Policy
Credit for non-traditional learning consists of four categories as defined by the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges:
- CREDIT BY TESTING: Commonly accepted higher education equivalency exams that are documented via a transcript or other official record. These are Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), DANTES subject standardized tests (DSST) or Cambridge "A" level exam.
- PRIOR EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING: Knowledge and skills acquired through experience alone, evaluated (subjectively) by faculty via evaluation of a compilation of work (portfolio).
- EXTRA-INSTITUTIONAL LEARNING: Knowledge and skills acquired outside the institution and objectively verified through third-party certifications, industry-recognized testing/training, and crosswalks.
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COURSE CHALLENGES: Challenge examinations are sufficiently comprehensive to determine that the student has the same knowledge and skills as those students who enroll in, and successfully complete, the course. A student should have previous training, private study, work experience or other bona fide qualifications indicating the student has knowledge or abilities equivalent to course completers. Students may challenge a course only one time; if not successful then the student must take the course at Clover Park Technical College or transfer the course from another institution.
Signed Policy
Procedure
Students requesting credit for non-traditional learning will contact the credentials evaluator in the Enrollment Services office. The Credentials Evaluator will forward the request to the appropriate program faculty.
Faculty receiving the request for Prior Experiential Learning, Extra-Institutional Learning and Course Challenge from the Credentials Evaluator will evaluate these credits for non-traditional learning in relation to the competencies of the program and will award credit for demonstrated learning outcomes that are appropriate to the subject, course or program offered. The faculty will have three (3) weeks to review the student request and return it to the Credentials Evaluator for posting to the student record.
CREDIT BY TESTING: Students must provide an official transcript from the testing source and complete the request for credit evaluation form available from the Enrollment Services office. Credit will be evaluated and be applied if applicable toward the student's program of study with pre-determined course equivalencies. There is no fee for awarding credit by testing. This category in not graded because it is considered transfer credit.
PRIOR EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING: Students will complete the request for a portfolio review through the Credentials Evaluator. The student must pay the $50.00 evaluation fee and the $20.00 credit transcription fee for each course for which Prior Experiential Learning is requested. Once the fee is paid, the request for Prior Experiential Learning will be forwarded to the appropriate program faculty for evaluation and grading. This category may be graded according to the CTPC grading policy.
EXTRA-INSTITUTIONAL LEARNING: Students must provide certificate of industry training to the Credentials Evaluator in the Enrollment Services office. The Credentials Evaluator will forward the certificate and request for evaluation to award credit for all or part of related courses to the faculty member depending on program of study.
This category is not graded because it is considered transfer credit.
COURSE CHALLENGES: Students will complete the request for a course challenge through the Credentials Evaluator and pay the $50.00 evaluation fee and the $20.00 course transcription fee for each course challenge. Once the fee is paid, the request for course challenge will be forwarded to the appropriate program faculty for follow-up with the student and the appropriate method to determine knowledge of course outcomes. This category may be graded according to the CPTC grading policy.
The Credentials Evaluator will post Credits for Non-Traditional Learning within five (5) business days from receiving the credits to be awarded from the faculty. The credits will be transcribed to the student record in compliance with the SBCTC coding manual.
