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 Many students return to the college
campus with years of experience through their work, professional
and military training, self-study, hobbies, and community
activities, as well as various tests such as Dante’s,
CLEP, proficiency exams, Advanced Placement and certificate
programs resulting in learning that occurs outside the
classroom. Such learning occurs on many levels. To receive
credit for learning occurring outside the college classroom,
the student must substantiate that the knowledge is college-level.
As an adult returning to college, you
have many life and work experiences from which you have
learned. Is the learning college-level? Can it be applied
to your degree program? Assume, for example, you manage
your own business. You have experience in human resources,
planning, scheduling, marketing, and customer service.
You can explain not only what you have done on the job
for the past ten years, but the reasons for your actions
and your knowledge and skills in these areas.
Getting Credit for Life
Experience
A La Roche student can earn up to 21 credits at the undergraduate
level through the options listed below. Credit for Life
Experience credit hours can be applied toward general
and major electives and courses for lower and upper division
requirements for your major.
Non-Traditional Learning
Options to Consider:
• Advanced Placement (AP). Departments approve qualifying
scores through the Advanced Placement Program of the Educational
Testing Service (ETS). Students must have their scores
sent directly to the College Registrar to receive credit.
• Challenge Examinations. A qualified applicant
may earn credit by proficiency Examination upon the recommendation
of the dean of his/her college and the approval of the
registrar. The exam must be taken prior to the last 30
hours at La Roche and a minimum grade of C scored.
• External Examinations. Satisfactory scores on
the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Defense
Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES),
and other examinations evaluated by American Council on
Education (ACE) for college-level credit. Students must
have scores reported directly to the College Registrar.
• Credit for Training. Credit will be awarded for
military training that has been evaluated and recommended
for college credit by the American Council on Education
(ACE). Students must submit documentation (AARTS or SMARTS
transcript is recommended, at minimum a DD214 or DD295)
of training to the College Registrar.
• Portfolio Development. A student may develop a
portfolio to gain college credit. Portfolios are submitted
to the Registrar’s Office and evaluated by La Roche
faculty in the student’s intended major.
How To Begin Portfolio Development
You must be enrolled as a student in a degree program
at La Roche. At the beginning of your academic career
at La Roche, your academic advisor and the Registrar will
review your educational and career goals, your official
college transcripts, and your remaining degree requirements.
The Registrar will decide what requirements you have already
met, and what courses you need to take and will assign
a portfolio advisor to you. He/she will help you to determine
what credit you might earn through Credit for Life Experience.
To begin the process of maximizing credit from external
sources you should follow the steps listed below.
• Make sure all your college transcripts
have been submitted to the Office of Admissions.
• Talk with the Registrar about military training
that could be counted toward your degree. You must have
an AARTS or SMARTS transcript sent directly to the College
Registrar, or present a copy of your DD214 or DD295.
If you have taken examinations for college credit, submit
official copies of your scores to the Registrar’s
Office. If you are planning to take examinations, review
the College Catalog to make sure you know what will count
for credit. Discuss with your academic advisor what courses
can be challenged through examination. Always verify your
eligibility with the Registrar prior to taking these exams.
These essential first steps ensure
that program requirements are met, there is no duplication
of credit, credit will apply in the desired degree program
areas and all appropriate options are used.
What Is A Portfolio?
A portfolio is an organized collection of essays and documentation
demonstrating your learning through work and life experiences.
Through the portfolio, you show that the knowledge you
have gained through experience is equivalent to college
training. In gaining academic credit through your experiences
outside the college classroom, you must be able to identify
and document your experiences and learning. Since you
do not earn academic credit for experience alone, you
must meet the challenges of analyzing the learning and
finding parallels with the La Roche curriculum.
Each portfolio you submit must include
the following major sections/documents:
• An expanded resume
• An educational and career goals statement;
• A learning narrative; and,
• Documentation, (including letters of verification,
copies of certificates, etc.), that provides evidence
of your experience and learning.
You may submit portfolios for several
subject areas. While some components of each portfolio
you submit (e.g., the resume and goals statements) will
be the same, the Learning Narrative and Documentation
will be specific to that portfolio.
Portfolio Checklist
Your portfolio should contain the following:
• Title sheet - name, address, social security number,
e-mail address, and telephone number
• Letter of Submission
• Copy of official transfer evaluation, or Program
Guide sent to you by the Registrar
• Table of contents
• Expanded Resume
• Educational and career goals statement
• Learning narrative
• Documentation
Major Components and their
Requirements: Expanded Resume
• The expanded resume should include the following
information:
1. Name
2. Educational background/experience
3. Employment history
4. Relevant specialized training (e.g., CPR training,
training in the use of specific software programs, etc.)
5. Relevant life experience (e.g., volunteer work, practical
experience with software programs, managing a social organization,
etc.)
6. References
• The resume should include annotations that briefly
explain how specific work experiences constitute creditable
learning experience.
• The resume should contain cross-references—i.e.,
references to sections of the narrative or documentation
in which an evaluator can find further evidence of the
learning in question.
Education and Career Goals Statement
Your 2-3 page Educational and Career Goals Statement should
do a number of things:
• Explain what your long-term
career and educational goals are.
• Explain what you have accomplished in terms of
those goals.
• Explain what you have left to achieve.
• Identify the credit areas you are requesting via
your portfolio (i.e., the course areas for which you are
seeking credit—note that your statement should identify
ALL course areas for which you are seeking credit, even
though each individual portfolio will focus on one area).
• Describe how your portfolio, as a demonstration
of prior learning, supports your goal of attaining the
major/degree you have chosen.
In addition to the statement, you should
include a transcript detailing any prior courses for which
you have received credit.
The Learning Narrative
The Learning Narrative should include the following:
• A statement of how prior learning relates to your
degree plan.
• A list of course(s) or course areas in which you
are seeking credit and why (briefly).
• A detailed description of your experience.
• A detailed discussion of the learning that took
place and why/how that learning relates to the course(s)
or course area in question.
• An Annotated Bibliography.
Some general expectations to keep in mind:
• The focus of your narrative will be on the learning
experience.
• Where possible, incorporate evidence from a range
of sources (e.g., textbooks, interviews, syllabi, other
programs, etc.).
• You will be attempting to persuade/argue that
your learning parallels learning you would acquire in
the course area(s) (i.e., you are not just describing
your learning and hoping it fits).
• You should integrate theory and application—i.e.,
discuss what you have learned and how you have learned
it, while showing that it is relevant learning.
• Please remember that you will be providing a separate
narrative/portfolio for each major course area in which
you will be seeking credit.
The style of writing is important. The learning narrative
is not a term paper, and is written in first person, essay
form. You are describing your experiences and the learning
that resulted from them. You can organize your learning
narrative chronologically or under subcategories, using
learning outcome guidelines provided by your portfolio
advisor.
In general, the length of the narrative ranges from 3-5
pages; length will vary depending upon individual experience,
the number of courses being sought for credit, and the
learning involved.
Documentation
Documentation is the evidence you present for each section
of your portfolio, supporting your learning experiences.
You can use direct and indirect documentation. Direct
documentation, such as a work product, is usually the
strongest supporting evidence of your learning experiences
and outcomes. However, Letters of Verification from Employers
or Experts who can verify your learning are also crucial.
Gear your documentation to the specific
course area or subject area in which you seek credit.
Label it for easy review. Make sure it is connected to
the learning you are trying to demonstrate. Do not put
original documents or photographs in the portfolio.
Examples of the types of documentation
you could submit include the following:
• Job descriptions and/or classifications
• Licenses and certificates
• Newspaper and magazine articles about your accomplishments
• Descriptions of training courses you have completed
• Citations and commendations
• Programs of your performances / exhibits
• Letters of verification
• Brochures or other published materials you have
prepared
Format
Follow these guidelines when organizing your portfolio:
• Make two complete copies for submission to the
Registrar
• Use a three-ring, loose-leaf binder for each copy
of your portfolio.
• Make sure the pages can be turned easily without
damaging them.
• If your portfolio contains too many sections (areas
requested for credit) or is too lengthy for one binder,
use smaller binders and break your work into two volumes.
• Number the pages.
• Make sure photocopies of documentation are legible.
• On the spine of your portfolio binder, place a
label with your name and the semester of your anticipated
degree completion and semester of submission of the portfolio.
Portfolio Submission
Two copies of each portfolio, with the appropriate fee
(See Tuition & Fees
for current choices.), should be submitted to the Registrar.
The Registrar will then forward each portfolio to the
appropriate evaluators for review. A portfolio evaluator
from the particular discipline where credit is requested
will have input in the evaluation of his/her respective
area. The time for assessment of each section is approximately
three weeks. A copy of the student’s completed portfolio
is kept in the Registrar’s Office for a minimum
of one year and may be used as a reference guide for other
portfolio participants.
Portfolio Evaluation and Evaluation Criteria
When an evaluator assesses a portfolio, he or she wants
to see:
• Current skills and knowledge.
• Knowledge applicable in other circumstances outside
the specific job or context in which it was learned.
• Learning that includes major principles applied
in a given field.
• Familiarity with trends and what experts in the
field have said.
• Knowledge that can be measured and evaluated.
• Poor writing will result in a negative assessment
of your portfolio. You must demonstrate college-level
writing skills for college-level credit. Proofread, revise
and edit. Critique for organization, clarity, completeness,
and technical accuracy.
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