Award of Academic Credit by Evaluation- Prior Learning Assessment
Herkimer County Community College is committed to the idea that individuals deserve credit for college-level learning, no matter how it was acquired. When this prior learning is at the college level, it can be identified in an evaluative process designed to determine whether it is worthy of college credit as Herkimer County Community College grants credit only for verifiable college-level learning acquired through life or work experience. As credit is granted for verifiable learning, not for the experience itself, the learning can be identified and assessed in a variety of ways to determine if college credit should be awarded. Credit earned in this manner, called credit by evaluation or prior learning assessment, is awarded when it fits appropriately into a student’s degree program. Therefore, this process is only available for students enrolled in a degree or certificate program at Herkimer County Community College. All requests for academic credit by evaluation should be made prior to the start of a student’s second semester.
Defining college-level learning involves many factors. We use the following standards to decide whether learning is college-level:
- The learning should be theoretical as well as practical. For example, if you seek credit for supervising several employees at work, you should be able to explain some understanding of the concepts of motivation, management styles, and job evaluation techniques, as well as the routine processes of day-to-day operations.
- The learning should be identified as college-level when evaluated by a subject-matter expert. This means you should be able to demonstrate by examination, license, portfolio, essay, etc. (at the discretion of the evaluator) that your knowledge or competence meets college-level standards.
People are learning constantly and much of what is learned, no matter how valuable, may be too simple and routine to qualify as college level. Credit for college-level learning may also be earned using recommendations from the American Council on Education (ACE), The National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS), and the Council for the Advancement of Experiential Learning (CAEL).