Complete a brief Prior Learning Assessment Form. Email, fax, or mail this form to the College of Arts & Sciences Prior Learning Assessment Coordinator. The Coordinator may contact you to ask additional questions regarding your learning. This conversation is critical to ensure that you know what types of prior learning are applicable before you begin portfolio development. DO NOT BEGIN PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT UNTIL THIS FORM HAS BEEN SUBMITTED AND RETURNED TO YOU.
PLA Coordinator: Lamont Sellers
Regent University College of Arts & Sciences
1000 Regent University Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23464
Email: PLA@regent.edu
Phone: 757.352.4385

PLA Application

The cover sheet for the PLA Portfolio should contain the following:

• Your full name
• Signature
• Phone and FAX number(s)
• Mailing address
• Regular email address
• Detailed list of all prior learning experiences to be evaluated
• Additional PLA portfolio specifications:
  • The portfolio should be submitted in a three-ring binder.
  • Do not enclose materials in plastic sheet protectors.
  • Sections must be clearly separated by dividers and labeled.
  • All sections of the portfolio must be on 8 1/2 x 11 paper.
  • All documents and certificates should be copies rather than originals.
    however, originals must be available upon request.
  • Additional Supporting documentation may be included as appendices.
  • Do not use abbreviations or acronyms for courses or specific learning experiences.

Complete a 3-5 page autobiography outlining your educational, military, and employment background; begin with your high school graduation or completion of GED. This will introduce who you are and establish the foundation for your credit petition(s). The narrative is your concise account of the significant experiences in your life. You have the opportunity to highlight those events that contributed to your personal and professional development. Suggested categories include:

• Education
• Professional experiences (include job titles and responsibilities)
• Military experience
• Training experiences
• Teaching experiences
• Volunteer experiences

Very personal information should be included only if it is directly relevant to your educational and professional pursuits. Develop the information in your autobiography in chronological order. Relate events in enough detail to give a general understanding of how they have made an impact on your life, but save the specific details for the narrative section of your portfolio. You should relate your life experiences to the development of your portfolio and include such topics as: changes in your values, the foundation of your knowledge, your skill development, the influence of individuals and/or groups on your life, areas of strength and weakness, etc.

Carefully craft an essay that details the specific concepts, knowledge, and skills you acquired from the life learning experience you choose to describe and explain how it has applied to your professional life. Essay must be eight to ten pages in length. This essay should thoroughly demonstrate that 1) your learning experiences are appropriate to receive credit and, 2) you are able to describe your learning in a way that can be evaluated completely and accurately. Copies of all documentation supporting the request for credit should follow each individual essay, and may include certificates, awards, commendations, or job evaluations that demonstrate learning, documentation of non-credit courses completed outside of a post-secondary institution, verification letters from appropriate instructors, etc. One essay and appropriate documentation must be provided for each unit of learning expected to be credited.

PLA evaluators look for content, format, structure, grammar and style in the essays. Consider the following questions:

• Is the essay appropriately documented?
• Did the experience lend itself to college-level learning?
• Is the topic discussed in the depth and breadth necessary for the number and level of credits requested by the student?
• Is the essay well written? Does the writing (organization, usage, style, spelling, and accuracy of typing) conform to the standards of acceptable formal American English expected of upper division college students?

Essays which exhibit one or more of the following shortcomings may be awarded fewer credits than requested:

• Limited scope.
• Inadequate development of principles/generalizations.
• Lack of appropriate documentation.
• Lack of adequate experience and personal involvement.
• Inaccurate content.
• Poorly written (grammar, usage, spelling, typographical errors, sentence structure, and organization of content).
• Inappropriate credit request.
• Inappropriate credit request.

Documentation Requirements

The experiential learning essay must include the following documentation:

• Verification of successful completion of the experiential learning from a third party. This may be a certificate of completion, employee training record, a letter from the instructor, the agency sponsoring the course, or your training or personnel office. Letters of verification must be on company letterhead, which includes the address and telephone number of the company, and must be signed by the instructor or a representative of the training organization.
• Verification of contact (classroom) hours. Hours may be verified on the certificate of completion or in a letter from the sponsoring agency, training officer or instructor, or on an official course syllabus or brochure. Letters of verification must be on company letterhead and must be signed by the instructor or a representative of the training organization.
• Description of course content. The student must include a description of the course content (syllabus) for each course so that the College of Arts & Sciences can effectively evaluate the depth and level of the curriculum.

The College of Arts & Sciences typically uses the following rubric to determine if the course is college level and complies with regular transfer credit policies:

The following should NOT be included in the experiential learning essay:

• Professional courses which have been transcripted by a regionally accredited institution of higher learning;
• Courses which are too brief to be considered for credit. Do not submit courses that are fewer than fifteen hours in length;
• Conventions or conferences (unless Continuing Education Units were awarded, and learning outcomes can be supported with documentation).

At the time you submit your portfolio please include a check or money order payable to Regent University in the amount of $300 for the evaluation of your prior learning with your Portfolio. As previously noted, the non-refundable fee paid by the student for Prior Learning Assessment reflects the specific service performed and is not linked to the amount of credit awarded.

Once your portfolio has been received you will receive an informal determination via email and a formal written determination via mail.

If your prior learning experience has resulted in an award of credit(s), the amount of credits awarded will be stated in the letter. Additionally , a "P" designation will be recorded on your transcript to denote the award of PLA credits.

If your Prior Learning Assessment resulted in the award of no credits or less than you expected you have the option of engaging the Appeal Process (see below).