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Click here for PDF copy of the procedures.
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CREDIT FOR PRIOR LEARNING (CBE) EQUIVALENCY TOWARD AN RCTC COURSE LEARNING FROM NON-WORK EXPERIENCE
(RCTC Policy 3.15.4)

Part 1. Definition: Rochester Community and Technical College’s policy for the evaluation of learning which occurred through methods other than transfer college credits (i.e. self-study, correspondence coursework, coursework at the workplace, etc.). is designed to enable a student to further their program of study.

The determination of college credit is predicated on learning which is approved to be equivalent to a current RCTC course. Each department determines the criteria, submitted in a portfolio format, which will result in the awarding of equivalent college credit(s). The portfolio content will need to document learning in all of the objectives in that specific course’s common course outline. To preview the common course outline, see the department chair.

Part 2. Guidelines:
• A maximum of 12 semester credits may be granted for Prior Learning.
• The student must document the learning in relationship to the course’s written objectives
• The Prior Learning must be applicable to a program, degree or curriculum at RCTC.
• Prior Learning credits will not be used to calculate a student’s GPA.
• Credits for Prior Learning are not eligible for financial aid or veterans assistance.
• Credits for Prior Learning will not count towards a student’s part-time or full-time status.

Part 3. Process:
1. Students seeking credit for Prior Learning from other than Work Experience will need to obtain a Common Course Outline for the particular course for which they are petitioning credit .
2. Students will meet the appropriate division chair to ascertain whether or not Prior Learning is an option for the course for which they wish to obtain equivalency; all departments may not choose to participate in this option. If no division chair, the faculty evaluator must have the assigned field.
3. Students will assemble all appropriate documentation of their learning in direct relationship to the course’s objectives in a portfolio format.
4. The portfolio documentation may include, but is not limited to several of the following: essays, bibliographies of texts, examples of one’s academic learning , current certifications, copies of parts of training manuals, coursework and/or examinations from professional training, certificates of completion, etc.
5. Students will need to complete the petition: “Prior Learning from other than Work Experience”.
6. The completed petition is submitted to both the faculty member doing the portfolio evaluation and to the division chair of that department for signatures.
7. Students will be charged a fee for the evaluation of learning, whether it is approved or not.
8. Upon completion of the portfolio evaluation, the faculty member will report the evaluation to the student and to the Admission and Records Office.
9. The Registrar will post the appropriate credits from a successful evaluation to the student’s official academic transcript and will distribute copies of he final paperwork to the Admissions Office, Faculty Member, Division Chair, Human Resources and the Student.
10. The faculty member will be paid for he evaluation upon its completion per the current faculty association contract regarding CBE.
11. RCTC cannot guarantee the transferability of credit for prior learning credits.

Part 4. Standards:
Participating faculty and division chairs will follow standards established by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (1989, CAEL) for assessing learning:

• Credit will be awarded only for learning, not for experience.
• College credit will be awarded only for college-level learning.
• The determination of learning must be made by faculty members and division chairs in the appropriate departments.
• Credit must be appropriate to the equivalent course and its objectives for which it is being evaluated.
• Credit awards will be monitored to avoid giving credit twice for the same learning.

Part 5. Portfolio Preparation:
It is the student’s responsibility to develop a portfolio which includes all documents and essays to be evaluated by the faculty member of the specific division.

The documentation in the portfolio must follow the course objectives for the specific course for which the student is requesting the evaluation for credit. These objectives can be found on the course’s common course outline which can be obtained form the specific faculty member or from the Assistant to the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

The assessment of Prior Learning for Other than Work Experience will be based on the portfolio.

Types of portfolio documentation that evidences learning specific to the course being evaluated may include:

1. Essays
2. Examples of one’s academic learning related to the course.
3. Course work/exams form professional training and/or company-sponsored training
4. Current certifications (i.e.CEU’s)
5. Copies of parts of training manuals/workshops
6. Bibliographies of texts used
7. Certificates of completion
8. Other

Date of Implementation: To be determined
Date of Adoption: February 8, 2000