Frequently Asked Questions about Prior Learning
How long will it take to prepare my portfolio?
This varies significantly from one student to the next. It is influenced by other work, family and community responsibilities, as well as the number of courses one is taking during the time the portfolio is being prepared. It also varies with differences in the number of years to be covered, the number of experiences submitted, and the availability of verification documents.
How long does it take to evaluate my portfolio?
Generally, 8 to 10 weeks.
I am the president of my own company. What type of documentation should I include?
You must document time in the position, job responsibilities, and learning acquired like any work experience, however, you will generally need to rely on multiple items to document this experience. We suggest you seek assistance from attorneys or accountants with whom you have worked in establishing your company. Vendors to whom you have either sold products or purchased products should also be able to provide some evidence of your involvement. Legal documents such as Articles of Incorporation are helpful in verifying that the company exists and that you were involved in the formation, but they are not sufficient to provide complete documentation of the work experience.
I have many computer training experiences covering a five-year period. Should I group them together in one section of my portfolio or treat each one separately?
As a general rule, the prior learning evaluators recommend that you treat each training experience separately. During the evaluation process, the reviewers may decide that several training experiences relate to one another (e.g., Microsoft Word training on different versions) and they are also related to a work experience you submitted. The evaluators will then group the like experiences together when making their awards. If you group the experiences together yourself, there is the potential for the award of fewer credits because it appears that you have only a single competency learned.
I am up for graduation in two months. Can I have my portfolio review expedited? I will pay extra to have my portfolio reviewed immediately.
No. You are strongly encouraged to submit your prior learning portfolio early in your academic program. The longer you wait, the more likely you are to complete course work that duplicates the learning evidenced in your portfolio. Also the Prior Learning Assessment Process involves a very thorough review of your portfolio. We cannot eliminate any step of the process, or speed up the process without risk of jeopardizing the quality of the Prior Learning Program.
What is the best way for me to get letters from past supervisors? Some of my work experiences occurred over 20 years ago.
Securing quality documentation is one of the most challenging aspects of preparing a prior learning portfolio. We recommend that you begin with a phone call to find out what method the company would prefer you use. Most employers require that you put your request in writing and specify exactly what it is that you need.
If you find that a company has closed or people that knew you during the
time you worked there are no longer with the company, it may be necessary to
seek out former co-workers. Many former employers are permitted to provide a
statement as to the dates you were employed with the company and possibly
include a position description. That is a start in securing documentation,
but you will also need to have additional documentation verifying the
learning. Other possible sources include social security data, tax returns,
and W-2 statements.
In rare cases, you will find that you are unable to provide verification of
your work, training or life experiences. If that is the case, it is probably
not worth taking the time to self-assess the learning as the evaluators will
be unable to make a credit award due to insufficient documentation.
I completed an apprenticeship with Aeromarks Space Technology program. Where should I include that experience in my portfolio?
Apprenticeship programs are considered training experiences and should be included in that section of the portfolio. Be sure to include complete self-assessment documentation of the apprenticeship experience: evidence of completion, contact hours on the job, classroom hours, etc.
I have several part-time experiences. How do I list those?
Part-time experiences should be self-assessed in the same manner as full-time experiences. Be sure to specify the number of hours worked on the Work Experience ID form and provide the necessary documentation to verify the time.
Several of my experiences overlap with other experiences. How should I handle these in my portfolio?
The evaluators will need to look at each experience separately. Therefore, it will be necessary for you to specifically identify the amount of time devoted to each overlapping experience so that the maximum award can be given.
While I was working on my undergraduate degree, I was also acquiring some on-the-job work experiences. Can I use these work experiences toward my graduate degree portfolio?
No. Work experience accumulation begins with your date of earned baccalaureate degree.
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