writing assignments. Participants included 364 adult students enrolled in a degree completion program. Data comprised a multiweek reflective writing assignment and demographic data, linguistically and statistically analyzed. The study…

This is a study of the process of biographical learning and how it can be observed in narration. There have not yet been empirical studies focused explicitly on the learning aspects of biographical learning, as scholars have focused more on the biographical part of the concept -- more on the question of what is learned than of how it is learned.…

A midwestern community college utilized a corequisite model to accelerate students' developmental education that allows adult learners to take developmental writing and English composition simultaneously. First-year composition instructors had no formal training at the college on andragogical methods and teaching strategies to foster successful…

This article synthesizes literatures relating to the fields of andragogy and prison education. It is a key moment to reflect on teaching practices inside carceral settings. As Pell Grant availability for incarcerated students is set to expand dramatically, many college and university faculty are soon likely to be entering prisons as instructors…

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Toronto Police Service was exploring how to increase access to higher education to its officers. The service saw higher education as salient to its organizational imperatives of professionalization, increased public legitimacy and credibility, and enhanced academic recognition of police professional learning.…

The CAEL (Council for Adult and Experiential Learning) and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) announce the inaugural winners of the Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) Equity Awards, recognizing strategies that have been proven to put CPL in reach of key adult learner populations and/or increase their CPL credit-earning.…

Technological advances and changes to America's workforce have created a need for adult workers to upskill their abilities. Many of these adults address this need by pursuing a college degree. While adult learners tend to excel in their coursework their graduation rates lag behind those of traditional undergraduates. Credit for prior learning or…

Many students return to graduate programs as experts in their prior fields. "Returners," as they are commonly termed, have undergraduate degrees and have worked five or more years before returning for a graduate degree. While there is a significant body of literature on graduate students in general, there is less research on students…

Latinos are a young and fast growing population in education, but there are also opportunities to address the educational attainment of adults. Two-thirds of Latino adults have earned a high school diploma or less. This factsheet provides a snapshot of Latino adults in higher education.

Adult learners are taking advantage of the availability and convenience of online education. Mature learners in online higher education classrooms bring a wealth of experience filtered through cultural, generational, and socioeconomical differences. The purpose of this research was to explore community building in an online graduate course by…

Institutions of higher learning are providing access to free and low-cost open resources to support students with prior college-level learning during every step of their educational journey. This unconventional approach to education removes traditional barriers to college credit by placing learners in an open environment, which encourages…

Prior learning assessment (PLA) is the process whereby a student's outside-of-the-classroom learning is evaluated for college-level credit. PLA has been gaining momentum across the United States as part of the efforts to improve institutional completion rates for adult learners. In the present article, we provide an overview of the PLA portfolio…