Center for Adult and Professional Studies

Stephanie Fenwick and Cathy Heffernan from APU’s Center for Adult and Professional Studies (CAPS) recently presented their research, “Quality Assurance in the Inductive Learning Process: How to Help Adults Identify College-Level Concepts from Life Experience,” at a national conference sponsored by the National Institute on the Assessment of Experiential Learning. The conference took place in Princeton, New Jersey.

The National Institute on the Assessment of Experiential Learning provides an intensive learning experience for professionals in education who are implementing or maintaining a prior learning assessment (PLA) program. The institute provides student advising, faculty development, research, and solutions for current issues that arise during the growth and development of each PLA program.

Prior learning assessment allows adult students to earn credit for professional or personal experiences outside of the classroom. The study examines the process by which students earn credit for their experiences, including what experts look for in assessing a student’s non-academic activities, in which areas the students receive credit, and the benefits the program has for adult students.

“The greatest learning experience for me at this national conference was understanding the value and worth of this study to our students,” said Heffernan. “It was very gratifying when people working on similar projects repeatedly told us we had captured the whole picture.”

The presentation clarified findings from the study and explained key steps in determining prior learning experience, giving conference attendees solid advice for their own programs.

“It was exciting to be around so many colleagues affirming that our research serves as a great example for formulating their own systems,” said Fenwick. “People can take back the information we have gathered to improve their schools.”

Thomas Edison State College in cooperation with the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) sponsors the conference. The council seeks to expand lifelong learning opportunities to adults. Experiential learning stands as the foundation for all of the adult programs offered by CAPS. CAEL has very specific academic standards that CAPS uses to guide their curriculum development.