DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

PLA Process

 

1. Read all sections of the PLA Handbook to determine if you are willing and eligible to meet the PLA criteria for earning Prescott College credits through the PLA process. Contact the PLA course instructor with questions well before the application deadline.

 

2. Consult with your faculty advisor to create or revise your approved Degree Plan so that it indicates the credits you hope to earn through the Prior Learning Assessment process. Your advisors will help you calculate the number and type of credits you need in your degree plan to fulfill your graduation requirements. Only when the approved degree plan on file at the Registrar reflects your intention to earn PLA credits are you eligible to apply for admittance to the PLA course.

 

3. With your approved degree plan in hand, apply to enroll in the PLA course. The course is offered every term per the academic calendar (see "Academic Calendar" on the website for exact semester dates). The application is due August 1 for fall term; December 1 for spring term; April 1 for summer term. The application fee of $50 is due in the Business Office on the same schedule. You may not enroll in the course without an approved PLA application.

 

4. The PLA course instructor will advise you of their decision on your application prior to the first day of the term you wish to enroll in. The instructor will advise you on whether to enroll for 4 credits for the PLA course or 8 credits, in any given term. Tuition for the course must be paid per the Registrar's announced deadline for each term, through Financial Aid or other means.

 

5. Once enrolled in the course, each student must follow the course weekly, offered as a Canvas course, and participate in all activities and assignments. Detailed instructions and feedback for each portfolio type are offered throughout the course. Student may view sample PLA portfolios on the course site.

 

6. The deadlines for paying the evaluator fees (as relevant) are announced in the PLA  course. The correct amount for the type of portfolio you wish to have evaluated is due by the announced deadlines as a pre-condition for evaluation. See "PLA Costs and Fees" in this handbook for the fee schedule. Students who do not regularly meet all deadlines in the PLA course may be advised to withdraw from the course when it does not look likely that they will successfully complete a portfolio by the deadlines in that term. No incompletes are given for incomplete work in the PLA  course.

 

7. Students who complete a Conversion Portfolio (CP) by the deadline will have their portfolios evaluated by the last day of the term. All CPs are evaluated by the PLA course instructor, who awards course credit. The PLA instructor will make every effort to notify the Registrar's office, the student, and the student's advisor of the final credit award no later than the last day of the course evaluation period in the academic calendar.

 

8. Students who complete a Life Experience Portfolio by the deadline will have their portfolios evaluated by experts identified by the PLA course instructor, most likely Prescott College faculty. This review may take 2 to 6 weeks, depending on the length of the portfolio and availability of the evaluator. The evaluator approves the final credit award. The PLA instructor will make every effort to notify the Registrar's office, the student, and the student's advisor of the final credit award no later than 8 weeks after the last day of the PLA course. Students seeking to graduate at the end of the term in which they are enrolled in the PLA course will not be graduated until all PLA credits are recorded in their final transcript. Therefore, students seeking PLA credits through the Life Experience Portfolio are advised to enroll in the PLA course prior to their last academic term.

 

9. Once the PLA course has ended, undergraduate students who earned credits for their ePortfolios may need to revise their degree plans to reflect any changes in course titles or credit amounts as a result of their PLA credit awards. As these changes may require further review of the degree plan by the Curriculum Committee, such revisions may delay graduation further if the PLA credits are sought in the student's final academic term.

 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.