Education Sustainability: Combining Academic/Workplace Learning in Undergraduate Degrees Through Prior Learning Assessment and Portfolio Development

• In Event: Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: Assessment, Portfolios, and Motivation in Workplace Learning

Abstract

During the summer of 2009 49 institutions of higher learning in the USA and Canada participated in a research study sponsored by the Council on Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL). The purpose of the study was to explore the efficacy and sustainability of adult bachelor degree programs with a PLA element. Graduation rates, persistence, and time to degree were compared between students who participated in prior learning assessment (PLA ) and non-PLA students. Data was collected and analyzed on more than 62,000 adult learners seeking to complete an undergraduate program. The study findings support the use of PLA to enhance sustainability and innovative assessment practices in adult higher education (Brown, 2011).

Author

• Judith O. Brown, Barry University