Issues of postsecondary education access and attainment have a direct impact on individuals' social and economic mobility, the labor market, and the nation's ability to stay globally competitive. Sample surveys--cross-sectional or longitudinal surveys of a subpopulation of individuals--on precollege experiences and preparation, postsecondary…

More New Yorkers than ever are enrolling in universities and community colleges, driven by seismic changes in the economy that have made postsecondary credentials nearly indispensable for today's workforce. On college campuses across the state, the makeup of the student body has changed. College is no longer just for "traditional"…

Recent developments in OER and MOOCs (Open Educational Resources and Massive Open Online Courses) have raised questions as to how learners engaging with these courses and components might be assessed or credentialed. This descriptive and exploratory paper examines PLAR (Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition) as a possible answer to these…

Credentialing educational accomplishment is an important function of colleges and universities. It is shown that accreditation and national assessment programs provide academe with effective tools for improving the quality and social justice of the credentialing system regarding extrainstitutional learning. National testing programs, ACE credit…

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) is a new field, but it has a long history, since children have always learned from adults and demonstrated their competence by observation of their work or by the quality of their products or services. Later, formal learning became more valuable and recognized school credentials paved the way to…