This report investigates whether higher education systems across Europe recognise and validate learning outcomes from non-formal and informal learning. Specifically, the report looks at whether non-formal and informal learning can enable alternative access to higher education; the extent to which non-formal and informal learning can contribute to…

College enrollment has increased over the past 10 years and is projected to continue growing over the next 10 for both full- and part-time students. At the same time, institutions face low retention and graduation rates. One policy that shows promise in increasing completion rates, especially for adult learners and those who served in the…

Context: The field of athletic training needs young engaged professionals for continued progress in allied health care. Academic and clinical requirements during the entry-level education could potentially impact the decisions and directions these students choose to pursue as young professionals. Objective: To determine the difference in…

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…

After nearly three years of planning, Ohio's higher-education officials are finalizing an ambitious program to grant college credit for some technical courses offered at the state's adult-education centers. The program, called the Career-Technical Credit Transfer, is the latest in a string of state efforts to more closely link work-force training…

This theoretical paper examines current practice in work-based studies where recognition of prior unaccredited work is normally limited to around 50% of the total programme. The basis of this limiting concept is challenged and consideration is given to a number of factors that have contributed to it. Comparison is made with the current practice of…

The Regents External Degree is a New York State program offering a college degree to individuals, whether by earned college credit or knowledge acquired in other experience areas. The external degree and the College Proficiency Examinations are administered by the University of the State of New York, which has no campus or courses but accepts…

The BSIT (BS in Industrial Technology) Program, which leads to a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology, at Southern Arkansas University is focused on the needs of the non-traditional student who desires to complete program requirements while maintaining existing full-time employment. The program also focuses on the needs of local…

This guide was developed in Great Britain to help colleges develop programs for assessment of prior learning (APL) for adult students. (APL involves careers and educational guidance, access to particular courses despite possible lack of traditional certification, accreditation, formal credit toward a particular qualification, and exemption from…

Current practices of assessing prior learning are reported. Both faculty and staff are heavily involved in the total crediting procedure, dealing with: information student advisement, tutorials or seminar instruction, program planning, and the actual evaluation process itself. (Author/LBH)

The Regents External Degrees program to earn a degree without attending college, and the College Proficiency Examinations to validate knowledge gained outside of the formal college classroom are described. The programs are administered by the University of the State of New York, which has no campus or courses, but accepts credits from accredited…

A study guide to assist a candidate preparing to take the New York State College Proficiency and Regents External Degree Examinations is presented. This booklet offers suggestions on how to successfully complete an independent study project learning to do tasks normally performed by a teacher. The guide includes; preparing for independent study,…

A diploma mill is described as a person or an organization selling or awarding degrees without an appropriate academic base and without requiring a sufficient degree of postsecondary-level academic achievement. The indirect victim of diploma mill activity may be nontraditional education. (MLW)

This guide is an attempt to inventory undergraduate level, degree-granting external degree programs (EPDs), defined as those emphasizing minimal classroom coursework and minimal residence requirements. There are 134 accredited or approved organizations listed that sponsor among them 244 external degree programs (66 associate and 178 bachelor).…

This booklet provides a guide to some of the credit-bearing opportunities in place at more than 1,200 United States colleges and universities that recognize learning obtained away from the formal college classroom. The data were compiled from a fall 1984 survey and are presented in two sections. The first provides the programmatic information…