SUNY TAACCCT GrantPLA Advisory Board

Agenda 1-16-14• Review of Charge• WordPress Site• Policy– Philosophical differences on PLA– What makes a good:

• Policy? • Procedural Statement?• How are they different?

– Begin review of policy statements

TAACCCT - PLA Advisory Board

• 30 SUNY Community Colleges– 23 Primary Participants– 7 Secondary Participants– Representation = 1-3 people from each college

Task:Examine current policies and practices across the system and nationally and create a recommendation report to SUNY on PLA policy guidelines and best practices

DUE March 1, 2014

Roles and Responsibilities• Role

– To help make recommendations to SUNY System regarding PLA policies and practices

• Responsibilities– As a Board member:

• To participate actively in board and subgroups• Engage in discussions• Participate in research on policies and practices • Contribute to decisions and recommendations

– As a campus representative• Provide information regarding your campus’ policies and procedures• Communicate with campus leadership, faculty and other appropriate

audiences regarding Board’s work• Collect input from appropriate audiences at your campus to share with Board

Team Charter

Connection to TAACCCT Grant:The T.E.A.M. will work closely with SUNY Empire State College to institute across all participating colleges a uniform process for identifying and awarding credit for work-based experiences common among TAA-eligible workers and veterans.

– Strategy 6: Build and offer a uniform statewide system for awarding academic credit through prior learning assessment

– Factor 3: Prior Learning Assessment

Team Purpose (problem or process to be studied): To institute across all participating colleges a uniform process for identifying and awarding credit for work-based experiences common among TAA-eligible workers and veterans.

Charter (cont.)Team Goals:• Review best practices and research on PLA across the nation to determine best ways to recommend

uniform policy and practices across SUNY.• Review current policies and practices across SUNY Community Colleges to determine best ways to

recommend uniform policy and practices across SUNY.• Create a recommendation report to SUNY on PLA policy standards and best practices.• Provide professional development across SUNY Community Colleges to help:

– Revise current policies and practices, as appropriate– Incorporate PLA credits into curriculum– Faculty in advising students– Assess verifiable learning for college level credits

Success Indicators:• Research provides adequate information on best policies and practices in PLA.• Recommendation report to SUNY provides guidance on policy and practices revision or implementation.• Colleges update or revise policies and practices, as appropriate• PLA credits options are incorporated into the Advanced Manufacturing certificates and degrees• Faculty are equipped to advise students on their PLA options• A sufficient pool of evaluators is trained to evaluate student learning.

Team Process• Bi-weekly meetings to go through research findings and draw

conclusions– Doodle Calendar survey – we will try to set up a schedule that can meet

most people – may need to rotate time/day

• Work in sub-teams:– Institutional Mission/ Policy– Institutional Support– PLA Program Parameters/ PLA options and use of credits– PLA Program Parameters/ Student Communication, Resources & Advising– PLA Program Parameters/ Individualized Portfolio Assessment– Professional Development– Program Evaluation

Team Process (Cont.)

• Team Resources– Reading materials– Survey materials– Word Press Site:

http://sunytaaccctpla.wordpress.com

• Professional Development– What are the topics that you need?– What do we need to do on campuses?– Evaluator Training

PLA Philosophies Impacting Policy and Practice

Nan TraversSUNY Empire State College

Philosophy Practice

Every practice has an underlying philosophy

Understanding Philosophy

Align Policies to Philosophy

Align Practices to Policy

RedressFocus: Knowledge

Point• All knowledge (beyond a

secondary level) has the potential to be part of higher education. PLA allows for an expansion of knowledge in higher education through the student.

• Policy: Learning can be assessed regardless of when, where or how it was learned.

Counterpoint• Only sanctioned knowledge

is part of higher education. PLA should be assessed against standards that reaffirm existing tenets.

• Policy: Assessed prior learning must match existing curriculum.

AccessFocus: Inclusion

Point• All people have the potential

to learn in higher education. PLA is provided through all disciplines and can be applied towards all degree requirements; can be used as admissions criteria and placement within the system.

• Policy: PLA is open to all learners.

Counterpoint• Only those people who meet

specified criteria are accepted into higher education. PLA is restricted to only specific disciplines, degree requirements and/or student characteristics; not part of admissions or placement criteria.

• Policy: PLA is limited to students by discipline, GPA or other criteria.

Lifelong LearningFocus: Developmental

Point• Higher education is developmental

and transformative. PLA provides opportunities to explore personal, educational and professional goals and is considered part of the educational experience. PLA can identify new knowledge in relationship to prior knowledge. Support systems are in place to aid the PLA process (e.g., mentors, workshops, courses).

• Policy: Students are supported through various resources, workshops, courses and/or advisement.

Counterpoint• Higher education is a path to a

means. PLA provides a way to meet degree requirements. Emergent learning is not considered in the assessment process. Focus is on the product not the process.

• Policy: PLA is used to meet degree requirements; only learning acquired prior to attending the institution can be assessed.

CredentialingFocus: Goal Obtainment

Point• The purpose of higher education is

to acquire credentials, especially for workforce development. PLA provides ways to validate and accredit learning to advance standing toward certifications. Through PLA, individuals leverage existing knowledge, competencies and skills to move into or progress within a field.

• Policy: PLA is connected to and built into degree and career pathways to complete credentials.

Counterpoint• Although higher education is to

acquire credentials, pathways are restricted to recognize formally acquired knowledge. PLA is constrained, accepting only narrowly defined prior knowledge usually measured through standardized means (e.g., CLEP) and/or applied to noncore elements of the credential (e.g., electives).

• Policy: PLA is restricted based on discipline, isolated credentials, or through limited means.

Examining Our Policies

• What do current policies cover?• What is missing?• What types of statements need to be in the

policy?• What types of statements need to be in

procedures?