Lifelong Learning

     Portfolio Assessment 

         University Credit for Life/Work Experience

Philosophy Behind  Portfolio Assessment

 What is Portfolio Assessment?

Kinds of Assessed Experiences

Portfolio Content

  Criteria for Identifying University Level Learning

Procedure to Follow

The philosophy behind portfolio assessment is based upon the concept that not all learning takes place in a classroom and that some outside the classroom learning is equivalent to college level learning. Further, it assumes that colleges are not interested in having students spend time in classes re-learning what they know or have learned through "life experience." Portfolio Assessment is a means utilized to document learning so that it may be assessed by faculty to determine if certain prior learning experiences were equivalent to college credit work. However, not all life experiences are directly transferable or comparable to college experiences or college credit.

Portfolio assessment is a process whereby the learner presents a collection of information to a faculty assessor. The faculty assessor then evaluates the information and makes a recommendation on what learning should be credited. The recommendation of the faculty advisor will then be forwarded on to the appropriate Department head and/or Dean that would then forward the credit request to the office of the Vice President for Lifelong Learning. If credit has been granted the Lifelong Learning office will insure that the registrar’s office places this credit on the learner’s permanent transcript.

A check must be attached to the portfolio document when it is turned in to the faculty assessor. The learner will be required to pay a $50.00 initiation fee for each class that he or she is attempting to obtain credit for. The initiation fee is non-refundable. In addition the learner will pay $60.00 for each hour of credit that is requested. The student will receive a refund of the $60.00 per credit hour if credit is not granted.

Learning is experiential and can be gained from numerous experiences. Most portfolios tend to document learning that has taken place through non-accredited seminars and training programs, work experience, travel, hobbies, volunteer work, community service, or artistic endeavors. However, the learning must be verifiable and equivalent to that usually obtained in a college level course. The learning should not be so specific as to not have applicability to other situations or environments.

Simply put, the portfolio is a collection of information about the student, an organized document of the students past learning and accomplishments, present status, and future goals. Below is the format that student should follow. This format incorporates the recommendations of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning:

1. Cover letter – states the student’s credit request for a specific course or courses.

2. Chronological Record – a record of the highlights of the student’s experience in a sentence or two for each year or block of years (an annotated resume), since high school up to the present time.

3. Goals Paper (1-3 pages) – describes the student’s personal, career, and educational goals.

4. Competence Area Narrative – This is the heart of the portfolio and is organized around the prior learning from experience and is matched to the course requested from Missouri Southern for which the student is seeking credit.  The student should seek to demonstrate that they have met each of the course (discipline) objectives.

5. Missouri Southern State University syllabus – of the course for which the student is seeking credit.

6. Documentation – this is the final major section and includes all of the relevant materials that verify and support the learning the student is claiming for each competence area. This would include (but is not limited to) certificates, letters from employers, copies of performance evaluation, special commendations, newspaper articles, actual products of your work, etc.

The portfolio preparation should be an exercise in self-evaluation, analysis, synthesis, and clear and concise writing.

Identifying learning or competencies acquired through life experiences is critical to the assessment process. The individuals who assess your portfolio will do so with the following criteria in mind:

1. The learning must be measurable. – The portfolio needs to indicate experience in such a way that the evaluator can objectively assess the level of learning.

2. The learning should be at a level of achievement defined by faculty. – It must fall in the domain considered for degree credit in higher education as opposed to secondary or continuing education for non-credit purposes.

3. The learning must be applicable outside the specific job or context in which it was acquired.

4. The learning should have a knowledge base. – It must imply a conceptual as well as practical understanding of a subject. It should combine theoretical learning and applied learning.

5. The learning should be related to goals. – The portfolio should show some relationship between the applicants learning and his/her personal, educational and career goals.

1. Set up a meeting with the office of Lifelong Learning, Dr. Jack G. Spurlin (417) 625-9652.  (This is the first step and will help you determine the feasibility of receiving credit.)

2. Set up a meeting with the faculty member who will advise you on the development of your portfolio.

3. Develop with sufficient detail your portfolio.

4. Submit your portfolio (with check attached) to Dr. Jack Spurlin, Vice President for Lifelong Learning.