Credit for Prior Learning Term Definitions

ACE Military Training & Occupations – College credit awarded based on recommendations by ACE Military Credit. Includes all military training, military occupations and experiences evaluated by ACE for college credit utilizing the ACE Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Forces . 

ACE Non Military – Education, Workplace and Training – College credit awarded based on recommendations by ACE-Education, Workplace and Training. Includes non-accredited general education, corporate, workplace and (non-military) training evaluated by ACE for college credit. The resource for these credit recommendations is the ACE National Guide to College Credit for Workforce Training. 

Advanced Placement (AP) Exams – Administered by the College Board, AP Exams are the culmination of year-long, university-level academic learning through courses offered in high school. Exams are scored on a scale of 1-5, with a 5 on the exam representing extremely well qualified and 1 representing no recommendation for college credit.

Assessment –  A process of developing, delivering and evaluating prior learning. 

Assessment Method –  A procedure used to identify and measure prior learning.

Assessor –  The specialist who is responsible for assessing a candidate’s knowledge, skill, and judgement. The assessor will be an expert with specialized knowledge in the subject area being assessed.

Case Study – A tool that permits a candidate to demonstrate or apply a skill set to a set of circumstances. 

Challenge Exam – College credit awarded based on challenge exam (or departmental exam), defined as an institutional exam designed to assess learning outcomes related to a specific course and which is developed by faculty who teach the course. Existing final exams or comprehensive exams may provide the basis for developing a challenge exam but are not appropriate for use as challenge exams without evaluation and revision to ensure that they accurately and fairly assess all course learning outcomes.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP) Exams – Administered by the College Board, CLEP Exams offer an opportunity for students to earn college credit based on assessments of introductory level college course material.  Generally, CLEP exams are computer-based and contain multiple choice questions about the subject area. CLEP exams take 90-120 minutes to complete. College credit is awarded based on scores earned on the College Level Exam Program (CLEP). 

Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) – CCAF was established to meet the educational needs of airmen. CCAF is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Since it is accredited, credits come in as college transfer credits.

Credit by Examination (CBE): A method of assessing prior learning through standardized tests (like CLEP, DSST, AP, or IB exams) or examinations developed by individual institutions.

Competency-Based Education (CBE) – Instruction designed to demonstrate proficiency in a subject through mastery of specific competencies rather than learning through a time-based system.

Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) – A comprehensive term encompassing methods that colleges and universities utilize to evaluate and award credit for college-level learning gained outside of traditional classroom settings. This includes knowledge and skills acquired through work and life experience, military training, formal and informal education, independent study, volunteer work, and more.  

Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) – Produced by the Defense Language Institute and used by the United States Department of Defense (DOD), this is a battery of foreign language tests.

Demonstration – A performance completed by an individual learner and witnessed by the assessor. It includes but is not limited to structured interviews, product assessments, role-plays, simulations, presentations and oral examinations.  

Direct Evidence – The learner produces the evidence: products, performances, reports, plans, etc. created by the candidate. 

Documentation – Evidence that supports the claim for prior learning experience. Documentation may be in the form of transcripts, licenses, certificates, job descriptions, articles written, products produced, letters, evaluations, etc.

DSST (formerly, DANTES Subject Standardized Tests) – Originated by the United States Department of Defense’s Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) program, these are credit-by-examination tests. College credit is awarded based on scores earned on the DSST Examination Program or its predecessor, the DANTES Examination Program. 

Evidence – The array of evidence used to prove prior learning – in the form of written documents, work samples, or demonstrations – that are used to substantiate his or her prior learning credit claims. 

Experiential Learning to Academic Credit Portfolio Development – The credit for prior learning portfolio method may award college credit to a student who has acquired significant knowledge outside of a traditional classroom setting.  A student may be eligible to earn college credit if the student’s educational background, occupational background, and/or life experience parallels the completion of objectives required by a given course.  

Experiential Learning – The attributes of skills, knowledge, and values that are acquired through work and life experience rather than through formal, recognized educational programs.

Flexible Assessment –  The process of measuring, evaluating, defining, and granting credit for learning acquired through experientially gained knowledge, skills, and judgement. 

Formal Learning – Courses or programs taken at recognized educational institutions, with related assessment processes and credits.

Indirect Evidence – Information about the learner’s achievements.

Informal Learning –  Learning gained from life and work experiences.

International Baccalaureate (IB) Exams – IB Diploma Program offers students opportunities to enhance learning in subjects through three core components: theory of knowledge, extended essay, and CAS (creativity, activity, and services). IB courses, syllabi, and exams can offer two different levels of accomplishment. The Higher Level (HL), generally 240 hours of instruction, requires two years of coursework in the chosen subject area and includes a syllabus and exam material. The Standard/Subsidiary Level (SL), typically 150 hours of instruction, requires one year of coursework in the chosen subject area and includes a syllabus and exam material.  College credit may be obtained under International Baccalaureate Credit. 

Interview-based Assessment – College credit awarded based upon evaluation of responses given during a structured interview on the subject matter. 

Learning Outcomes – The measurable knowledge, skills, and capacity for judgement which a person is expected to have developed or acquired as the result of a course of study of a set of identifiable experiences. Also described as what a person knows and can do. 

Letter of Verification – A formal letter prepared on letterhead that may be used to authenticate work or to verify a candidate’s participation in a project. 

Military Joint Services Transcript (JST) – Military training, coursework, and education usually found in a Joint Services Transcript (JST) is translated into civilian language to describe work history. The JST covers the following military branches: Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy. Air Force training and coursework are documented through Community College of the Air Force transcripts.  

Military Occupation Code (MOC) – MOC is a set of characters to identify a military service member’s occupational specialty.

NCCRS Assessed Credit Workplace and Volunteer Training – College credit awarded based on recommendations by the NCCRS -Workplace and Volunteer Training as well as on recommendations for all other credits that have been recommended by NCCRS. 

Non-formal Learning – The skills and knowledge gained through learning experiences. Such as on-the-job or industry based training, professional development workshops, seminars, private study, or work experience. 

Other Credit for Locally Assessed Training (Internally Assessed, Not by External Party) – College credit based on local evaluations of training programs. Includes credit for local business, nonprofit, volunteer, government, or other such training that has been evaluated by institutional faculty for college level credit, but which is not as comprehensive as an apprenticeship, certification, or licensure program. 

On-the-Job Training/Cooperative Education – A structured method of synthesizing academic and career/technical instruction to produce documented learning of knowledge, skills, and competencies from hands-on work experience for academic credit.  The experiential learning portfolio method may fulfill this requirement for some programs.  

Oral Questioning – Refers to a structured interview between an assessor and a candidate that is intended to permit the assessor to probe the depth and breadth of candidate learning and to give the candidate the opportunity to provide supplementary evidence to support his/her credit claim.  

Portfolio Development – The process of collecting, substantiating, and organizing documented evidence to support a candidate’s claim for prior learning credit or recognition.  

Portfolio Assessment – Students compile a collection of work samples, documentation, and reflective essays to demonstrate their learning and competency in a particular subject area. College credit is awarded based on a student portfolio (based on an interview, a performance assessment, a product assessment and/or a written narrative, along with related documentation) which has been evaluated by the institution or an external portfolio evaluation service for college level credit. 

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) – Often used interchangeably with CPL (Credit for Prior Learning), it specifically emphasizes the assessment aspect of the process.

Prior Learning and Recognition (PLAR) –  Another term used to describe CPL, highlighting the recognition of prior learning for academic purposes. 

Professional Licenses/Certification – Industry-recognized credentials include: all occupational licenses and registries provided by state or national professional boards and industry certifications from a valid third party. At EOU faculty evaluate these professional licenses or certifications and align them with an EOU course’s learning objectives to determine which course(s) if any is equivalent to the certification.

Recognizing Prior Learning (RPL) or Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) –  A process that involves the identification, documentation, assessment, and recognition of the learning you have acquired through formal and informal learning. The process of recognizing and granting credit for skills, knowledge, and competencies that have been acquired experientially, that is, through work experience, unrecognized education or training, self study, volunteer activities, and hobbies

Reflective Thought – Refers to thinking back on specific experiences and finding answers to questions such as: What did I learn? What did I learn about myself during the process? Which earlier learning experiences led me to this learning experience? How have I adapted this learning experience to related experiences? What evidence can I provide to substantiate my learning? 

Rigorous Assessment – Extent to which assessment must be done for conclusive proof of learning.

Simulations – An attempt to replicate workplace conditions in order that a candidate may demonstrate his/her competence in a range of critical skills. 

Skills Demonstration/Assessment – Students perform specific tasks in the presence of an instructor to demonstrate their proficiency and competence in a particular skill set.  Skill Simulation or Demonstration-College credit awarded based on a student’s performance or demonstration of a specific skill or competency. 

Thomas Edison State College Examination Program (TECEP) – College credit awarded based on scores earned on the Thomas Edison State College Examination Program (TECEP). 

UExcel – College credit awarded based on scores earned on Excelsior College Examination or UExcel exams, and their predecessors.