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Portfolio Assessment Process
Portfolios are assessed by members of the Prior Learning Assessment Team, who are CMU tenured, graduate faculty. Team members use the following procedures to review, evaluate and recommend credit awards:
- Documentation Review
- Portfolio Assessment
- Portfolio Re-evaluation/Additional Evaluation
After being notified of their prior learning assessment credit award, students are responsible for consulting with their academic advisor to determine possible application of credit awards to their program plans.
The
CMU Off-Campus Bulletin also includes a brief explanation of the Prior
Learning assessment process.
Documentation review
Prior Learning Assessment Team members review each portfolio for completeness, including:
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have all self-assessment questions been answered for work, training and life experiences
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have all required documents been provided
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have transcripts from all undergraduate institutions attended, including CMU, been included
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are transfer credit evaluations included, if applicable
A critical component of how successful an applicant is in receiving the maximum credit awards for work, training or life experiences is dependent upon the thoroughness with which the portfolio has been compiled, assembled and organized.
Portfolio assessment
Portfolios are evaluated using performance criteria established and administered by a trained team of CMU graduate faculty members. Typical criteria include such things as the amount and level of decision-making responsibility, the number of and reporting relationships with subordinates and colleagues, the span of financial control, the activity time span, and the overall level of responsibility or expertise required to perform the functions described. Also, training assessment criteria includes the training experience duration, the amount of preparation for the training, and the learning outcomes.
Each work, training or life experience must be thoroughly self-assessed and documented. Any missing component may result in a reduction of the possible credit award. The following represents an overview of the portfolio assessment process utilized by each prior learning evaluator:
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Two evaluators assess each portfolio
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Evaluators look for acquired skills and competencies (what has been learned)
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Evaluators do not look for CMU course equivalency
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Evaluators award credit for competencies demonstrated by the student in the self-assessment and documentation
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Evaluators must be within 6 credits of each other in their recommendations for undergraduate work, or within 3 credits for graduate work
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When evaluators are in agreement (within 6 credits for undergraduate, 3 credits for graduate), the portfolio is passed to the Undergraduate Coordinator or the Graduate Coordinator, as appropriate
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Coordinator reviews portfolio and makes an independent judgment of competencies shown and credit earned
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Coordinator then compares all three evaluations and makes final decision
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A letter is sent to the student which indicates the outcome of the review, accounting for each experience submitted
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The award letter identifies the specific competencies awarded, the credit hours for that competency, and the university level (200, 400 for undergraduate, 600 for graduate) of the award.
The student must set up an appointment with his/her academic advisor to review the awards. The advisor decides the application of Prior Learning credits toward a degree program.
Portfolio re-evaluation
The award letter identifies the specific competencies awarded, credit hours and university level of the competency. Should the student want a re-evaluation of the Prior Learning team recommendation, a request must be made within 45 days. No additional fees are charged for a re-evaluation.
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Only one re-evaluation request is permitted
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The entire portfolio may be reviewed
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The student may request review of a specific experience
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A written justification is required as to why the student desires re-evaluation; it could include:
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Additional supporting documentation
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A strengthened written self-assessment of an experience(s)
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A statement of why the experience should earn more credit
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An identification of the competencies
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A justification for a different level of credit awarded
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Additional assessment
At any time, a student may submit new experiences for evaluation.
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The original portfolio may be reviewed also
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No additional assessment fees are charged for additional evaluations
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Additional evaluation requests should include:
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a cover letter which identifies approximate date of original submission
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regular application forms with complete self-assessment
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appropriate documentation
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the new experience notarized
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Next topic: Other prior learning information sources
prior learning links...
Prior Learning CD Instructions
other services...