Experiential Learning Program
(Also
called "Portfolio")
Updated
August 26, 2005
Frequently
Asked Questions
Who
can participate in experiential learning?
Students
who are enrolled in Ohio University degree programs, whether
on the Athens campus, a branch campus or as an External Student.
Students should discuss this option with their advisors and
be referred to the coordinator of the program for permission
before enrolling.
How
does the portfolio development work?
After students
are admitted to the External Student Program and determine
(in consultation with their advisors) that their learning is
both creditable and applicable to their degrees, they enroll
in EDCE 203 by correspondence.
EDCE 203
takes the student, step by step, through the process of developing
a portfolio. Part of that process is identifying Ohio University
courses that match their learning. For each course identified,
the students write a "portfolio" which argues that they have
learned, by experience, what in-class students have learned.
The evaluation of the portfolio is done by a faculty members
who teach the courses in question.
Are
students successful in this program?
Yes. More
than 90% of courses requested are eventually awarded to students.
This is a result of careful advising and our knowledge of what
will and won't work through experiential learning. One-fourth
of a degree from Ohio University can be portfolio credit; this
translates to a limit of 24 quarter hours for an Associate's
degree and 48 quarter hours for a Bachelor's. The average
credit award, however, is about 25 quarter hours.
What
kinds of learning can be accredited through portfolio?
An exhaustive
list isn't possible, but we can give you some broad ideas of
areas that will and won't work.
Good areas
for portfolio credit: most business backgrounds (exception:
accounting courses); communication (journalism, communication
studies, communication systems, telecommunications); writing,
many technology programs; aviation; recreation; environmental
health; industrial hygiene.
Over 700
different courses at Ohio University have been awarded through
portfolio over the years.
Areas difficult
to impossible through portfolio: bachelor-level engineering
(exception: engineering technology programs); education; agriculture;
most allied health or alternative health programs; fine arts.
What
does portfolio credit look like on a transcript?
Portfolio
credit is awarded by the regular course number, but is given
"CR" (credit) rather than a grade. It is preceded by the title
"Experiential Learning."
Example
Experiential Learning
MGT 300 Principles of Management 4 credits CR
How
long will it take me to do a portfolio?
This is
an impossible question to answer, because students vary considerably
in how much credit they request, how much time they can devote
to compiling the portfolio, and how they have enrolled. On-campus
students have six months to complete the course, while students
enrolled in the External Student Program and taking the correspondence-course
version of EDCE 203 have one year.
FEES
The costs
for Experiential Learning fall into two categories: fees for
the EDCE 203 course and fees for the portfolio assessment.
-
Fees
for the EDCE 203 course:
- For
distance learners, EDCE 203 is charged regular Independent
and Distance Learning tuition for four quarter hours. For
on-campus students, regular tuition rates apply. In addition,
there is a $40.00 administrative fee and a $50.00 fee for
the textbooks.
-
Fees
for Portfolio Assessment
- After
the portfolio is completed and submitted, the student is charged
an assessment fee for each course (not quarter hour)
requested. For the 2005-2006 school year this fee is $190.00.
- An
example: A student identifies five different courses (totaling
21 quarter hours) he will attempt through portfolio. He will
be charged 5 x $190.00, or $950.00, to have his portfolio
assessed. There is no additional charge for transcripting
awarded portfolio credit.
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