Recognition of Learning

January 14, 2022

WICHE blog about the need for a strong focus on equity in prior learning opportunities and how the value proposition of PLA for younger students, as well as adult students, can help make a broader case for recognizing prior learning.

Written by Rebecca Klein-Collins, Peace Bransberger and Patrick Lane

October 13, 2021

This brief provides a deeper look into the finding from The PLA Boost main study that PLA credit receipt was particularly lower for Black adult students and students from low-income backgrounds and offers specific recommendations for intentional design of policies and practices that prioritize equity in the design of PLA/CPL programs.

Written by Patrick Lane and Sarah Leibrandt, WICHE – Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

February 9, 2021

This brief is part of a broad landscape analysis focused on policy and practice issues related to the recognition of prior learning and is published by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, with funding from Lumina Foundation and Strada Education Network. The landscape analysis focuses on issues arising in the practice of the recognition of prior learning, policies that encourage or limit its adoption, and key research needs and future directions for the field.

Written by: Sarah Leibrandt and Patrick Lane of WICHE and Rebecca Klein-Collins of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning

June 6, 2020

In March 2020, the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, and the accompanying economic impact changed higher education in the U.S. in unprecedented ways and had severe impacts on students. This brief summarizes some of the key findings from WICHE's Recognition of Learning initiative and synthesizes recommendations from this work that practitioners and policymakers focused on postsecondary education and/or workforce development might consider as discussion moves toward recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. As this brief argues, fair and equitable recognition of prior learning is one tool among many that higher education can use during this unprecedented time to help more students and displaced workers earn valuable credentials, saving time and money in the process.

Written by: Julie Uranis, University Professional and Continuing Education Association and Van L. Davis, WCET – the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies

November 10, 2020

This brief explores the relationship between the recognition of prior learning and employers as more employers look for ways to reskill existing employees in a rapidly changing labor market. Because such relationships are still fairly new and vary considerably, three case studies are used to highlight both promising practices in RPL associated with employers as well as challenges to such relationships.

Written by: Colleen Falkenstern, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

November 10, 2020

Credit by Examination is a foundational practice of prior learning assessment that is widely accessible and has the potential to be a powerful tool to supporting adult learners entering and re-entering postsecondary education. WICHE conducted a meta-analysis of existing literature to understand the impact CLEP and WorkKeys, two types of credit-by-examination, can have on student success. A robust evaluation of the CLEP program found those scoring above a 50 to have shorter time to degrees and higher post-credential earnings. Predominately used in the workforce setting, those completing WorkKeys and obtaining a National Career Readiness Certificate have seen positive workforce outcomes, such as higher earnings and higher rates of employment. More research is needed on both CLEP and WorkKeys usage to better inform PLA policies, particularly in how credit by examination can be used to better support adult learners.

Written by: Rosa M. García, Center for Law and Social Policy and Sarah Leibrandt, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

November 20, 2020

This brief investigates the critical role states, accrediting bodies, and the federal government can play in making credit for prior learning more accessible and affordable for students with low incomes, students of color, immigrants, and adult learners.

Written by: Rebecca Klein-Collins, Council for Adult and Experiential Learning and Nan Travers, SUNY Empire State College

September 10, 2020

The authors of this brief conducted conversations with several leaders of change within the higher education landscape. Drawing on these conversations, the authors suggest what a future higher education model could - and should - look like in order to reflect the realities of the changing world of work post-COVID while taking advantage of advances in technology-based tools and our growing understanding of how people learn.

Written by: Alexa Wesley and Amelia Parnell of NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education

August 27, 2020

To examine the conditions around advising students about Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) and the current state of the field, NASPA conducted a research study involving video and phone interviews with practitioners in advising-related roles at institutions and a national survey of student affairs professionals. This brief shares findings and recommendations from this research.

Written by: Wendy Kilgore of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers

July 14, 2020

The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) surveyed member institutions to better understand institutional policies and practices related to prior learning assessment (PLA) and fielded a student survey to understand student perspectives on PLA. This brief shares findings and recommendations from this research.

Written by: Heather A. McKay and Daniel Douglas, Education and Employment Research Center

October 29, 2020

The Education and Employment Research Center conducted a case study of the colleges in the Colorado Community College System to better understand the impact of grant funding on credit for prior learning (CPL) policy and practice implementation. Grant funding for CPL policy and practice implementation can ignite change but will not necessarily lead to sustained change. Creating greater awareness of CPL at community colleges among students, faculty, and staff can increase uptake by students.

Written by: Amy D. Goldstein, Thurgood Marshall College Fund

October 15, 2020

This brief explores the ways in which HBCUs acknowledge and award postsecondary credit to students for college-level learning that took place outside of the institution as a way to improve student outcomes. Thurgood Marshall College Fund undertook research that reviewed information publicly available regarding PLA policies and information on HBCU websites and engaged in a more in-depth case study analysis of four targeted HBCUs, each of which represents a distinct type of institution. This brief concludes with recommendations for policy and practice with regard to HBCUs and other institutions facing similar resource constraints.

Written by: Sarah Leibrandt, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

December 2, 2020

This brief draws on data from a survey administered to 1,184 current college students and from interviews with six college students to better understand how students access (or not) opportunities to earn credit for prior learning. Lack of information about PLA was cited as a top barrier to accessing PLA. For those students that did access PLA, students cited conversations about PLA with individuals (such as academic advisors on the college campus, other students, or family members) as being most influential. The brief concludes with recommendations from students themselves on how institutions can improve their PLA programs and policies.

Written by Dallas Kratzer, Louis Soares, and Michele Spires

February 9, 2021

This brief is part of a broad landscape analysis on policy and practice issues related to the recognition of prior learning and is published by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), with funding from Lumina Foundation and Strada Education Network. The landscape analysis focuses on issues arising in the practice of the recognition of prior learning, policies that encourage or limit its adoption, and key research needs and future directions for the field.