LEARN Commission Final Report Calls for Less Bias, More Data When Evaluating Prior Learning

The Learning Evaluation and Recognition for the Next Generation (LEARN) Commission has released its final report. Learning Evaluation for the 21st Century: Recommendations To Transform Policy and Practice To Meet Changing Needs urges higher ed practitioners to avoid a deficit-based mindset by embracing diverse learning experiences that have prepared students for further education.

When considering sources of potential credit, faculty and staff should ignore variables such as institution, accreditation type, or course modality and recency, all sources of potential bias, according to the report. Instead, credit decisions should be more broadly based on a minimum of 70% overlap in learning outcomes, relying on more data to continually improve accuracy and efficiency. 

The LEARN Commission, a national partnership between the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) and Sova, was formed in 2024. Its purpose is to support the inclusion of a broader range of postsecondary learning and bolster the policies and procedures that underpin its evaluation. 

Dr. Beth Doyle, CAEL senior vice president of initiatives and solutions, is among the LEARN commissioners. The commission’s close alignment with CAEL’s mission is also evident in its nomenclature. The report stresses the commission’s preference of the phrase “learning evaluation” over the traditional “credit evaluation” to call attention to the importance of recognizing competencies gained outside of the classroom.

The learning evaluation process deserves such attention because it consumes heavy resources, is highly decentralized, and has a major impact on learner outcomes, according to the report. Echoing CAEL research, it warns that a failure to award credit for prior learning can add time and expenses to the pursuit of a degree, threatening completion. 

Increasing transfer and other adult learner student populations, in contrast to high school cohorts projected to decline through 2041, add to the urgency of learning evaluation, the report asserts. However, it warns that learning evaluation processes are not prepared to capitalize on the opportunities these trends present.

The LEARN Commission focused on four aspects of learning evaluation important to learning ability: traditional transfer between institutions, high school dual enrollment, credit for prior learning, and applying AI and other technology to evaluation processes. In its report, the commission argues that a consistent protocol should prevail regardless of the source of learning under evaluation. 

The commission identifies nine preeminent factors that define the learning evaluation landscape:

• High variability: Inconsistency among and within institutions adds to the complexity learners face. 
• Manual processes: Learning evaluation entails a multistep, labor-intensive routine involving many faculty and staff. 
• Diffused decision making: In the absence of a unified point of coordination, learners, faculty, and staff struggle to understand governing processes. 
• Unclear faculty role: Faculty authority in learning evaluation varies in practice and perception.
• Few national standards: A lack of universal guidelines leaves learners and practitioners in the dark.
• Lack of transparency: Uncertainty is driving inconsistency and inefficiency in learning evaluation. 
• Underdeveloped data and technology infrastructure: Complex efforts to crosswalk diverse learning experiences are not supported by properly developed data and technology infrastructure.
• Lack of focus on the end goal: As a result of limited data resources, systematic approaches for evaluating learner outcomes are lacking.
• Impact on learner experience: Learner experiences also vary greatly.

The report offers several recommendations for acting on these factors. Implementing them, it argues, can help higher ed reverse enrollment losses, better meet workforce needs, and support broader community prosperity. 

The report is available on the ACCRAO website.