A model for assessing and awarding credit for prior experiential learning is presented; the adult student's experiences are summarized in a portfolio. The model incorporates eight stages: facilitating the construction and assessment of a portfolio, identifying significant prior experiences, expressing the learning outcomes of prior experiences,…

This student guide is directed at the adult student who petitions for college credits based on prior experiential learning. It will assist such adults in maximizing the value of their prior experiences in relation to educational goals and successfully obtaining appropriate credit. The reader is led step by step through the process of identifying…

This guide is organized into three parts. Parts A and B contain bibliographic citations and brief annotations; Part C is an alphabetical listing of all references. Topics included in Part A are: the rationale and history of experiential learning, types of programs, program planning and implementation, program evaluation and quality assurance,…

A questionnaire was administered to determine the needs of external degree students in the South Bend, Indiana University External Degree Program. The results (48% response rate) were compared with those of an earlier study with Northwestern New York postsecondary students. It was found that 50% of South Bend students, as compared to 27% of the…

The objective of this project was to review and analyze staff development programs in adult basic education in order to identify the most promising ideas, curricula materials, methods and approaches for the purpose of designing new training models. To accomplish this, the following activities were carried out: a review of the professional…

This report presents trend data for degrees and certificates, by program, for the years 1983-1996 for Maryland higher education institutions. Data tables are included for: (1) the following community colleges: Allegany; Anne Arundel; Baltimore City; Carroll; Catonsville; Cecil; Charles County; Chesapeake; Dundalk; Essex; Frederick; Garrett;…

Fifteen recommendations, based on a two-year study, are presented on the credit and credential system in postsecondary education. Objectives are to increase the awareness of employers and those concerned with postsecondary education of the educational and social significance of credentialing educational accomplishment and to help institutions…

This resource used for future development of the To Educate the People concept documents evolution of this concept to date. The first and largest section presents information from 6 years of experience in providing a bachelor's degree program for working adults in regard to curriculum content, pedagogy, delivery systems, finance, and organization.…

Proficiency testing, the measurement of what a person can do as a result of learning, is used increasingly in higher education to determine whether students have mastered basic skills or whether they deserve credits for specific courses (which they may not have actually taken). The motivation for proficiency testing stems from general…

Metropolitan State University, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, is a competence-based, baccalaureate-degree-granting institution created in 1971 to serve adults. The Operational Models Project was designed to improve the university's program for assessing experiential learning. Specific purposes of the project were: (1) to describe a program for…

The formation, organization, philosophy, and structure of Delaware County Community College's program for assessing prior experiential learning are described. The financial model requires the student, the state, and the local sponsor to share in the cost of this evaluation, in the same proportion as they do for traditional college programs.…

The Associate Degree in Liberal Studies program (ALS) at William Rainey Harper College, Palatine, Illinois, offers students the opportunity to design their own curriculum, awards college credits for experiential learning, and provides a structure for independent study. This report briefly discusses the selection and training of evaluation…

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…

Results of research and evaluation carried out by the To Educate the People Consortium are reported. (The purpose of the consortium is to create a national network of humanities-based adult-oriented college programs offering an interdisciplinary curriculum leading to an associate or baccalaureate degree for blue-collar and low-status white collar…

A model for assessing specific competences acquired in work situations, and for relating these skills to occupationally oriented degree programs, is presented. The Work Assessment Model is designed to help a college specify the competences acquired, define the learning objectives of occupational and career programs, and translate the competences…