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Policy Number: I-74
Last Reviewed: April 28, 2022
Responsible Dept.: Vice President of Academic & Student Affairs

A signed copy of this policy is available in the President’s Office.

Purpose

The purpose of the policy is to clarify the processes to be followed by students and college stakeholders during the submission and evaluation of CPL e-portfolios for college credit.

Definitions

Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) refers to the opportunity through which college prospects or students may earn college credit for demonstrated college-level learning obtained through a variety of means, such as self-directed, work-based, and experiential learning.

e-Portfolio is digital documentation that defines, organizes, describes, and illustrates the learning students acquired from work, life experiences, or some other form of experiential knowledge that demonstrates college-level learning.

Portfolio Evaluation is a method of assessing experiential learning against the standard of college course objectives/outcomes for the purpose of awarding college credit as may be appropriate.

Sources of Prior Learning for Portfolio Evaluation may include, but are not limited to:

  • Formal workplace training and/or other skills learned on the job
  • Certificates/licenses required for professionals in the student’s occupation and other major life experiences
  • Extensive volunteer and/or civic duty experience
  • Completion of continuing education or workforce development training
  • Self-directed (informal) learning such as reading, travel, symposia, etc.  

Evaluator is a faculty member who is the subject matter expert for the class that is being challenged. Evaluators will be provided professional training on the assessment process to ensure consistent evaluation processes are being utilized by each department. Introduction to PLACE Course (SDV298) is a one credit class that guides learners in discovering what they already know, identifying what college credit they already have, define personal and professional goals, and illustrate how their learning meets the objectives/fits together into an academic credit for prior learning e-Portfolio.

Policy

In order to assess the extent of the alignment between a student’s major work and life experiences and the requirements of the course being challenged, the following processes by all stakeholders must be followed.

  1. A student seeking credit for experiential learning by e-Portfolio evaluation must consult with the CPL Specialist to review the learning they would like evaluated and determine if they will be required to take the portfolio development SDV 298 class. Information on the class (including cost and fees) will be provided. Students providing written portfolios will be required to transfer all content to the VWCC e-portfolio template and will not be required to enroll in the SDV 298 class.
  2. If approved for enrollment in the SDV 298 class, the student will follow VWCC’s guidelines for enrollment and payment.  Financial Aid is not available for this course. 
  3. Notification of intent to challenge a course for credit must be made by the student to the CPL Specialist. The notification must be by email and must include course number, title and the link to their e-portfolio. Incomplete portfolios are not eligible for evaluation.
  4. Financial Services/Accounts Receivable will be notified, by the CPL Specialist, to post a charge of $175.00 for each course to be challenged to the student’s account.  The student will be provided with instructions on payment of the fee; the payment must be paid in full prior to the start of the evaluation. NOTE: No refunds will be provided to students once the evaluation has started.
  5. A request for evaluation will be emailed to the appropriate faculty evaluator, Academic Dean of the discipline and the student. The evaluation request will include a copy of the e-Portfolio link and the approved rubric for the course to be used. The evaluator has up to 2 weeks to complete the evaluation.  The evaluator can approve the e-Portfolio for credit, request additional information from the student or deny credit.
  6. Final evaluation results including the completed rubric will be emailed to the CPL Specialist by the evaluator.  The CPL Specialist will provide the results to the student.  
  7. Notification of the awarded credit will be provided, in writing, to the Registrar by the CPL Specialist. The Registrar will post to the student’s account. Prior learning credits will be listed with a grade of T, do not affect the student’s GPA, and may not be transferrable to other institutions.
  8. If denied, a student has up to two weeks, from the date of the written notice of denial, to file an appeal for denied awards. The appeal request is to be submitted to the CPL Specialist along with a short list of edits and supporting documentation from the student. All appeals become part of the student’s record.
  9. A meeting of the CPL Appeals Team will be scheduled by the CPL Specialist. The CPL Team will consist of the CPL Specialist, Academic Dean of the discipline, and 2 members of the CPL Team. The appeal process may take up to 2 weeks; the student will be notified, in writing, of the result and the decision of the Appeals Team is final.
  10. Evaluators will be compensated in the amount of $125.00 per portfolio with payment processed once the evaluation has been formally completed and approved. Evaluators shall work with the Credit for Prior Learning Specialist to navigate the evaluation process.