Prior learning credit (PLC) awards academic credit based on the evaluation of verifiable college-level learning achieved outside of an academic environment. Every institution of higher learning uses some internal process to vet PLC and award transcript-based credit. However, the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), the American Council on Education (ACE), and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) recognize that students (especially nontraditional, low-income, and students of color who face higher risks of not graduating) are increasingly pursuing nontraditional routes to obtain college degrees or credentials, often attending several colleges and incorporating learning from outside traditional educational settings. Accordingly, colleges must reassess their policies on credit awarding and transfer to support these students as they move between institutions or even between programs (such as clock hour vs. credit hour) within the same institutions. Learn how Gateway Community College is assessing prior learning in their health care programs, how Northern Arizona University is vetting processes that a community college uses (rather than reevaluating the PLC) to accept PLC transfer credit, and how to create trust-based practices to increase PLC acceptance between programs and institutions. Participants will be involved in sharing practices at their own institutions.
