PLA Ad Hoc Committee on Prior Learning Assessment

Meeting #4: Thursday,March30, 2017

In Attendance:Michelle Bandla, Sandy Bargainnier, Angela Galvin, Christy Huynh, Greg Ketcham, Corie Kohlbach, Ryan Lynn, Rameen Mohammadi, Benjamin Ogwo, Ben Parker, Jill Pippin, Joey Tse, Sarah Wehrle, Georgina Whittingham, Dan Wood

Absent:Rick Back, Jean Chambers, Denise DiRienzo, Craig Green, Tom Ingram, Lisa McGhee-Laracuente, Rob Lee, Angela Livingston, Mary Beth Longo, Mike Murphy, Shelly St. John, Mary Toale

  1. Welcome

Co-chairs Pippin and Bargainnier outlinedthe agenda andasked for agenda updatesfrom members (none were offered).

  1. SUNY Oswego Inventory of PLA Activities
  1. Final Edits from Committee:
  2. The differences between proficiency, placement, course credit, and course waiver were discussed at length.
  • Huynh felt that some of the items in the “other assessments” category could be moved to the non-credit bearing section because they deal with placement/waiver issues.
  • Mohammadi believes that placements, while not strictly PLA (because you don’t earn or waive credit) should still be included in the inventory because the document is simply outlining what we already do in support of prior learning.
  • Bandlasaid that ALEKS is a placement tool,not a challenge exam. She also asked that the reference to waiving MAT 120 for MAT 210 be removed from the inventory.
  • Ogwo pointed out that VTP credits are earned through the Occupational Competency Exam. The OCE is used to award 30 credits in a chosen trade, therefore this item should be moved to the credit bearing category.
  • Wood discussed music auditions and piano proficiency, both of which are placement tools.
  • Several people stressed that AP, CLEP, IB transfer and international credits are evaluated by departments as well as Admissions and the Registrar.
  • Mohammadi and Lynnnoted that defining PLA is murky. The phrase is used interchangeably to refer tocreditbearing PLA as well as placement based PLA.

Action Item/Next Steps: Co-chair Pippin will revise the inventory to reflect feedback offered by the committee. The documentwill be distributed /presentedat Faculty Assembly April 17, 2017 for on campus review and comment.

  1. Response to Discussion re: Need for Additional PLA Opportunities at SUNY Oswego
  1. Update on Modern Language Course waivers for speakers of other languages:
  • Based on consultations withWhittingham and Lalande,we are investigatingLanguage Testing International a company that offers proficiency testing in many languages. This may present the opportunity to provide cost-effective assessments for additional languages not already able to be assessed at SUNY Oswego.

Action Item/Next Steps: We are currently getting test examples in French, Spanish and German and comparing scores to see if there is confidence in the tests as a reliable measurement for waivers.

  1. Update on Prior Learning Portfolio discussion with Curriculum & Instruction:
  • Co-chair Pippin discussed the idea of portfolio assessment with faculty from the department of Curriculum & Instruction. Because it aligns with their mission, they are willing to assist with this endeavor. They are interested in developing a class(taught by SOE faculty) teaching students to create portfolios that showcase their college-level learning outcomes that may be evaluated for credit by the appropriate department.

Action Item/Next Steps: Co-chair Pippin will work with Curriculum & Instruction to craft a course utilizing best practices in PLA portfolio development.

  1. Prior Learning Assessment Policy Discussion
  1. Feedback on other college’s policies: Members were assigned the task of reviewing PLA policies at a minimum of two colleges and asked to discuss their findings. A rough draft policy document was created by Co-chair Pippin and shared as a starting point. In terms of policy creation:
  • Mohammadiand Ogwofeel the policy must clearly state that, while Extended Learning would be the functional area for administering PLA, the process is faculty/department driven.
  • Mohammadi also felt the language must identify the range of things the policy will yield (e.g. credit, exemption, both?). He said we need to be careful that we don’t create a situation where we award credits that don’t move the student forward towards their degree requirements. This already happens with transfer credit and is misleading to students.
  • Ketcham stated that we should attempt to differentiate from instructional activity (that which occurs within the classroom) vs. experiential and other activity (such as CLEP, portfolio, etc.)
  • Tse pointed out that the number of PLA credits awarded can impact a student’s federal student loan status. He also acknowledged that if we are trying to recruit the non-traditional or military population (which is one of the goals for the Syracuse branch campus) this is a good fit because they are clamoring for it, while the traditional 18 year old has little interest.
  • All agreed it’s critical to include instructional and experiential links on our web site to correlate with PLA policy and ensure consistency.
  • Co-chair Pippin encouraged all to review the Tennessee State University undergraduate catalog because there is a wealth of PLA related information available there.
  • In response to a question regarding the demand for PLA in higher education, members were urged to review the data available on the resources page of the committee’s web site.

Action Item / Next Steps: Members are expected to continue reviewing PLA policies at other institutions, as well as the 10 Standards for Assessing Learning from CAEL, and email your feedback to Pippin or Galvin before the next meeting.

  1. Edits to Draft SUNY Oswego PLA Policy: tabled until April meeting.

Action Item / Next Steps:Members should review the SUNY Oswego PLA Policy draft document and be prepared to discuss and refine collaboratively at our next meeting.

Meeting adjourned at 2:20 p.m.Next Meeting April 24th at 3:00 pm in 205 Marano CC.

PLA Ad Hoc Committee PLA Policy Assignments

Please review at least 2 of the following PLA policies prior to our March 30 and April 24 2017 meetings. Then reflect on how certain elements of the policies may or may not be appropriate at SUNY Oswego. Provide your feedback at the meetings to inform the committee’s PLA policy recommendation.

Angela Livingston
Ben Parker
Benjamin Ogwo
Christy Huynh
Shelly St. John / Wright State /
CorieKohlbach
Craig Green
Greg Ketcham
Denise DiRienzo
Michael Murphy
RameenMohammadi / Tennessee State System / pages 27-29)
Jean Chambers
Joey Tse
Lisa McGhee-Laracuente
Michelle Bandla
Georgina Whittingham / Tennessee State System /
Michael Murphy
Marybeth Longo
Georgina Whittingham
Daniel Wood
RameenMohammadi
Robert Lee / University of Toledo /
Michelle Bandla
Shelly St. John
Rick Back
Ryan Lynn
Tom Ingram / Cleveland State University / (scroll to “Alternative Credit” section)
Robert Lee
Sarah Wehrle
Tom Ingram
Ben Parker
Joey Tse / Texas A & M / (scroll to “Credit for Prior Learning” section)
Angela Livingston
CorieKohlbach
Greg Ketcham
Rick Back
Daniel Wood / Ohio State System / (A state-wide effort to embrace PLA, PDF has some great info, and the tabs hold more info – particularly the RESOURCES tab with link to other “Institution PLA Webpages”)
Christy Huynh
Denise DiRienzo
Jean Chambers
Ryan Lynn
Daniel Wood / National College Transition Network’s PLA Policy Template /
Craig Green
Benjamin Ogwo
Marybeth Longo
Lisa McGhee-Laracuente
Sarah Wehrle / Pearson’s Recognition of Prior Learning Policy & Process /

CAEL’s 10 Standards for Assessing Learning :