What you’ve learned in life may be more valuable than you think. Many colleges now offer credit based on knowledge you’ve acquired through professional training connected with your job, through military experience, community development activities, hobbies, involvement in local politics or self-study.
But before you start adding up credits for all those computer programs you’ve mastered or the fancy French dinners you’ve prepared for family and friends, take note that documenting your life-experience education is a complex process, involving such factors as the academic credit you’ve already earned, the degree you’re seeking and the number of credits you still need to earn that degree.
According to Dave Stewart, director of program development at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Adult Learning and Educational Credentials at the American Council on Education, interest has been picking up for such programs over the last few years.
“The world is changing in ways that make it easier for adults to move in and out of educational experiences,” says Stewart, whose organization helps colleges and universities evaluate courses given by private employers, community organizations, labor unions, government agencies and the military.
“There are lots of ways to learn things. You don’t necessarily have to spend four years on a college campus. Industry, in particular, is interested in this because they’re always looking for ways to upgrade the educational levels of their employees.”
There’s a surprisingly wide range of people who use such programs to gain an undergraduate degree, adds Jacqueline Johnson, director of institutional relations at the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), a Chicago-based not-for-profit organization in the field of adult work-force development.
Johnson points out that there are a lot of talented and accomplished people who didn’t have the time or the opportunity to get a college degree.
“But for some reason,” she says, “they decide to come back. Maybe they want to change careers, or they’re retiring and they want to start a new career. Or it may be to reach a higher position in their company. Perhaps a job has been advertised in their own company and it has a degree requirement, which is typical nowadays for middle-management or upper-management positions.”
More than 1,200 American colleges and universities award college credit for prior learning. In the Chicago area, De Paul University, Governor’s State University, National Louis University, Northeastern Illinois University and Chicago State University offer such credit.
The first step would be to contact the admissions office of the college or university you want to attend and talk to someone about opportunities for assessment of their prior learning.
Your adviser will sort through the credits you’ve already earned and help you map out the courses you need to reach your goal. They can also answer questions about the school’s academic policies. For instance, most schools have residency requirements, and you may have to complete at least 30 hours of new credit at the institution before being awarded a degree.
If you initiate the process without previous college credit, the institution frequently will ask you to complete several courses before beginning the assessment program.
For those seeking credit for learning from life experiences, colleges usually have some kind of portfolio assessment program.
“The portfolio is a way for a person to document that he has had learning in a particular area,” notes Johnson. “The portfolio typically has several pieces in it that assist in that process, including an autobiography, in which a person will talk about what he has accomplished as a learner in his professional life, in his community life and in his personal life.”
Johnson says the autobiography helps people think of themselves as adult learners. In it, you give specific descriptions of skills you’ve developed-anything from being able to write computer programs in several languages to mass-marketing a product. Just as importantly, the autobiography is written to help a faculty member determine whether you have the learning equivalent of college credit work in your area of study.
Also included in the portfolio assessment is documentation of skills, including everything from slides of artwork to videotapes of performances. Letters of recommendation from an employer can be helpful, especially when your supervisor writes about the role you played in a particular job or about the kinds of responsibilities you had.
Financial issues also drive experiential learning programs. Companies paying for employees’ education no longer have to squander money and time for courses they don’t need. And savings to the prospective student can be considerable, as was the case for Chicago resident Marilyn Rogers, who used her press clippings and writing expertise to acquire three years of credit toward a journalism degree from Northeastern Illinois University.
Long-distance relationship
There are even colleges that offer long-distance portfolio assessment programs, the best known being Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, N.J.
Established in 1972, Thomas Edison offers 11 bachelor and associate degrees through a variety of non-traditional methods that include computer/modem hookups, phone/mail instruction, television courses and independent study. In fact, the school offers no formal classes.
Edison, says Debra Dagavarian, the school’s director of testing and assessment, is helpful for people who find it difficult to finish a degree in their particular community or who find it difficult to squeeze classroom time into their schedules.
However, potential students need to be wary of diploma mills, unaccredited institutions that give credit for experience, not learning. They are legal in those states that don’t adequately control the requirements for what constitutes a “college.”
To check a college’s accreditation, contact the Chicago-based North Central Association of Colleges and Schools at 800-621-7440.
Establishing credit for experiential learning can be a complex process, but the benefits often are more than the money saved.
“Many people comment that they never realized how much they had accomplished and learned until they went though the portfolio process,” Johnson says. “Not only did they become aware of what they had learned, but it also helped them sort out the gaps in their learning. They become more involved in the process of understanding what they need.”
The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning does not give individual counseling, but its book, “Earn College Credit for What You Know” contains more information. Send a check or money order for $26.50, including shipping and handling, to CAEL, 223 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago 60606.
For more information on Thomas Edison State College, write Thomas Edison State College, Office of Admission Services, 101 W. State St., Trenton, N.J. 08608-1176; or call 609-984-1150.
