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EXCEL 301—The Course and the Process
EXCL 301 Learning Analysis and Planning
To complete a portfolio, you must enroll in EXCL 301 Learning Analysis and Planning. In this 3-credit course, you prepare a portfolio describing and documenting college-level learning gained from various experiences.
EXCL 301 is a fast-paced, demanding course that requires you to be highly motivated, have good time management skills, and be able to draw on significant learning experiences that can correlate to college-level learning. We suggest enroll in no more than one other course while you take EXCL 301.
We suggest taking fewer courses during EXCL 301 because it is not like other courses. In other courses, you receive information that is new and work to understand it in light of what you already know. In EXCL 301, you reflect on what you have already learned and work to fit that knowledge into a formal degree plan. Reflection can be frightening, frustrating, and annoying. It can also be exhilarating and empowering, helping you prove to the world that your knowledge is worthwhile.
During the course, you will develop a portfolio that articulates and documents learning acquired outside of the classroom. You will work with an instructor to develop a portfolio that will translate your professional experiences to the UMUC curriculum. This process will continue throughout the semester as your portfolio begins to take shape. When the portfolio project is completed at the end of the session, the instructor will review the final project for appropriateness, and offer you a final opportunity for revision before recommending submission to the Prior Learning office.
Grading
EXCL 301 is graded on an S, D, or F basis. If the quality of the work in the portfolio is worthy of a grade of C or higher, a grade of S is awarded and the portfolio is forwarded for evaluation. The grade of D is given if the instructor determines that although the portfolio is complete, it may not be suitable for evaluation.
Credit earned as a result of portfolio evaluation also earns a grade of S. The grade of S is not computed in the grade point average; therefore, the grade from such credit is not applicable toward honors. You may only take the course once (unless you withdraw or fail).
What Happens Next
You select all courses to be targeted with the online targeting tool, submit the portfolio to the Prior Learning office for evaluation, and pay the applicable evaluation fees. It is important that all targeted courses be selected using the online tool to ensure that all courses are evaluated.
The Prior Learning staff selects appropriate faculty evaluators, who determine whether and how many credits may be awarded. In some cases, evaluators will decide that the learning articulated actually represents courses different from those you have targeted, and may change the credit award.
When all evaluations have been completed, you are notified and billed for posting of credits to your transcript. This fee is due regardless of whether credit can be applied to your degree plan. When the report is issued to you, it is also issued to your academic advisor. The academic advisor decides where experiential credit has been placed and notifies you which degree requirements have fulfilled through portfolio completion. This process can take up to four months.