Credit for Prior Learning

College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Excelsior College Examinations, and DANTES Subject Standard Test (DSST)

A student may earn college credit by earning the ACE-recommended score or higher (minimum 'C' (2.0) level of proficiency) on any examination offered through the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) of the Educational Testing Service. The Excelsior College Examination Program (formerly Regents PEP), or the DANTES Subject Standard Test (DSST). A student may earn 3 to 12 units (depending upon the specific test) for each examination passed with a satisfactory score. A maximum of 45 units may be earned from a combination of CLEP (lower division units), Excelsior College examinations, and DSST examinations (lower or upper division units). Students must submit an official CLEP, Excelsior College, or DSST transcript to the Registrar's Office to receive credit. Prior Learning Assessment exams do not apply to the 30-unit residency requirement, but do count as residency units after the first 30 units of residency have been met. See the Transfer Credit Policies section of this catalog.

Challenging Courses

A student may earn up to 12 units of credit by challenging courses offered by the University provided the student has not previously taken or audited the course. Not all courses can be challenged. Students should check with the Registrar's Office to determine if a particular course can be challenged. A petition including the course title, the date on which the challenge examination (or other required activity) will be completed, and the signatures of the student, the Chair of the Department, and the Dean of the School must be filed in the Registrar’s Office by the end of the third week of the semester in which the examination will be taken. A challenged course must be completed before the student’s final semester. An administrative fee is charged per unit challenged. Appropriate units will be granted upon successful completion of the challenge and will be considered a part of the 30-unit residency requirement. Students may not petition or receive partial course credit for challenged courses. Up to a 12-unit maximum of challenged coursework may apply toward residency. Exceptions to the 12 units maximum may be made in the case of students with majors with unusually large numbers of skills-based units.

American Council on Education (ACE)/National Program on Non-Collegiate Sponsored Instruction (PONSI)

The American Council on Education (ACE) and the National Program on Non-Collegiate Sponsored Instruction (PONSI) review courses offered through corporate, industry, government, and military organizations. These courses may receive lower or upper division transferable credit according to ACE/PONSI recommendations. These units may fulfill elective requirements with a limit of 30 units of transfer credit. See the Transfer Credit Policies section of this catalog.

Experiential Learning Portfolio

Students may earn up to 30 units of University credit for college-level learning which is documented through the satisfactory preparation of Experiential Learning Portfolios. Such learning must:

1. Have occurred after the student’s completion of secondary school
2. Have occurred at least one year prior to the creation of the portfolio

A student is required to enroll in ENGL 3442 Critical Inquiry and Reflective Writing to prepare the Portfolio. In the Experiential Learning Portfolio a student documents the learning situation, describes and analyzes the learning experience, and demonstrates the knowledge and practical skill competencies as required by the awarding academic department(s).

University credit is granted only for college-level learning (minimum ‘C’ level of proficiency) which links the prior learning experience with the theoretical constructs of the appropriate academic discipline. Credit for experiential learning cannot be awarded for duplicate courses completed through other learning sources. Prior to enrolling in ENGL 3442, a student must meet with an academic advisor to determine the applicability of Portfolio units within the student’s degree plan, confirm the availability of evaluators, and discuss the proposed topic areas. No guarantee regarding the availability of Portfolio evaluators is made. Evaluation is dependent on departmental resources.

A student may complete two submissions of the Experiential Learning Portfolio. The first is prepared in ENGL 3442. The instructor reviews the Portfolio, awards a grade for the course, and forwards the Portfolio for evaluation by the appropriate Dominican University faculty. Up to 30 units of academic credit (usually 1-3 units per portfolio) is awarded by course number, title and academic department and may be lower or upper division. The proficiency units earned through Portfolio may be applicable as electives and for some General Education areas.

The second Portfolio submission may be prepared independently or in conjunction with an optional course, ENGL 3443 Portfolio Redevelopment. The second submission may include new experiential learning essays or revisions of essays as recommended by the evaluator(s) of the original essays.

It is recommended that a student planning to use the Portfolio process enroll in ENGL 3442 at least three semesters prior to expected graduation. This gives sufficient time for the preparation and evaluation of two portfolio submissions.

Experiential Learning Credit is posted to the student’s transcript as proficiency units after the student has completed the 30-unit residency requirement.

Eligibility for the courses ENGL 3442/3443 and for the Experiential Learning and Assessment program require that students have a minimum of six years of life experience since completing high school and completion of ENGL 1004 Expository Writing or an equivalent.

Approved Areas for Experiential Learning Essays

For discussion of how life experience can be incorporated into a specific topic area, please contact the Director of Prior Learning Assessment.