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).
- Includes life experience/portfolio
- EXTRA-INSTITUTIONAL LEARNING: Knowledge and skills acquired outside the institution and objectively verified through third-party certifications, industry-recognized testing/training, and crosswalks.
- includes ACE Training programs/institutes, industry certifications (e.g. NCLEX-RN)
- includes Occupational Crosswalks (e.g. Police Academy, Fire Academy, Americorps, etc.)
- 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
Prior Experiential Learning and Course Challenge
Students requesting academic credit for Prior Experiential Learning (PEL) and Course Challenge will follow these steps:
- Contact the faculty to request Academic Credit for Prior Learning (ACPL).
- Schedule the Portfolio Review or the Course Challenge.
- Pay the $50.00 evaluation fee and the $20.00 transcript processing fee at the Cashiers office.
- Faculty may opt to waive the $50.00 evaluation fee.
- Complete the assessment.
Both PEL portfolio and the course challenge assessment will be graded based on the CPTC grading policy.
NOTES: 1. Students may take the course challenge one time. If a passing grade is not earned, then the student must take the course. 2. Not all CPTC courses are eligible for a course challenge. Please see the Prior Learning Assessment website for a list of courses available for a course challenge.
CREDIT BY TESTING
Students must provide an official transcript from the testing source to the Credentials Evaluator. The transcript will be evaluated and credit applied to the student's record if applicable toward the student's program of study. There is no fee for awarding credit by testing. This category is not graded because it is considered transfer credit.
EXTRA-INSTITUTIONAL LEARNING
Students must provide certificate of industry training to the program faculty for evaluation. This category is not graded because it is considered transfer credit.
Additional information and timeline for faculty receiving the request for Prior Experiential Learning Course Challenge and Extra-Institutional Learning: Faculty will evaluate the 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 15 instructional days to evaluate the student request and return it to the Credentials Evaluator for posting to the student record.
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.
