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…

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.…

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.

Recognition of prior learning (RPL) is based on the principle that valuable learning, worthy of recognition, takes place outside formal education. In the context of higher education, legislation provides an enabling framework for the implementation of RPL. However, RPL will only gain its rightful position if it can ensure the RPL candidates'…

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…

The history of Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) can be traced back to World War II when the American Council on Education (ACE) began conducting credit evaluations of military training. However, it wasn't until the 1970s with the inception of adult-serving colleges such as Charter Oak State College (COSC) and others, the altering of ACE to expand…

The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) initiated a series of surveys designed to capture member institutional practice snapshots in 60 seconds or less. The December 2014 "AACRAO 60 Second Survey" asked respondents to indicate their institutions' credit for prior learning practices (CPL). To…

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…

The previous article, "Prior Learning Assessment: What is next after 40 years? Part 1: Prior Learning Assessment: 1970-2011" focused on the history of prior learning assessment (PLA) in the United States over the past 40 years. After exploring more recent recognition and development of PLA across institutions of higher education, the…

Students in higher education are being taught pedagogically. Moreover, pedagogy has long persisted as the basis for the entire educational system. Education is, however, discovering that adults learn differently than children learn even though they have been taught as children were taught. Students tend to behave dependently when they are in a…

Education practices focused on adult learners, such as prior learning assessment (PLA), are becoming more established in the United States. Initially, PLA was developed to provide greater access to higher education for World War II veterans and later for adult learners more generally as a way to balance the concentrated efforts most colleges and…

The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning's (CAEL's) 40th anniversary year provided an opportunity for the "Forum and News" to examine the world of the adult learner from multiple perspectives and to invite CAEL friends and supporters to reflect on the evolution of the field and of CAEL as an organization. This publication presents…

Adult learners bring a wealth of experience and prior learning to college. Much of this prior learning may, in fact, qualify for college credits, so many adults assemble portfolios and write learning narratives to demonstrate their learning and apply for credits. Despite their many skills and rich knowledge, however, adults are often unsure about…

The purpose of this study was to develop a research-based model for designing and deploying instructional narratives based on principles derived from narrative theory, development theory, communication theory, learning theory and instructional design theory to enable adult learning and retention and the effective transfer of that retained learning…

There are many types of student portfolios used within academia: the prior learning portfolio, credentialing portfolio, developmental portfolio, capstone portfolio, individual course portfolio, and the comprehensive education portfolio. The comprehensive education portfolio (CEP), as used by the authors, is a student portfolio, developed over…