This brief highlights examples of career pathway models funded by TAACCCT [Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training] that were designed for adult students who require accelerated timelines because they are often under pressure to enter or reenter the workforce quickly to support their families. In each of the cases chosen,…

The definition of education and learning has been changing in recent years, as the field experienced, and is still experiencing, many changes. One of those changes is a rise in adult learners in higher education. In order to cope with this particular change and set their classrooms up for success, it is vital for educators to be aware of and…

Recognition of Acquired Competencies (RAC) as it is known in Quebec, Canada, or Prior Learning Assessment (PLA), requires a learner to engage in retrospective thought about their learning path, their learning style and their experiential knowledge. This process of critical self-reflection and rigorous analysis by the learner of their prior…

The Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) and The Presidents' Forum have released a new study authored and researched by the Online Learning Consortium's Dr. Jill Buban, which sheds light on how adult learning institutions address students who possess alternative credentials and seek to apply these experiences to a degree. This…

Western Governors University was conceptualized in 1995 at a meeting of the Western Governors Association, and founded soon after in an effort to increase degree production in higher education at a lower cost. It has expanded significantly over the past few years, driven both by increased demand for online education and by drastic state budget…

Institutions granting credit for life experience are faced with obstacles related to the complex, sensitive, threatening, and ambitious nature of the procedure. A three-step process for implementation of a plan for developing credit for life experiences is provided, along with a dissenting opinion. (MLW)

A discussion is given of competency-based programs of innovative colleges, including the role of assessment of prior learning in such programs, drawing on the experience of Justin Morrill College of Michigan State University. (Author)

CPCS at the University of Massachusetts-Boston meets the needs of the emerging professions in a competency-based program. Objectives and innovations at CPCS are described and guidelines for developing similar programs are offered. (LBH)

Published and institutional resources for assistance in recognizing adult prior learning are listed in five categories: assessment by examination, life or work experience, institutions and contact persons for competency-based programs, background publications, and credit for homemaking and volunteer work by women. (MSE)

This paper is designed to help education and training providers in the United Kingdom understand what accreditation options are available and choose solutions that match their particular needs. It aims to help them appreciate the importance of accreditation to adult learners, understand some terminology, know what choices there are in offering…

These proceedings contain 17 papers from plenary sessions, workshops, and other presentations at a conference to consider and clarify major issues in assessment and standards in vocational education and training, including identification of problems and suggested solutions. A summary of discussions follows most presentations. Plenary session…

In recent years a movement has developed at the high school level to address issues of cost and educational improvement through Proficiency-Based Credit Assessment (PBCA). With PBCA, students can receive credit by demonstrating their proficiency without actually taking a course. A national mail survey conducted by the Utah State Office of…

These 23 presentations are organized in five categories: diversity, assessment, distance education, learning, and teaching. Five papers on diversity include the following: "From Rosie the Riveter to Comparable Worth: The Infusion of Gender and Women's Issues into an Interdisciplinary Curriculum for Working Adults" (Linda L. Hulbert, Theodore A.…

Evaluation of prior learning for the External Degree Program at Florida International University is described. Efforts in the following areas are presented: (1) implementation and evaluation of the competency-based assessment tool, (2) integration of the assessment process with other processes of the External Degree Program and the entire…

The U.S. military has made numerous important contributions to the development of adult and continuing education. As in civilian adult education, military innovations in education have consistently used workplace learning. The educational benefits produced by the GI Bill democratized education by exploding the myth that "common" people…