Ways to Earn College Credit That Don’t Include Traditional Online Courses
Did you know that just last year alone, TESU students received 273,753 credits toward their degrees that didn’t involve a single traditional online course?
That’s more than enough credits for a lifetime, for 1,000 lifetimes. Suddenly, fulfilling 120 credits for a bachelor's degree seems doable.
Almost 85% of the TESU student body is 25 or older, and so it makes sense that you may have acquired college-level knowledge outside of the classroom that might be worth college credit.
Prior learning assessment (PLA) is a selection of credit-earning methods that allow you to leverage what you learned outside of the classroom for college credit. That means that if you can demonstrate what you learned as a result of your training, work, military service or other life-learning experience, you can turn it into credit toward your degree. So if you already have the knowledge, there is no need to sit through courses that cover the same material.
In fact, nearly every requirement in every undergraduate degree program at the University can be completed through alternative course options, whether through testing, portfolio development or by earning credit for professional training programs that you’ve completed through your profession, so you can complete your degree faster. Best of all: the PLA process allows students with college-level knowledge to earn those credits at a much lower cost than taking the courses.
Once you’ve done an initial self-assessment to evaluate what you may or may not know, you can use prior learning assessment to earn credit for what you do. Here’s how:
Professional Learning Reviews
A variety of credentials, licenses, certifications and training programs have been independently reviewed by the University’s Office of Professional Learning Review (OPLR) and determined to be worth college credit. These evaluations are known as Professional Learning Reviews (PLR). Popular PLR credits include aviation FAA credentials, nuclear industry training, military training, police academies and related training programs, UPS, Ma’alot/Zaidner Institute, nursing (RN license) and other allied health fields. If you have successfully completed any of these eligible reviews conducted by the University, submit the official documentation of completion to receive credit toward your degree program. These credits can be applied to any part of your program, including the area of study, as long as they fit the requirements of your degree and do not exceed the limitation of transferable credits from any one source.
American Council on Education CREDIT and National College Credit Recommendation Service
The American Council on Education (ACE) CREDIT and the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS) contain thousands of credit recommendations for courses, apprenticeships and exams offered by a range of evaluated organizations, from government to business. If you completed any educational programs through organizations like StraighterLine, Saylor Academy or Study.com, or training programs through companies like Disney, Starbucks or Microsoft, you can earn college credit for your learning experiences. Both ACE CREDIT and NCCRS publish the full offering of their credit recommendations online. These organizations are constantly updating their credit recommendations, so check the listings often to find new opportunities to earn credit or ensure that you are pursuing credits that will apply toward your degree.
To get college credit for ACE CREDIT recommendations, the University must receive an official ACE transcript that documents your completed courses and exams, which can be created and ordered online here.
Credit-by-Exam
There are dozens of examination programs that allow students to earn credit by taking exams instead of courses. All of these programs test your knowledge on the subject content taught through a college class. When you earn a passing score on these examinations, you prove that you have the knowledge and skills equivalent to that of students who learned the material in a college course. For example, if you have taken a massive open online course (MOOC) or open course, you can apply what you learned by taking an equivalent exam and get college credit for a passing score.
There are more than 150 assorted exams from which to select, including TECEP, the University’s own credit-by-exam program as well as the College-Level Examination Programs (CLEP), DSST Exams and the NYU Foreign Language Proficiency Exam in more than 30 languages.
Credit by PLA Portfolio Assessment
If you acquired college-level knowledge as a result of training, working or other learning experience, you may be able to earn college credit by demonstrating that knowledge through portfolio development. PLA-1010 is an online course that helps you understand how to earn credit for what you already know. PLA-1010: Prior Learning Portfolio is a 3-credit, 12-week course that assists students in identifying existing knowledge, competencies and skills, which may include prior learning, college equivalent knowledge, licenses, certificates and testing for credit equivalents. Guided by a course mentor, students construct a portfolio reflecting their combined learnings, experiences and achievements aligned with their educational goals. Students partner with a course mentor and a content matter expert mentor to develop, advance and complete a PLA e-portfolio for submission. A subject matter expert will review your portfolio and determine if credit is to be awarded.
With PLA-1010, students may earn up to 12 credits (that's four courses!) of portfolio assessment at no additional cost. So if you already have the knowledge, you can earn a great deal of credit by completing multiple portfolios.
Demonstration of Currency
As an adult learner, there may be instances where you earned a credential prior to a PLR effective-date period, most notably in business or technology. If you believe you can demonstrate the body of knowledge represented in the most current PLR report, you may be able to transfer those credits by establishing your knowledge in the subject area content of the course in question through a Demonstration of Currency. This approach serves as a hybrid to the traditional portfolio assessment process.
You can demonstrate that you are current with the body of knowledge in our current PLR by submitting an application and attaching your evidence. The application lists the types of evidence you will need to submit. Please note that we cannot award credit based on a renewal credential alone, but it can be used in combination with other evidence.
The application and all corresponding documentation is then reviewed by OPLR to determine if you have successfully demonstrated current knowledge of the subject area content of the credential in question. A phone conference may take place between the application reviewer and you to clarify any questions that may arise during the review process. An appropriate subject matter expert may interview you to determine currency with the learning outcomes detailed in the most current PLR report, at the discretion of the school associated with the PLR.