ERIC Number: EJ866300
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 3
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0737-7363
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Prior Learning Assessment: How Institutions Use Portfolio Assessments
Klein-Collins, Becky; Hain, Patrick
Journal of Continuing Higher Education, v57 n3 p187-189 2009
The term Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) refers not to a single kind of assessment but rather an entire family of assessment methods that can be used by institutions. Some of these methods are exam-based. In addition, there are other methods of PLA. One of the more innovative methods of offering PLA, however, is through the development of student portfolios for the assessment of experiential learning. The portfolio method of PLA is not the most common method but it has been on the rise. In this article, the authors look at two institutions that offer the portfolio method of PLA, summarizing from the longer profiles presented in Hart and Hickerson's 2009 collection. The first, St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, has a long history with PLA and with serving adult learners more generally. The second, Valdosta State University in Georgia, has only recently come to offer PLA. The two institutional examples offer different approaches to the use of PLA portfolios. St. Edward's, as an early adopter of the portfolio assessment, has made that the focus of its program, while Valdosta demonstrates how colleges and universities might integrate a PLA portfolio method into a larger menu of PLA offerings.
Descriptors: Portfolios (Background Materials), Portfolio Assessment, Adult Education, Prior Learning, Experiential Learning, Evaluation Methods, Evaluation Research, Use Studies, Case Studies, Educational Practices
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Adult Education; Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Georgia; Texas
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A