Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) has received a $3,500 grant from the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) to participate in a research study on Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Credit Earning and Student Educational Outcomes. Fifty institutions, representing a range of four-year institutions, community colleges and nontraditional institutions, will participate in the study. Gwen Hagemeyer, director of the Woods External Degree Program, applied for the grant and will lead the project for SMWC.

Prior Learning Assessments such as Advanced Placement (AP) and College Level Entrance Program (CLEP) examinations are standard measures of college-level learning that allow students to earn course credit for their knowledge.

“This is an exceptional opportunity to determine how PLA credits help students progress to graduation and how our college compares to other colleges in promoting these options to students,” Hagemeyer said.

PLA recognizes that adults have developed knowledge, skills and competencies that will help them be successful with college studies and may be the equivalent of some college-level courses. Students are sometimes surprised and pleased to be able to have their prior learning recognized. They can move more quickly through their academic programs, saving time and money, as a result of credit awards. 

The Woods External Degree (WED) Program emphasizes individualized programs based on an adult’s existing competencies and interests. Since its creation in 1973, SMWC staff and faculty have participated in CAEL institutes and conferences. The College has adopted CAEL standards and practices for assessment of prior learning.  Saint Mary-of-the-Woods follows the American Council on Education’s (ACE) credit award guidelines for CLEP, AP, and Dantes Subject Standardized Tests (DSST), as well as for ACE-Military and ACE-CREDIT evaluations. SMWC also considers portfolios in evaluating experiential learning applications. Credit is awarded for college-level learning balancing theory and practice, as recommended by College faculty.

Last spring, as part of an institution-wide program review, WED staff compared the CLEP and APL portfolio awards earned by graduates and by students who withdrew from the Woods External Degree program from 2002 to 2007. During those five years, nearly 700 WED students received APL credit and more than 200 passed CLEP exams. Students who earned CLEP or APL credit were more likely to persist than those who did not earn these awards. 

One reason to participate in the CAEL research is to confirm this finding in a formal, national study. CAEL will examine longitudinal data on adult undergraduate students, including demographics, annual credit-earning, total PLA credits earned, and degrees. Analysis will include comparison to other institutions as well as consideration of institutional services to adults, general institutional services and PLA policies and practices. Hagemeyer expects the study to provide useful data that will help guide future use of PLA by the College.

Since 1973, the flexible format of the WED Program has worked for thousands of adults. Students have the opportunity to choose from more than 25 majors, and they have the flexibility to decide how many classes they’ll take and when and where they'll study. Teacher licensure programs are also available for men and women who already have a regionally accredited undergraduate degree. Depending on qualifications, students can choose from various education areas in our traditional or accelerated program, and they can complete the programs through our convenient distance-learning format.

For more information about the WED program at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, contact the SMWC Office of Distance Education Admission at 800-499-0373, 812-535-5104 or wedadms@smwc.edu.