Undergraduate credit for prior learning (CPL) is an important aspect of today's higher-education landscape. This report presents an in-depth look at the current state of undergraduate CPL in the United States and Canada. The primary objective of the report is to foment dialogue and action toward a more inclusive, effective higher-education system…

This 50-State Comparison provides a national overview of state policies to award college students with academic credit for military experience. This resource provides a link to the data table that answers the question, "Does the state have a policy to award academic credit for military experience?" Key findings are also listed.

The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) initiated a series of surveys designed to capture member institutional practice snapshots in 60 seconds or less. The December 2014 "AACRAO 60 Second Survey" asked respondents to indicate their institutions' credit for prior learning practices (CPL). To…

This article provides a brief history of massive open online courses (MOOCs), a snapshot of the rapidly evolving issue of credit recognition, and the integration of MOOCs into traditional degree programs, like the Gates Foundation-funded MOOCs-For-Credit Research Project. The article notes that MOOCs have accelerated innovation, especially in…

Prior Learning Assessment, or PLA, is an important and often overlooked strategy for helping adults progress towards a degree. PLA is the process by which many colleges evaluate for academic credit the college-level knowledge and skills an individual has gained outside of the classroom, including employment, military training/service, travel,…

Prior Learning Assessment, or PLA, is an important and often overlooked strategy for helping adults progress towards a degree. PLA is the process by which many colleges evaluate for academic credit the college-level knowledge and skills an individual has gained outside of the classroom (or from non-college instructional programs), including…

This paper features several articles previously published in the CAEL (Council for Adult and Experiential Learning) Forum and News, an e-newsletter CAEL regularly shares with its members. This publication includes a summary of the data gathered in CAEL's 2006 institutional survey on PLA (Prior Learning Assessment), results of a research on…

The title of this document is a deliberate play on the title of the biennial reports on the progress of Bologna produced by the European Students' Union, "Bologna With Student Eyes." It is a way of paying tribute to student involvement in the Bologna reforms, and marking a parallel student working participation in the state system…

Technological advances in communication and transportation have increased educational opportunities for post-secondary education students around the globe. Individuals and information now travel quicker and cheaper between countries and continents. Post-secondary institutions no longer have a local, jurisdictional or even domestic focus; their…

Discussion of the development of distance education programs in the United States, Australia, Canada, and Great Britain focuses primarily on six programs in the United States. External degree programs are discussed, standard examinations that assess prior learning are described, and credit policies for extra-institutional learning are examined.…

The historic sources of graduate study in the United States, specifically the German influence, are examined, and the relationship of current experiential learning to past traditions of graduate study is discussed. Greater flexibility in the use of experience in graduate instruction and research is suggested. (MLW)

This paper focuses on the activities of colleges and universities providing options for the assessment of prior learning for adult students. The paper emphasizes programs with associate and baccalaureate degree-granting institutions in the United States and Canada. It is aimed at faculty members, practitioners, administrators, and policy-makers,…

The purpose of these hearings was to explore the problems that unaccredited, substandard colleges and universities, often referred to as diploma mills, pose to the Federal Government and to private-sector employers. The schools examined during these hearings practice a sophisticated form of deception and they charge students accordingly. All of…

Women who seek further education and the formal credentials it provides often have acquired valuable knowledge and work experience while performing various unpaid work in their homes and communities. Awarding college credit and recognition for women's nonpaid work is a measure of social justice and equity. The three major ways to evaluate and…

A study examined the policies and practices that higher educational institutions in the United Kingdom have adopted towards experiential learning as a means of fulfilling entrance requirements. Included among the major activities of the project were a comparative analysis of United Kingdom and United States policies and practices with respect to…