The Prior Learning Assessment Program, developed primarily for working adults, is designed to recognize the academic value of what students have learned through experiences outside the college classroom. Credit for Prior Learning Assessments may result from:
- Travel
- Military service
- Volunteer work
- Work experience
- Intensive self-directed study
- Employment-related training programs and seminars
If students have gained BC course-equivalent knowledge, competencies, and/or skills as a result of learning experiences, they may be able to earn academic credit through the Prior Learning Assessment Program.
Assessment Process
The assessment process is sometimes referred to as "challenging a course." The assessment may involve one or more of the following:
- Written or performance tests
- Preparation of a portfolio that describes student learning and how it was acquired
- Evaluation of student certificates and licenses
- Interviews with faculty members
The College faculty members responsible for the courses for which students wish to receive credit determine the method of assessment.
Cost
Students who receive permission to challenge a course from an authorized faculty assessor must pay the required assessment fees and satisfactorily pass a faculty-administered learning assessment before credit can be awarded. The assessment fees may vary but are generally $7 per credit hour. For example, the assessment fee for a 3 credit course is $21.
Timeline
The assessment process may take from several hours to several months, depending upon the amount of credit requested and methods of assessment required. When the process is completed, assessment results will be forwarded to the Director for Academic Affairs, who verifies that assessment documentation is complete and informs the College Registrar's office of the amount of credit the student has earned.
Assessments are generally not scheduled between semesters or during the first or the last week of each semester. Results of assessments initiated during the last week of any semester may not be posted to student transcripts for that semester. Students who wish to use Prior Learning Assessment credits to satisfy same-semester graduation requirements, course load requirements, transfer requirements, or registration pre-requisites should plan to complete their assessments well before the end of the semester in which they want the credits to be posted.
Prior Learning Assessment credits appear on student transcripts as “CR.” Letter grades are not awarded for Prior Learning Assessments.
Limitations
Prior Learning Assessment credits are not available for all BC courses. Students who have been admitted to BC, and who have decided on an academic program, may challenge courses through the Prior Learning Assessment Program. Students can obtain information and Prior Learning Assessment application forms from the academic department(s) responsible for the course(s) that the student wishes to challenge.
Although there is no limit to the number of hours that students can receive through Prior Learning Assessment Program, 25 percent of credits required for a degree must be earned by taking classes at BC.
How To Get Started
Students can obtain information and Prior Learning Assessment Program forms from the academic department(s) responsible for the course(s) that the student wishes to challenge.
Related Forms