A Brighter Future Through Prior Learning

What are common sources of learning outside of a traditional academic environment?

Examples of learning outside of the college coursework that could be recognized include occupational experience and training in the workforce or military, independent study, non-credit courses, volunteer or community service, and non-college courses or seminars.

What are the methods typically used to evaluate a student’s learning for college credit?

• Work experience.
• Professional training.
• Military training.
• Open-source learning from the web and other independent study.
• ACE and National College Credit Recommendation Services.
• Standardized exams (e.g., CLEP exams through the College Board, DSST military exams through Prometric, UExcel exams through Excelsior College).
• Challenge or departmental exams.
• Institutional review of external training, licenses, or certifications.
• Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams.

How does prior learning assessment—or, recognition of learning—help students and institutions?

PLA has been in practice for more than 40 years with well-documented benefits to postsecondary institutions and students:

• Credential completion—new research from CAEL and WICHE found that adult students who participate in PLA are 17 percent more likely to complete, compared to those without PLA.
• Time saved—adult PLA students saved, on average, 9-14 months in earning a degree (CAEL-WICHE study findings).
• Money saved—depending on sector, adult students saved between $1,500 and $10,200 through PLA (CAEL-WICHE study findings).
• Adult student recruitment—PLA meets adult learners where they are. It intersects with several of the Ten Principles for Effectively Serving Adult Learners, which are fundamental to the success of adult learners and the institutions that enroll them. The evidence is clear that PLA hits squarely at what adult students care about most when they are considering postsecondary enrollment: completing credentials quickly and affordably. PLA can bolster your marketing and outreach messages to attract more adults to your institution.
• Enrollment in more classes at the institution—on average, adult students with PLA take 17 more course credits from their college or university compared to those without PLA.
• Validation and motivation—qualitative interviews reveal that both students and institutional representatives find the PLA process to be empowering and validating. Students who earned PLA credit discussed how the act of reflecting on past learning was a positive experience for them and often improved their self-image (Klein-Collins & Olson, 2014).

Why Now? PLA Can Help Workers Accelerate to New Occupations & Careers

Recognition of learning is growing in importance as millions of adult learners look to postsecondary education as a gateway to new employment opportunities.

Offering PLA at Your Institution 

CAEL Can Help Your Students Build on Their Past to Create a Brighter Future

A nonprofit setting the standards in adult learning excellence since 1974, CAEL is a trusted industry partner and advocate for recognizing prior learning. With decades of experience in PLA policy and practice, we have a comprehensive and continually evolving knowledge base for creating and maintaining an effective program for recognizing prior learning.