Flexible Learning Pathways in Ohio and Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) in the US

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Flexible Learning Pathways in Ohio and Prior
Learning Assessment (PLA) in the US

• Penny Poplin Gosetti, Ph.D.
• Interim Vice Provost and Associate Professor
• The University of Toledo
• June 18, 2010

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Adult and Life Long Learning

• Studies show that older students are more
  motivated and focused than many younger students
  who do not have the same economic pressures to
  succeed. But motivation can only go so far
  without the support of the system to help them
  along the way.
• University System of Ohio Strategic Plan (p. 56)

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Presentation Topics

• Flexible Pathway Opportunities in Ohio
• Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)
• Methods
• Findings from a National Study
• Issues and Opportunities

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Course Integration and Flexibility

• Integrated course and program network among all
  community colleges.
• Flexibility
• Ownership of courses
• Incentives for development and sharing of course
  materials
• More flexibility than traditional courses in
  times, locations and duration and more online
  courses.

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Transferability of 2-year Degree and
Career-Technical and Apprenticeship Programs

• A high school diploma or GED provides access to a
  community college. General Associate degrees
  fully transfer to a university.
• Adult career-technical and apprenticeship
  programs are being included in the transfer
  system (CTAGs) so courses and certificates will
  meet standards sufficient for college credit.
• Learning outcomes developed in 5 technical areas

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Transfer and Articulation

• Students know in advance the courses and programs
  guaranteed to transfer and apply to their degree
  program. This includes general education,
  prerequisite, and beginning courses in their
  majors.

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College Readiness

• Adult Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE)
  programs build network of adult education
  programs focused on college readiness.
• Provide alternative path to college
• Provide choices for college prep classes
• Stackable Certificates provide pathway to
  career-oriented postsecondary training and
  economic success through a series of pre-college
  and college-level certificates that help build
  academic and technical skills.

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Experiential Learning

• Compact or agreement executed with business
  community to substantially increase number of
  students participating in internships and co-ops.
• Higher education serves needs of businesses to
  train their incumbent workers businesses will
  enroll more workers into training programs that
  receive college credits or are transferable as
  credits.

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Skills Bank

• The Board of Regents is leading the Ohio Skills
  Bank (OSB) to link workforce supply and demand at
  the regional level. Ohio Skills Bank regional
  teams will also facilitate articulation and
  transfer between adult workforce centers and
  community colleges.

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Prior Learning Assessment

• Means of awarding college credit for learning
  outside the classroom (e.g., corporate training,
  work experience, civic activity, independent
  study) when evidence exists that
• the learning experience is similar in content,
  depth, and breadth to what is considered
  college-level learning.
• the learning experience occurred AND the
  experience was purposefully reflected upon and
  integrated, to yield explicit knowledge and
  skills.

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PLA Methods American Council on Education (ACE)
Guides

• Faculty evaluator teams review and make college
  credit equivalency recommendations for formal
  instructional programs offered by non-collegiate
  agencies, both civilian employers and the
  military
• Credit recommended by ACE awarded solely at
  discretion of a college or university.

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PLA Methods Examinations

• College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
• DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST)
• Advanced Placement (AP) Exams

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PLA Method Local

• Challenge Exams (credit by exam) local tests
  developed by a college to verify learning
  achievement
• Evaluation of Local Training program
  evaluations done by individual colleges of
  non-collegiate instructional programs
• Transcript Analysis and Articulation Agreements

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PLA Method Portfolios

• Experiential Learning Assessments (Portfolio
  Assessment) also known as individualized
  student portfolios or interviews

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Standards for Assessing Learning Portfolios (CAEL)

• Award credit for learning, not for experience.
• Base assessment on standards and criteria for
  level of acceptable learning that are both agreed
  upon and made public.
• Treat assessment as integral part of learning,
  and base it on understanding of learning
  processes.
• Use appropriate subject matter and academic or
  credentialing experts to determine credit awards
  and competence levels.
• Ensure credit is appropriate to the context in
  which it is awarded and accepted.

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Standards for Assessing Learning Portfolios (CAEL)

• Clearly describe what learning is being
  recognized for credit. Monitor awards and
  transcripts to avoid duplicating credit.
• Disclose and make prominently available policies,
  procedures, and criteria applied to assessment,
  including provision for appeal.
• Base fees charged for assessment on the services
  performed in the process, not on the amount of
  credit awarded.
• Provide adequate training and continuing
  professional development.
• Monitor, review, evaluate, and revise assessment
  programs to reflect changes in the needs being
  served, the purposes being met, and the state of
  the assessment arts.

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Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL)

• Establishes and disseminates standards for
  awarding credit through assessment
• Trains faculty evaluators
• Conducts research on outcomes of these efforts.
• Encourages institutions to offer a range of PLA
  assessment options, but places special emphasis
  on the portfolio method of assessment.

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CAEL National Study of Prior Learning Assessment

• Multi-institutional study on PLA and adult
  student outcomes.
• Examined records of 62,475 students at 46 US and
  2 Canadian colleges and universities.
• Followed the 7-year academic progress of subjects
  from the cohort of adult students (aged 25 or
  above) who matriculated at these institutions in
  2001-2002.

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Findings PLA and Graduation Rates

• PLA students had much higher degree-earning rates
  than non-PLA students.
• 56 of PLA students earned a postsecondary degree
  within 7 years, compared to only 21 of non-PLA
  students.
• Bachelors 43 of PLA and 15 of non-PLA
• Associates 13 of PLA students and 6 of
  non-PLA

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Findings PLA and Persistence

• PLA students who did not earn degrees were more
  persistent in terms of credit accumulation than
  non-PLA students
• PLA students earned more institutional course
  credits, on average, than non-PLA students
• PLA students who did not earn degrees had
  stronger patterns of annual enrollment and credit
  earning than non-PLA students who did not earn
  degrees

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Findings PLA and Time-to-Degree

• PLA students earning bachelors degrees saved an
  average of 2.5 - 10.1 months in earning degrees,
  compared to non-PLA students earning degrees.
• PLA students earning 13-24 PLA credits saved an
  average of 6.6 months, and those earning 49 or
  more PLA credits saved an average of 10.1 months.
• PLA earners with associates degrees earned
  degrees 1.5 - 4.5 months faster, on average,
  compared to non-PLA students earning degrees.

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Findings Institutional Policies and Student
Outcomes

• The greater the flexibility the student has for
  using PLA credit, the better the academic
  outcomes
• PLA credit can be used to obtain advanced
  standing at the institution
• PLA credit can be used to waive course
  prerequisites
• PLA credit can be used to meet general education
  requirements
• PLA credit can be used to meet program/major
  requirements

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Findings Uses for PLA Credit

• PLA credit can be used
• to meet elective requirements (94),
• to meet general education requirements (88)
• to meet program/major requirements (79)
• to obtain advanced standing (69)
• to waive course prerequisites (67)
• Few institutions said that PLA could be used to
  meet prerequisites for graduate programs or to
  fulfill residency requirements

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Findings Uses for PLA Credit

• Apply PLA credit as lower division credit
  (100)
• Apply PLA credit as upper division credit (75)
• Limit PLA credit to specific departments/programs
  (38)
• Limit number of credits used toward degree (80)
• 64 offered 5 or more methods 84 offered 4 or
  more methods

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Issues

• Cost
• Standards and Quality Assurance
• Consistency of Assessment
• Transferability of Credit
• Flexibility

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• Fueling the Race to Postsecondary Success
  www.cael.org/pdf/PLA_Fueling-the-Race.pdf