MANSFIELD, Ohio — Individuals can advance their education at an accelerated rate and reduced cost thanks to prior learning assessment.
PLA provides people the opportunity to earn college credit for learning and knowledge acquired outside the classroom.
While PLA is not a new concept, “It’s getting revitalized energy all over the country because of the skills gap, especially in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) areas,” said Dr. Greg Timberlake, Dean of Business, Industry, Technology, Education, Professional and Public Service at North Central State College.
NCSC offers four different types of PLA. That includes standardized testing, non-sponsored collegiate learning, tech prep and experiential learning portfolios.
“We have an undereducated by diploma and certificate population,” Timberlake said. “So a robust prior learning system can help improve learning outcomes for individuals and the community.”
Timberlake said those who have prior learning in manufacturing, robotics, information technology and business can especially benefit from PLA.
But as Dr. Gregg Busch, Dean of Liberal Arts and Honors College at NCSC, indicated, “Anybody can take advantage of prior learning (assessment).”
Busch said the number of people taking advantage of PLA at NCSC is increasing.
Because there are a number of ways to obtain college credit via PLA, people are advised to first consult an academic dean to determine the best course of action.
Busch summarized the different types of PLA.
When it comes to standardized testing, “There are various types of standardized testing that we accept credit for,” he said, including CLEP (College Level Examination Program) and AP (Advanced Placement).
Non-sponsored collegiate learning means that students have demonstrated college-level learning in alternative learning experiences. Military training falls under this category.
“We give credit for military training when we assess equivalencies between their military training and education and what we have at the college,” Busch said.
Another example of non-sponsored collegiate learning is credit by examination. For credit by exam, students must demonstrate college-level learning through course-specific exams created by faculty.
With regard to tech prep, Busch said, “That takes places between us and our vocational schools. High school students can earn vocational credit through tech prep and that articulates with us.”
The final form of PLA–experiential learning portfolio– gives people the chance to earn credit by submitting a collection of evidence that documents the match between their experiential learning and learning outcomes of a specific course offered at the college.
“What this is really about is opening many, many, many doors for students to use their learning to advance in their careers,” Busch said.
Both Busch and Timberlake agreed that the portfolio approach takes work.
“You have to spend time on your portfolio to address every one of these learning outcomes, so it’s not easy, but it’s not designed to be incredibly difficult either,” Busch said.
Busch noted that credit is not granted based on experience.
“You have to be able to equate (the experiential learning) to the learning outcomes, and you have to be able to show mastery,” he said.
When creating a portfolio, students will have a built-in support system at the college to help guide them through the process, Busch said.
The cost varies with regard to the different types of PLA.
“With some there’s fees, some there’s not,” Busch said. “It depends upon the form or method of assessment.”
The CLEP test (a type of standardized testing), for example, has a fee associated with it, whereas military training (a type of non-sponsored collegiate learning) has no charge, he said.
Timberlake said the state is trying to help speed up degree completion and make it more affordable.
“PLA is seen as an important tool in that,” he said.
And it’s not just degrees–PLA can also help people earn one or more certificates in a desired field.
“The outcome here is people picking up multiple credentials,” Busch said. “The more credentials you have, the more doors open for you.”
