Portfolio assessment, designed after the model disseminated originally by the Cooperative Assessment of Experiential Learning (CAEL) project, has become the assessment technique of choice in prior learning programs as well as the foundation for adult degree programs. Innovations and changes in the assessment process are discussed. (Author/MLW)

The implementation of a management and decision information system at Marylhurst College for Lifelong Learning and its potential for similar programs is discussed. The system has three areas of decision making: learners, divisions, and program management. The functions of marketing, student information, and cost analysis are being developed.…

A model of graduate experiential learning assessment is proposed, based on the work of the Council for the Advancement of Experiential Learning. Present program practices in 12 programs are related directly to the model so that sound practices can be identified and replicated in other programs. (MLW)

The issue of the costs and financial aspects of the assessment of prior learning is discussed from the point of view of program managers and others responsible for ensuring high quality, cost-efficient academic programs. Rationales and models currently in use are examined. (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)

The consortial approach to assessment of prior learning can reduce costs and increase the availability of service. CLEO (Compact for Lifelong Educational Opportunities), a consortium of 38 colleges and universities in the Delaware Valley region, is described. (Author/MLW)

Moving problem-centered, experiential programs into the mainstream of graduate and professional education will require more formal mechanisms for leadership. Students of graduate education programs that infuse the disciplinary study of academe with the applied perspective of professional practice gain broader contact with the problems of the…

The success and failure of experiential learning assessment programs rests not only on their academic quality, but also on their financial management. Types of cost and the meaning of cost-effectiveness are discussed. Break-even analysis, cost-reduction activities, and revenue-enhancement techniques are described. (Author/MLW)

Prior learning assessment programs are characterized as having a highly individualized service or a more standardized pattern. Three model programs are described: Webster College in St. Louis, Adelphi University in Garden City, Long Island, and Sinclair Community College in Dayton. (Author/MLW)

Precise transcript development is vital to the articulation and transfer of credit. The transcript, the institution's award of credit, must present the institution's relation to experiential learning; transcription practices must allow institutions to communicate with third parties. Sample transcripts are provided. (MLW)

Institutions of higher education and nonprofit, volunteer-dependent agencies have much in common but are also potential competitors for public and private support, media attention, volunteer energies, and clients. New partnerships must address four issues: organizations, personnel, curriculum, and learners. (MLW)

The widening "experience gap" between faculty members and students calls for a radical reinterpretation of the faculty role and for new, experiential approaches to faculty development. Suggestions to help faculty deal more effectively with nontraditional students are presented. (MLW)

Adult students, it is suggested, are not adequately prepared to plan their education and relate it to the assessment of prior learning. Educational goal clarification enhances a student's ability to participate actively in educational planning and to integrate prior learning into the total plan. (Author/MLW)

A broad-based task force at the University of Delaware has systematically developed both a theoretical and a programmatic model of career development. From its findings a coordinated, universitywide career development program with an experiential component has been implemented. (MSE)

A description of a new program for legal education is described which combines classroom simulations of lawyering tasks and skills with a series of externships with practitioners. Traditional classes for learning the substantive knowledge of the law are conducted in conjunction with the experiential aspects. (Author/MLW)