Prior Learning

Quick Links:

• Introduction
• The Course and the Process
• Contents of the Portfolio
• Targeting Courses
• Documenting Your Prior Learning
• Evaluation of the Portfolio
• Prior Learning Home

Contents of the Portfolio

• What did you learn?
• How did you learn it?
• Where did you learn it?
• Why did you learn it?

These are the questions you will ask yourself—and answer—through completion of a portfolio of prior learning.

The portfolio is organized so you and the evaluators can move logically from one section to the next. It organizes and showcases your learning in a way that allows college faculty to see your learning as college level and award credit for it. The contents of the portfolio, in order of presentation, are

• Submission letter (cover letter)
• Portfolio checklist
• Official evaluation
• Curriculum planning sheet
• Introduction/goal statement
• Experiential résumé
• Learning assessment worksheet
• List of targeted courses
• Academic narratives (one for each academic area/course)
• Supporting documentation

Think of the portfolio as a stool with three equally important legs. The stool tells evaluators where you have been, where you are going, and how you expect to get there. The "informational leg" includes the official evaluation, curriculum planning sheet, experiential résumé, introduction/goal statement, and learning assessment worksheet; the "explanatory leg" is contained in the targeted courses list and academic narratives; and the "proof leg" contains the documentation. Together, the entire portfolio "stool" supports your claims for college credit. If one leg is weak, the stool will not support the weight of your claims. Make sure your stool is strong!

Targeting Courses