The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program is an experiential learning program that involves teaching college courses inside correctional facilitates to classes that include incarcerated and nonincarcerated students. This teaching note describes the program and argues that its congruence with social work values makes it a valuable tool for preparing…

Universities across the United States are grappling with both funding and enrollment pressures and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Decreasing state funding coupled with lower birth rates of the recent past (Grawe, 2018) are forcing colleges and universities to rethink enrollment and retention strategies. Amid the push to…

Research indicates that a majority of honors students across the country are able to earn honors credit through the fulfillment of honors contracts. These learning contracts grant honors credit to students who perform additional work in non-honors-designated sections of other courses. Despite their popularity, little has been written on the design…

Many are accustomed to the idea that we learn at school and that a college education is acquired in college classrooms. In reality, however, learning takes place in all aspects of a person's life--through military experience, raising a family, volunteering, and, perhaps most significantly, in the workplace. Learning that occurs in the workplace…

Many Latinos come to higher education as adults. One degree completion strategy that is particularly suited to adult students in higher education is prior learning assessment (PLA). PLA provides opportunities to evaluate a student's learning from work or life experience for the purpose of awarding college credit. For students whose…

Although the recognition of learners' experiential learning toward postsecondary credentials holds the promise of increased flexibility and opportunity for many, especially in the current climate of labour shortage, Canadian universities have been slow to adopt recognition of prior learning (RPL) systems. This case study of one Canadian…

Supports granting formal credit for "life experiences," especially in the social sciences, and reviews the writings of John Dewey on the assessment of life experiences and criteria for awarding credit. Also describes current methods of earning degree credit at Jamestown Community College. (MB)

A program at Sinclair Community College (Ohio) allows older students to earn credit for prior, off-campus learning. Program requirements include 5 or more years of significant paid or volunteer work experience and adequate writing skills, followed by the development of portfolios documenting the student's past learning experiences. (LH)

The collaboration between the University of Massachusetts and English High School in Boston is a model that attempts to address the staff development needs of secondary schools and their faculties in the context of an on-site degree program. The following interdependent elements comprise the program: (1) an undergraduate, school-based, preservice…

Reviews the literature in volunteering as it relates to a university credit course for students volunteering in human services agencies. Discusses the development of the program, along with the advantages to students, agencies, and the university. (Author/RC)

Three prior learning program directors relate their experiences with program implementation. Three different types of institutions are represented: Sinclair Community College, State University of New York at Cortland, and American University, Washington, DC. Vital statistics and program descriptions are presented. (MLW)

Employee desire for academic credit can be a key element in creating productive programs and communication between business and higher education. The nationwide Program on Noncollegiate Sponsored Instruction is described. Monitoring the quality of corporate training is seen as essential. (Author/MLW)

Summaries are presented of 15 case studies conducted at Illinois Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) regions to determine the kind of credentialing mechanisms that exist for awarding academic credit or some other record of achievement to those eligible participants who complete CETA training programs. Introductory material describes…

This report contains several articles on drug abuse worker credentialing, and provides an update on information about credentialing policies and reciprocity efforts of the states. The first article reports on a meeting of the credentialing/reciprocity task force comprised of representatives from 10 states which have exhibited leadership in the…

Discusses the benefits of experiential learning. Offers suggestions for setting up experiential programs on campus, including a system for awarding credit, community placements, faculty supervision, and a system of coordination. (RC)