An effective Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) strategy can enhance graduation rates. When a student earns college credit for what he or she already knows, it can motivate students of all ethnic groups to persist in their educations. PLA can validate life experiences, improve confidence in one's academic abilities, and save both money and time.
Certain segments, such as Latinos, blacks, and low-income students, are more likely to be first-generation students, and Latinos are also more likely to be over the age of 25 at enrollment. However, more than ethnicity, race, gender or age, an institution's PLA policies have more of an effect on whether students take advantage of it.
A 2014 study by CAEL and Excelencia in Education revealed several interesting insights:
Because participation relies heavily on the institution's approach to PLA, the burden of developing an effective way to market, manage, and measure PLA rests on each institution. Unfortunately, the study found that strategies often fail to reach the audience, or communicate the wrong message:
The methods used by the institutions to communicate information about PLA reveals a discrepancy between the message the schools believe they are communicating and the message students are actually receiving. Of the 10 institutions studied, all stated that they inform students about PLA options through academic advisers and their website. In addition:
The positioning and messaging can also have an effect on whether students embrace PLA. First-generation, Latinos, low-income, or older students may have little confidence in their academic abilities. Messages couched in terms urging them to "prove what they know" can be intimidating, with some students perceiving the message to be that they need to prove that they belong in college.
Postsecondary institutions must create effective strategies if they want to increase participation in PLA among all student groups. The study suggests a number of strategies that institutions can implement to achieve this goal:
PLA can play a vital part in improving student retention and graduation rates. However, students cannot embrace a program unless they are aware that it exists, and they will be unlikely to pursue a program that they cannot understand. Therefore, it is up to each institution to develop a robust PLA program and promote it effectively.
Studies have shown that students who earn PLA credit are 2.5 times as likely to complete their degrees. The greatest challenge facing postsecondary institutions, however, is finding an effective strategy to promote PLA and encourage participation among all student groups.