In the fall of 2019, the University of Arkansas--Fort Smith enrolled an initial cohort of students in an adult degree completion program designed to combine previous college hours and current work experience that could be applied to additional college credit. The students were enrolled in a portfolio class in which they documented their prior learning toward one or more existing college courses within their degree plans. The researchers have identified strategies for eliminating barriers to instruction for returning students. This article will focus on the tools and techniques that have proven helpful in perceptual change within an eight-week adult degree completion portfolio course. [For the complete volume, "American Association for Adult and Continuing Education Inaugural 2020 Conference Proceedings (Online, October 27-30, 2020)," see ED611534.]