The process for applying for prior learning credit is outlined in the Prior Learning Student Guide. Many adults have had a variety of experiences from which they have acquired college-level knowledge and skills. Secretaries often know keyboarding, computer skills, business English and office procedures. People who have written a great deal often know English composition and technical writing. Many managers know consumer economics.
Many people have public speaking abilities.
If the knowledge and skills are at a college level, it is possible that college credit could be awarded through portfolio evaluation. Just as classroom instructors use exams, papers, class participation, etc., as indicators that learning has taken place, the evaluator of experiential learning must be provided with evidence of college-level learning. The evaluator of experiential learning uses the portfolio, a formal written communication, to assess learning. A prior learning portfolio is a document in which learning from various life experiences is organized into a manageable form for academic assessment. A University of Alabama faculty member with expertise in the field that is the subject of the portfolio assesses the college-level learning demonstrated in the portfolio.