Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is the evaluation and assessment of learning gained outside a traditional academic environment for college credit, certification, or advanced standing toward further education or training. The term PLA encompasses a wide spectrum of assessment methods, including, but not limited to, credit by examination, challenge…

Training organisations are being asked to respond to the growing levels of diversity around the contexts for training and to examine a wider range of training solutions than in the past. This research investigates how training organisations in Australia are using blended forms of e-learning to provide more responsive, flexible and innovative…

In this study, the academic experiences of 33 male students from an industrial background were investigated as they completed a two-year education degree. The purpose of the study was to investigate the quality of student adjustment to an academic environment following extensive industrial training and experience. Students completed a series of…

This report provides information on the content and nature of labor education in Canada. Section A outlines the study's purposes to explain why labor education should be considered for prior learning assessment and recognition purposes. Section B describes the theoretical framework and methodology and explains the attempt to canvass a reasonably…

The Ontario Industrial Workers' research site offered a basic analysis of issues relevant to the Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) research and the labor education community. Project goals revolved around the need to examine development and applications of a new PLAR instrument, the Skills and Knowledge Profile (SKP), which is…

The status of colleges' credit-granting practices for nontraditional learning (attained outside legally authorized and accredited postsecondary institutions) was studied in 1986, along with credit-granting procedures for military learning experiences, business/industry training, credit by examination, and credit obtained through other assessment…

Labor unions and academic institutions are joining forces to reach the large population of working adults who have been left out of the mainstream of higher education. Some educational methods are described and ways to finance continuing programs are suggested. (Author/MLW)

Enrollment data confirmed that by fall of 1985, half of the 70 students enrolled in vocational teacher education coursework at Idaho State University (ISU) were involved in corporate training outside of vocational education. ISU's Vocational Teacher Education (VTE) Program has developed a new degree program for corporate trainers that maintains…

This national guide presents credit recommendations and course descriptions for education officials to consider when granting credit to students for learning acquired in noncollegiate organizations. The courses listed in the guide represent only a small sample of the educational programs conducted by the participating organizations. A section on…

A national system is described that was designed to facilitate a college's task of relating formal course work taken elsewhere to its own programs. The project builds on the system established by the American Council on Education (ACE) in 1945 to provide credit recommendations for formal military courses, and uses experience gained in a New York…

This report presents issues associated with incentives for training existing workers in small to medium-sized firms, identified through a small sample of case studies from the retail, manufacturing, and building and construction industries. While the majority of employers recognise workforce skill levels are fundamental to the success of the…

This report provides a summary of findings from research into work-related education and training undertaken over the last five years by organizations then called the Further Education Development Agency (FEDA) and Quality and Performance Improvement Dissemination (QPID) Unit of the Department for Education and Employment. Cross-references to…

Nontraditional methods of qualifying for a college degree are described in this student guide to off-campus study and examination. The three external degree institutions in the United States that offer these programs are discussed. They include: Regents External Degree Program of the University of the State of New York; Thomas A. Edison College of…