Browsing by Subject "Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Adults Learning To Reflect: A Study Of The Assessment Of Private Learning
    (Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2003) Geerling, Falinda; Dirkx, John M.
    Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is a process used by many postsecondary institutions to award academic credit to adult learners for knowledge derived from life experiences. For the most part, PLA has focused on occupational or work-related experiences. A few institutions have extended this assessment process to significant life experiences not related to work, such as divorce, job loss, or drug and alcohol recovery. However, we know relatively little about adult learners’ experiences in these programs. The life events that are often the focus of this process represent powerful, emotional experiences in the learners’ lives. For this reason, we sought to develop a deeper understanding of their experiences with such a process. In-depth interviews were conducted with six learners enrolled in an accelerated, degree-completion program at Covenant College. The adults’ experiences in the assessment module reflect a preoccupation with meeting its technical and instrumental challenges. While they describe strong emotions and feelings associated with this process, there is less evidence that the process facilitates a reworking of their prior experiences or greater self-awareness as learners.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Online Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Collaborative Instrument For Content Experts, Faculty, And Nontraditional Students
    (Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2003) Martin, William A.
    Current and future adult students in nontraditional degree programs have concerns about the future of Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) and the development of related policies and procedures within higher education. This paper documents my involvement in developing a PLA online course that was specifically geared toward the analyses of program development, organizational management, and leadership. The project included four universities in Illinois that collaboratively designed an online course that can be duplicated by other universities and organizations to provide students, faculty, and content experts with quality approaches to PLA and overall PLA program evaluation. The project also included starting a registry of PLA assessors that may be utilized by other PLA providers.