Overview
Why
EXCEL?
As
stated in UMUC’s
mission statement, the university has “in
its entirety but one focus—the educational needs
of the nontraditional student.” To serve the
needs of adult learners, UMUC developed EXCEL to help
them translate their college-level learning into college
credit through the development of a portfolio document.
The
EXCL 301 Course
At
the heart of EXCEL is the portfolio development course,
EXCL 301 Learning Analysis and Planning. During the
course, students are guided through exercises toward
the preparation of a written portfolio that describes
and documents their college-level learning.
At
the end of the semester, the portfolio is evaluated
by faculty experts. These faculty members make credit
recommendations based on the learning narratives and
supporting documentation. Credit is granted for verifiable
college-level learning from one’s experiences
but not for the experiences themselves. | 
