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Portfolio Assessment Spring 2026

The College of Adult and Profesional Studies recognizes that not all learning has resulted from the traditional classroom. We strive to work with students who come to us with a vast array of work experience and training through the Prior Learning Assessment (PLA). PLA provides the student with the opportunity to earn credit for learning outside of the confines of a traditional classroom but also allows the learner to illustrate what they know through the construction of a professional, guided portfolio assembly. This path may save students both time and money as they work toward their degrees.

The PLA portfolio process might be right for you if you have developed college-level knowledge, skills, and abilities, and are able to demonstrate that these skills meet the learning objectives of an academic course. This prior learning may be a result of your:  

• Work experience
• Formal corporate or military training
• Business ownership
• Volunteer work
• Civic leadership
• Hobbies
• Independent study

To be awarded credit for prior learning, you must be able to demonstrate that you have met the learning objectives required in a bachelor’s level course. This is done by creating a portfolio. 

Your prior learning portfolio is a collection of materials or artifacts compiled to demonstrate previous college-level learning relevant to your academic degree plan. Each component in the portfolio plays a role in demonstrating mastery of course objectives. Learn more about the components of a portfolio below!

Click below to get started.

PLA Portfolio Application

Portfolio Component

 

• The Educational Goal Statement – This gives you the opportunity to examine your personal motivation in the context of learning and the application of knowledge. This document provides prior learning evaluators with insight and helps them provide appropriate feedback to facilitate life-long learning. 
• The Autobiography – The autobiography focuses on your professional and personal learning endeavors since high school. In writing the autobiography, you will analyze your past experiences in terms of critical incidents that led to learning. This part of the portfolio helps the evaluator understand when, how, and why the learning has occurred. 
• The Resume – A resume allows you to highlight more detail about your responsibilities and accomplishments that have supported learning. The resume provides the evaluator with a timeline and demonstrates the progression of learning. 
• The Narrative – This component is unique for every portfolio because the focus is on the learning objectives for a specific course. You must address each course objective found on the course syllabus, and demonstrate that you have mastered the objectives to the same extent as students who have completed the course. The narrative may be lengthy depending on the course. 
• Documentation – You will need to supply documentation to support the narrative. Documentation is as individual as the learner. It may include items such as sample work products, training certificates, workplace evaluations, letters of recommendation, and/or photographs. 

Instructor : A Staff
Dates : 01/01/26 to 08/31/26
Days : Online
From : 00:00 - 00:00
Fee : $ 480.00
Course Number : CPL-100

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