Portfolio Evalution Tool Helps Members Of The Military And Their Families Get Their Degrees

CAEL Says Work & Life Experience May Be Worth College Credit at www.LearningCounts.org. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) August 16, 2013 - (Chicago - August 12, 2013) - Members of the military and their families interested in completing their degree should know about a new program that can translate a host of work and life experiences into college credit. Pamela Tate, CEO and president of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) announced today. LearningCounts.org teaches people to find practical ways to earn college credit for learning acquired through training, work experiences, volunteering, and more.

According to Tate, "It can be especially difficult for members of the military and their families to complete their degrees given the hardships associated with the need to serve in different parts of the world. Our Portfolio Evaluation Tool can help them get college credit not only for what they have learned on the job, but for cultural experiences and understanding they may have gleaned thanks to that world-wide service."

Tate noted that there are several approaches to utilizing "prior learning assessment" to earn college credit, but that learning portfolios offered by CAEL, through its LearningCounts program, are based on course objectives and subject matter expertise.

She recounted the experience of one Navy veteran who earned credits for eight courses - a total of 24 credits - towards a bachelor's degree in Industrial Manufacturing Engineering. His portfolio was based in part on learning gained as Safety Observer aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

In discussing the program Tate said, "Adults know their knowledge comes from more than just a course, a classroom or a lecture, and we know it too. CAEL has developed a system that evaluates learning experiences including employment, military service, volunteer activities or participation in massive online open courses (MOOCs) which is then documented and assessed in a learning portfolio."

According to Tate, Learning Portfolios are an effective tool for evaluating college level learning acquired outside of traditional academia and helping students earn credits for a college degree in a way that maintains academic rigor. Also, bringing all of their rich experience, college-level learning and college courses together to earn credentials and degrees helps them be more marketable in the workforce.Concluded Tate, "For more than 38 years CAEL has focused exclusively on the needs of adult learners. LearningCounts is a wonderful system that addresses their needs, and we urge everyone, especially veterans and their spouses, to take advantage of this program that can easily put adults on the path toward finishing their degrees."

The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) is a nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization based in Chicago, Illinois that assists adults with their educational endeavors, finding practical ways to transfer learning from prior professional and life experiences and that occur outside the classroom to college course credit and the completion of a postsecondary degree. CAEL works with the public sector, private sector industries and higher education institutions to ensure that adult students receive the most efficient training and education to occupy a meaningful professional place in a 21st century economy. Since 1974, CAEL has assisted colleges and universities in providing PLA. CAEL is the recognized national expert on a PLA method known as portfolio assessment, and their Ten Standards for Assessing Learning are used by colleges and universities, as well as accrediting organizations, across the country.

LearningCounts.org is managed by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), and operates with support from Lumina Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, the State Street Foundation, the Houston Endowment, USA Funds, and Brown Foundation. The Walmart Foundation is also providing support and funding scholarships for eligible users of LearningCounts.

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