Students with a variety of experience may develop a portfolio of professional experiences in order to apply for course credit. This portfolio is a collection of samples of previous work which would document learning. This portfolio is then submitted for evaluation. This portfolio must indicate that the student has met all objectives of the course in order to receive credit. This determination will be made by the faculty member responsible for the course.
Approved credit through this process will be posted to the student’s transcript after a minimum of fifteen (15) credit hours toward a degree have been earned at the college. Twenty five percent of the required credits must be completed prior to awarding credit for prior learning to certificate seeking students.
If pursuing a degree or certificate, credit for a prior learning portfolio will only be granted for the purpose of satisfying graduation requirements. These credits may not transfer to other colleges.
All work assessed for a prior learning portfolio must meet or exceed a grade level of “C.” Minimum cut-off scores on standardized tests are set at a “C” grade level.
The fee to have a portfolio reviewed is $50 per credit hour. A student interested in this credit should contact the Dean of the division responsible for the course. The portfolio will be submitted to the responsible Dean.
The following elements should be included in portfolios to be assessed for credit for prior learning:
- A cover letter listing the Spoon River College credit course and amout of credit sought.
- Table of contents for the completed portfolio.
- List of master course objectives required to obtain credit being sought.
- Description/autobiography of student learning that explains how the master course objectives were obtained by the student.
- Documentation to support competencies and master course objectives achieved by the student. This will be the bulk of the portfolio. It will include documentation of the process by which the student achieved the master course objectives. Typical documentation would include certificates of classes, licensures, statements from supervisors, etc.
- Recommendation letters from outside source(s)/reference(s) regarding the authenticity of the student requesting the credit.
- Detailed resume and complete work history of the student.
- The final step prior to the faculty member assessing the portfolio will be the student making a presentation of the portfolio to the instructor giving the instructor a chance to ask questions.
For questions regarding the prior learning portfolio process at Spoon River College, please contact the Dean, Career/Workforce Education at (309) 649-6294.