Despite its value in higher education, academic rigor is a challenging construct to define for instructor and students alike. How do students perceive academic rigor in their biology course work? Using qualitative surveys, we asked students to identify "easy" or "hard" courses and define which aspects of these learning…

With the assistance of four writers and dozens of expert reviewers, Lumina Foundation for Education offers the first step in creating a Degree Qualifications Profile for American higher education. The Degree Profile is a baseline set of reference points for what students should do to earn associate, bachelor's and master's degrees--regardless of…

A diploma mill is commonly recognized as an entity that will award a degree for substandard academic work. However, there is no universal agreement among different higher education institutions as to what constitutes minimum standard academic work or minimum knowledge and skills required of graduates. The author states that many of the negative…

The creation of a flexible education system, including procedures for the validation of previous education and other forms of knowledge should be one of the objectives of higher education institutions as well as other institutions that are engaged in adult education. To be effective, the system must be developed and implemented in partnership with…

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 survey of students who completed portfolios of self-acquired competencies to earn credit for prior learning at Indiana University reveals the benefits derived from the process including self-esteem, ability for self-evaluation, and better focus for their degree programs. (SK)

Recognizing adults' prior college-level learning requires a substantial investment of faculty time to identify learning outcomes and standards of performance, but the benefits are great for students and faculty alike. (Author)

The purpose of a project at the University of Oregon was to explore principles and procedures for experiential learning programs. Experiential learning in this instance refers to both prior learning and field experience. Considerable attention is paid to the Lila Acheson Wallace School of Community Service and Public Affairs within the university.…

The faculty's power to grant course credit assures that standards are fulfilled where credit is awarded. This power enables them to foster or to defeat an institution's policy on recognition of experiential learning as they favor or oppose its application to their respective fields of instruction. (Author/MLW)

Asserts that Dewey's proposal that rich, engaged learning requires teachers to "psychologize" their subject matter, remains timely in today's education, especially given recent mathematics and science curricular reforms. The article contrasts his proposal with more subject-centered reforms, explaining how teachers must understand…

Five contributors identify essential means for the college to assure high standards, quality control, and consistency in assessing the prior learning of adults. Types of learning include work or military experience and life experience; assessment methods include examination, portfolio examination, and competence-based programs. (Author/MSE)

This document is part of the series, "New Expeditions: Charting the Second Century of Community Colleges," sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Initiative. This paper addresses the issues related to access at community colleges. Increases in high school completion rates have generated an enormous demand for higher education, much of which is…

To validate the quality of a college degree, administrators must make certain that learning credited is at college level, fits into degree requirements congruent with the instructional goals of the institution, and is assessed by technically adequate procedures and properly trained assessors. (Author/MLW)

A study of University of Plymouth (England) student records investigated predictors of degree performance. Mature students gained better degrees than traditional students, and those with nontraditional qualifications performed best of all. Gender, year of graduation, and type of qualifications were weak predictors, but results differed…

Universities and colleges of advanced education in Austrialia were surveyed to determine their policies and practices in admitting and granting status to holders of TAFE (Technical and Further Education) middle-level certificates who wish to transfer to relevant higher education courses. Of the 90 higher education institutions that were…