Credit for Prior Learning or Work Experience
Prior learning includes knowledge and skills acquired outside of formal academic settings that may be gained through continuing education, certifications, licensure, professional endeavors, and workplace training. Lander University offers a structured process for students to identify relevant prior learning, document it, and submit materials for assessment to request academic credit for specific courses that may be applied to their program of study. To earn credit for prior learning (CPL), students must do more than demonstrate that their life or work experience has exposed them to the skills and knowledge taught in a given course. Rather, students must demonstrate to faculty assessors with expertise in the relevant discipline that they have met or exceeded learning outcomes for the course(s) for which they are requesting credit. Credit awarded for prior learning must be equivalent in rigor, level, and learning outcomes to the corresponding instructional course.
Students may present evidence of prior learning in one of two ways:
(1) Students who have earned non-credit credentials, certificates, or licensures may submit evidence of these credentials to appropriate faculty for review. Examples of such credentials include transcripts for courses and training completed through relevant professional associations; government service (such as certificates or trainings with federal agencies and departments); military service, such as a Joint Service Transcript (JST), DD-214, or transcripts from the Army/American Council on Education Registry Transcript System (AARTS), Community College of the Air Force (CCAF), Coast Guard Institute (CGI), and other appropriate transcripts. Examples also include non-credit credentials from a regionally accredited college or university or other industry or nationally accepted certificates. The determination of credit will be based on recommendations by the American Council on Education (ACE) and course approvals by appropriate faculty and college deans of Lander University. Credit is awarded at the discretion of the academic unit and is not guaranteed.
(2) Students who have acquired work experience relevant to their plan of study may develop a portfolio to demonstrate that they have met or exceeded learning outcomes for one or more courses and submit their portfolio to appropriate faculty for review. The portfolio must establish and support the student’s claim that they have developed the specific relevant skills, knowledge, values, attitudes, understandings, achievements, experiences, competencies, training, and certifications aligned with specific course objectives. Credit for prior learning through work experience cannot be used to replace courses where artifacts are collected and used for national or state accreditation and certifications such as, but not limited to, field/clinical experiences.
To earn credit for prior learning, students must submit the “Credit for Prior Learning Request Form,” submit all necessary supporting documents, receive evaluation from qualified faculty assessors with experience in the relevant discipline(s), and receive approval from the dean of the college that houses the course for which credit is being requested.
Course credit earned via CPL may not replace existing, transcripted coursework. Students may not receive CPL by portfolio for any courses which they have previously attempted or completed at Lander University as a regular or audit student.
Course credit acquired through CPL cannot be used to satisfy the minimum number of credit hours that must be completed in residence at Lander University. The total number of CPL and other transfer credit-hours may not exceed 90 credit-hours for a given student.
Individual departments determine how many, if any, CPL credits may be awarded. Credit cannot equate more than the course being replaced (e.g., 3 hours to 3 hours).
Credit awarded for prior learning will be recorded as transfer credit. CPL credit is recorded on the student’s transcript as credit earned and does not carry grade points or affect the institutional GPA.