Kaplan UniversityCredit Policies

May 2009

Prior Learning Assessment Center

OVERVIEW

• Types of Credit-Transcripts-Degree Completions-Prerequisites

• Credit Maximums

• Resources Available

WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS PRESENTATION?

• This presentation is designed to be valuable to any Kaplan student who has experiential learning and is currently pursuing portfolio assessment credit

• Although the information distributed in this presentation comes from the Prior Learning Assessment Center, which is primarily responsible for transcript evaluations, it is by no means necessary that you have prior College experience to succeed with portfolio assessment or to find this presentation useful

• The Portfolio Development Course will help you harness the experiences of your unique background. This presentation will help you understand the policies behind portfolio credit

PRIOR LEARNING CREDIT

Types of Prior Learning Credit

• Transfer Credit (TC)

• Credit by Examination (CC)

• Credit through Portfolio Assessment (EC)

TRANSFER CREDIT (TC)

• Transfer Credit is earned through submission and evaluation of Official College Transcripts through the Prior Learning Assessment Center

• Having all transcripts on file and evaluated will help you tailor your credit requests and steer your portfolio away from credit you have already earned in a traditional classroom

- You would not want to petition for Portfolio credit for courses for which you may be able receive Transfer Credit

- Make sure to request a transcript be sent to the PLAC from any prior institutions you attended as soon as possible

- Don’t forget Military and Police Officer Training transcripts- Transcripts are not sent to Academic Advisors

• TC is the “first piece” of the prior learning puzzle

CREDIT BY EXAMINATION (CC)

• Internal Challenge Exams- Taken at Kaplan. Credit is only valid at Kaplan.

- Contact your Academic Advisor regarding Challenge Exam procedures

• External Challenge Exams- Taken outside of Kaplan. Credit is ACE (American Council on Education) recommended.

-CLEP

-DANTES

-AP

- Request transcript for these tests be sent to the PLAC for evaluation

- Credit is applied according to ACE standards and can, therefore, be accepted by the many different institutions who honor ACE recommendations

CREDIT THROUGH PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT

• Portfolio based on experiential learning• Students must complete the Portfolio Development

Course in order to submit a portfolio• Credits petitioned for in the portfolio must align with

specific degree requirements

CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS (CEU’S)• If you earned CEU credit from another institution, this

credit is not eligible to transfer as TC

• This credit represents very good background experience and possibly documentation for Portfolio Credit

• Use any syllabi or course descriptions from courses that earned CEU’s as evidence of your learning

DEGREE COMPLETION DOCUMENTS

• Degree Completion Documents are required for:- Advanced Start Bachelors programs

- Bachelors of Science in Nursing

• Getting all transcripts in to the PLAC is important, but this step is especially relevant for Advanced Start students and BS Nursing students

- Advanced Start students must have an Official copy of their Degree Completion (Associates or Bachelors) on file by the end of their first term

- BS Nursing students must have an Official copy of their Nursing Degree Completion (Associates or Diploma) on file by the end of their first term

- If an Official copy of the Degree Completion is not on file at that time, the student will be Blocked

PREREQUISITE REQUIREMENTS

• Advanced Start Prerequisites

-Prerequisite requirements in the Advanced Start programs are a category of courses that represent essential background knowledge for the major area of study

-Rather than being fulfilled by Portfolio, you can submit a “Prerequisite Waiver Form” to be approved by the Dean

-If the Dean approves the Prerequisite Waiver, the course is fulfilled for zero credits and will not have to be taken

-This option does not carry an associated fee

PREREQUISITE REQUIREMENTS

• KU Requirement Prerequisites

-A prerequisite for a KU Requirement is a course that must be completed prior to being eligible to take another course

-If the Prerequisite is its own requirement on your degree plan (not in the Advanced Start programs), portfolio assessment credit is a good option of fulfilling the prerequisite

- If the Prerequisite is not a requirement on your degree plan (not in the Advanced Start programs), portfolio assessment credit is a good option, but since the prerequisite is not part of the degree plan the credit will likely apply as an open elective

CREDIT MAXIMUMS – TOTAL DEGREE

• For Undergraduate Degree and Diploma programs- A maximum of 75% of the degree plan can be fulfilled by prior learning credit:

-Transfer Credit

- Internal Challenge Exams

-External Challenge Exams – CLEP, DSST, AP

-Credit through Portfolio Assessment

- For Kaplan University, this translates as a 25% residency rule. At least 25% of credits must be completed at KU to earn a KU degree.

Degree TypeNumber of Credits to Complete the Degree

Percent That Can Be Fulfilled

Total Number of Credits That Can be Fulfilled

Bachelors 180 75% 135Advanced Start Bachelors: [90] for Degree Completion 90 DC / 90 75% 90 DC / 45Associates 90 75% 67

CREDIT MAXIMUMS – MAJOR REQUIREMENTS• For Undergraduate programs

- A maximum of 50% of the Major Requirements can be fulfilled by prior learning credit (Capstone courses must be taken at KU):

-Transfer Credit

- Internal Challenge Exams

-External Challenge Exams – CLEP, DSST, AP

-Portfolio Credit

*This table reflects the number of Major credits for most programs. Please refer to your specific program for the required number of Major credits

Degree TypeNumber of Credits in the

Major (varies by program)Percent of Major Credits

That Can Be Fulfilled Number of Major Credits

That Can be FulfilledBachelors 88* 50% 44*Advanced Start Bachelors: [90] for Degree Completion 48* 50% 24*Associates 40* 50% 20*

KAPLAN COURSE INFORMATION

• Kaplan Course Descriptions- For courses required in your degree plan: KU Portal – Degree Plan

-Beneath each requirement there should be an option to review the course description for that requirement

- For courses that are not required in your degree plan: KU Portal – Home

- In the [Resources] section there is an electronic copy of the most recent Kaplan Catalog and Kaplan Catalog Addendum

• Course Syllabi- Email ExperientialLearning@kaplan.edu

• For any questions about Kaplan requirement details, please contact your Academic Advisor

RESOURCES AVAILABLE

• Portfolio Development Course Faculty- Course material and assignments

• Academic Advisor- Kaplan course requirements- Degree Planning

• Portfolio Assessment Team - Email ExperientialLearning@kaplan.edu

• Prior Learning Assessment Center- Can be contacted via your Academic Advisor on your behalf- Transcript and other non-experiential prior learning

YOU ARE YOUR OWN BEST RESOURCE• Many of the questions you have are probably specific to

the basis of your portfolio and are best answered by you

• Development of your portfolio is going to take a lot of critical thinking and personal reflection

• Feel free to use any and all resources available to you, but don’t forget, the best way to answer some of the more difficult questions (What courses should I petition for? How many courses should I petition for? How can I document my experience?) are best answered by careful examination of your own background