Credit for Life/Work

The philosophy of university credit for life/work experience is based upon the concept that not all learning takes place in a classroom. Universities are not interested in having students spend time in classes re-learning what they know or have learned through “life experience.” However, not all life experiences are directly transferable or comparable to university experiences or university credit.

Portfolio Assessment is a means utilized to document learning so that faculty can determine if the student’s prior learning experiences are equivalent to university credit. Student created portfolios document learning that has taken place through seminars, training programs, work experience, travel, volunteer work, community service, or artistic endeavors. The learning must be verifiable and equivalent to that usually obtained in a university level course. The learning should not be so specific as to not have applicability to other situations or environments. For additional information visit http://www.mssu.edu/lifelonglearning; you may also e-mail DLL@mssu.edu or phone (417) 625-9652.