Experiential Learning Procedures

Experiential Learning Procedures

Warner University faculty award credit for non-collegiate education training or course according to recommendations of the American Council of Education (ACE) or National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS) as allowed by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

• A student must be enrolled in a WU degree program to be awarded credit for non-collegiate education as recommended by ACE or NCCRS.  A person may attempt ACE or NCCRS credit while not enrolled in a WU degree program; however, such credit will not be posted to a WU transcript until matriculation into a WU degree program.
• Credit for non-collegiate education will be awarded as grades of Pass (P) and will not be used in computing the WU GPA. 
• ACE or NCCRS credit may not be counted as part of the class load for financial aid purposes.
• ACE or NCCRS credit is posted as transfer credit and will be treated as transfer credit with respect to athletic eligibility. The term the credit is applied will be determined by the completion date posted on the official transcript or score report. The deadline to complete an ACE recommended credit-by-exam (for example, a StraighterLine course) for credit to be considered for athletic eligibility is before the published start date of the semester, not necessarily the start date of the session or the start date of traditional classes. 
• It is the student’s responsibility to verify that new non-collegiate education will apply to their program. Students should seek approval from their faculty advisor and the Office of the Registrar in writing before attempting new non-collegiate education.

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)

The University faculty and staff accept the principle that learning as the result of experience may be
recognized for credit in place of regular courses requiring attendance and examinations. The Registrar’s Office manages a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) program. Completed petitions are forwarded to the appropriate department faculty members for review and recommendation. Students are notified in writing of decisions regarding their petitions for credit.

• The PLA Program of earning credit is available to all students who are enrolled in Warner University. Students are responsible to provide documentation and support of their petitions for credit and that the learning is equivalent to college level work. The college is responsible to accurately and fairly assess the material submitted by the students and to report the results to them. The college is also responsible to enter a proper statement of the credit earned on the transcript that clearly identifies the credits as earned by PLA. The credits may carry a departmental prefix, number, and title to be assigned by the departmental evaluator. PLA credits will not carry a letter grade.
• The following Guidelines and Policies have been reviewed and adopted by the faculty of Warner University for the PLA process.

1. Credit will be awarded for learning, not for experience. PLA credit may not duplicate
   previously earned college credit.
2. Credit granted for college-level learning needs to include an appropriate balance of
   theory and application (knowledge and skills), as determined by qualified experts.
3. Written work submitted must conform to the standards of composition for work
   submitted for regular course credit at Warner University.
4. A life-learning paper which receives three (3) semester credits or more will at least
   demonstrate the student’s understanding of the essential terminology in the academic
   subject area involved, and provide some evidence of the student’s use of critical source
   material in the learning process.
5. As a general rule, transfer credits from technical and para-professional courses will not
   be applied toward completion of Warner University General Education requirements.
   However, students can use their experience in such course work as a basis for life-
   learning papers, which may be used to petition for General Education credit.
6. Experiential Learning and CLEP credits will not apply to the requirement of 30 hours in
   residence for the bachelor degrees or of one-half of the hours needed for the major and
   minor in residence.
7. Credits earned through PLA will be entered on the students’ transcript when they have
   paid the appropriate assessment fee. No credit is awarded without the payment of the
   fee.