CAEL’s Overarching Goal:
Meaningful Learning, Credentials, and Work for
Every Adult
For more than 41 years, CAEL has been linking adults’ lifelong learning with credits
and careers
Council for Adult and Experiential Learning
A 501(c)(3) non-profit, international organization with 40 years of lifelong learning experience
National leader in Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) best practices,
research, and writing
Dedicated to removing barriers to adult learning
Standards recognized by regional accrediting bodies
What Is CAEL?
CAEL’s Unique Integrator Role
Colleges & universities
Corporations
Labor unions
Government, community and philanthropic
entities
Public Policymakers
Why Are We Talking About Adult Learners?
Adults with some college and no
degree, 752,337
High School Graduates, 60,180
Adults with some college and no degree High School Graduates7
Source for High School
Graduates: National
Center for Education
Statistics. 2012-2013
school year.
https://nces.ed.gov/progra
ms/projections/projections
2021/tables.asp
Source for Adults with
some college and no
degree: Lumina
Foundation.
http://strongernation.lumin
afoundation.org/report/
What About
Tennessee?
• Lagging in total
enrollment
• Lagging in every
ethnic group
Graphic: Lumina Foundation
Research Tells Us Credit for
Lifelong Learning Helps
Students are More Likely to
Persist to Graduation!
Graduation and Completion
Baccalaureate students are
2.5X times more likely to
persist to graduation
2.5X
Credit for Prior
Learning Helps Adults
• See the End Goal
• Feel Empowered
• Decrease Cost
• Feel Valued
Prior Learning Assessment is the process for evaluating knowledge and skills to award college credit for learning from:
What is Prior Learning
Assessment? (PLA)
Independent
Study
Training Courses
and/or Certifications
Military and Volunteer
Service
On-the-job training
Work Experience
The Variety of PLA Methods
Industry Recognized Certificates
Evaluated Non-College
Training
Standardized Tests
Student Portfolios
College
Credit,
College
Completion
Getting to Scale with PLA
• Not enough colleges granting credit for prior learning,
and even when they do, marketing to students is weak
• Adult learners are not aware of PLA so they often
repeat what they already know
• Need for consistent application of CAEL standards
• Need for a national, accessible online approach
• Not enough trained faculty experts to review portfolios
• Compensation structure for portfolio reviews is
inconsistent or non-existent
What is LearningCounts?
•Online Portfolio
Development Course•Portfolio Tool and
Guidance
•Individualized Assessment by
FacultyIncludes Free College Credit Predictor
Overview of
LearningCounts
• Portfolios are routed electronically to CAEL-
trained faculty assessors with appropriate subject
matter expertise
• Students find out within 2 weeks if portfolio credit
is recommended.
• Credits are transcribed on a CAEL/NCCRS
Transcript or directly by Featured Network
colleges and universities
Portfolio Development Course Details
•Linking Learning and Work | www.cael.org ©
Course Name TBD by Institution
Course Length
6-weeks in length
(2-week optional portfolio
workshop immediately following)
Description
This is an accelerated instructor-
led, online course with weekly
assignments. Includes one
portfolio assessment.
Credit Details3 Credit Elective Pass/Fail
+ 1 portfolio assessment
Grade DeliveryVia Grade Form Institution Project
Lead
Portfolio Development Course Details• Delivered via LearningCounts LMS
• Sections of 25 students or less
• All individual assignments (no
group work)
• Textbook is included in the course
• Students can order a printed
textbook: http://www.kendallhunt.com/cael/
•Linking Learning and Work | www.cael.org ©
Course Assignment Overview• Weeks 1-6: Multiple assignments due on Sundays @ 11:59 PM
Central (weeks run Monday through Sunday)
• Weeks 7 & 8: Optional Portfolio Workshop
• Final Paper is the learning narrative document and is the
major component of the portfolio
• APA Style formatting required
• Turnitin (plagiarism detection) is integrated with assignments
in LMS
•Linking Learning and Work | www.cael.org ©
Portfolio Development• Portfolio contains a single course
• Students must have syllabus
• Must be undergraduate (100-400) level– No capstones
– No internships
– No developmental courses
– No practicums
– No lab courses or courses with lab components
• Portfolio evaluations are completed in about two weeks
• Portfolio credit recommendations are Pass/Fail
• Portfolio must be submitted within 6 months of beginning portfolio course
Popular Portfolio Areas
• Business and Management
• Information
Systems/Technology
• Human Resources
• Finance/Accounting
• Criminal Justice/Legal
• Hospitality/Event Management
• Healthcare Administration
80%Success Rate
LearningCounts Faculty Assessors
• 100% hold a minimum of a Master’s degree in
their field
• 63% hold a terminal degree
• At least 18 hours at the graduate level in the
areas they assess
• Receive ongoing training and evaluation for
continuous improvement
• 100% are committed to our PLA philosophy and
student success!
Adult Student to Portfolio Completion
• Meet Mark
• Earning his BA degree in Business Management at Loyola University Chicago
• 12 year long international career in various industries and markets
– 6 years as Systems Engineer
– 6 years as Design Engineer
Portfolio Assessment
• Students use course match – one portfolio per 3 credit
course
• Assessors are subject matter experts, significant amount have
terminal degrees in the subject matter and all have taught the
classes in the subject matter/disciplines of the portfolios they
are evaluating
• Assessors must complete LearningCounts, CAEL, or DePaul
assessor training
• Assessors are faculty from colleges and universities
nationwide—they evaluate portfolios and make credit
recommendations
Credit is for LEARNING, not for experience
Subject matter experts make
credit recommendations
Any fees are for assessment, not
for the amount of credit awarded
Key CAEL Standards
Who is a good candidate for portfolio?
• Do they have at least 5 years of
professional experience in an applied area
that aligns with courses at your institution?
• Have they taken or tested out of Basic
Composition Course and will feel
comfortable writing a 5-10 page paper?
• Have they completed at least 1 other
online course?
• Do they have flexibility within their degree
plan to earn portfolio credits?
Enrolling in LearningCounts
Adviser Identifies Student Adviser Enrolls Student Student Completes Course & Portfolio
Student is good candidate
for portfolio
Adviser and student select
course or courses for
portfolio
Adviser gives student the
syllabi for the selected
courses
Adviser enrolls students in
CAEL 100/PLA 100
Christine sends name/email
to
g
LearningCounts reaches out
to student via email
Student passes CAEL 100 on
LearningCounts Portal
Student submits portfolio
for assessment
Grade reports for CAEL 100
and portfolios emailed to
Christine
Student submits additional
portfolios
Few Colleges Implement on
Their Own at Scale
Research has found:
• PLA offerings are inconsistent across departments.
• PLA credit often officially available, but not always advocated or promoted.
• PLA programs vary widely from college to college and consistency and transferability of PLA credits is a concern.
• College administrators see considerable potential or future demand for PLA, but many do not have plans to expand their offerings