Prior Learning Assessment in the Relational Age

1. Prior Learning Assessment in the Relational Age Presented By: Nan L. Travers and ViktoriaPopova-Gonci National Institute on the Assessment of Adult Learning June 6-8, 2012 Atlantic City, NJ

2. SUNY Empire State College Founded 1971 to meet the needs of the Adult Learner ≈ 20,000 students 35 face-to-face locations in NY Center for Distance Learning ≈40% Students in 50 states & 50 countries Associate, Bachelor’s, & Master’s degrees Undergraduate students self-design their degrees – all can use PLA www.esc.edu

3. Shifts in Our Lifetimes

4. Today’s Learning Environments • Classrooms • Online Courses • ePortfolios • Websites, Blogs, Wikipedia • Mobile Aps • Social Media • Web Videos – YouTube, iTunes • Open CourseWareConsortium • Open University Network • Kahn Academy • Peer-to-Peer University • Badges

5. Shifts in Higher Education Past Role Current Role

6. Student’s Role • Self-Assess their Learning • Reflect Upon their Learning • Articulate their Learning • Institutional Role: • Confirm College-Level Learning • Credential the Learning ConceptMaps ePortfolios

7. Emerging Research www.plaio.org

8. Research on PLA Institutional Outcomes • Single Institutional Studies • Retention, Persistence, Graduation Rates, •  GPA •  Career Opportunities, Salary Increases • CAEL study (2010) • Examined student data from 48 institutions, across US and Canada • Significant increases based on PLA participation • PLA Students had higher graduations rates, • Persisted longer and • Took more credits at institution than non-PLA counter parts

10. Research on the Brain • Integrative nature of brain function • Brain Connectivity • Network Theory

11. Research on Self-Regulated Learning (SRL)

12. Concept Mapping A tool for organizing and representing one’s learning (concepts/ideas, principles/theories) and understanding (relational connections, structures) of a domain of knowledge. Concept Mapping and PLA • To externalize tacit knowledge • To generate , organize , and communicate complex ideas • To provide assessment tools Institute for Human and Machine Cognition http://cmap.ihmc.us/

13. Cmapping: Assessing Learning Cmapping offers quantitative and qualitative measures of learning, which can be indicative of learning levels and types (ex., academic vs. non-academic, introductory/advanced, applied/liberal, etc.).

14. The Universe consists of objects and events, and energy exchange during events. Concepts are constructed by humans and are perceived regularities or patterns in events or objects, or records of events or objects, designated by a label, usually a word. Two or more concepts can be linked with appropriate words to form a meaningful statement or proposition. Concepts and propositions are the building blocks of knowledge in all fields. Epistemological Ideas Canas, A.J. & Novak, J.D. (2006). Re-Examining the Foundations for Effective Use of Concept Maps.

15. Novice Knowledge

17. Cmapping Tools

19. Cmapping Tools: Collaboration

20. CMapping Tools: Parking Lots and “Expert Skeleton” Maps

21. https://www.iwork.com/document/?d=EPII_EDUCATIONAL_PLANNING_ACADEMIC_PORTFOLIO_BY_SHELITA_BIRCHETT_BENASH_2010.pages&a=p38620145&u=steve.lewis@esc.edu&p=4EC7D6060E7D428E9C92https://www.iwork.com/document/?d=EPII_EDUCATIONAL_PLANNING_ACADEMIC_PORTFOLIO_BY_SHELITA_BIRCHETT_BENASH_2010.pages&a=p38620145&u=steve.lewis@esc.edu&p=4EC7D6060E7D428E9C92

22. Conclusions and Questions