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New students cannot enroll in the Life Experience Documentation course because the application process requires submission of the student’s Curriculum Documentation (CD)/Degree Plan (DP) which is created in their first term during their EIS course. Therefore, ADP students may be eligible for the life experience application process in their second term if they are in good academic standing.
LED Application Deadlines:
ADP Term |
LED Applications Accepted/Deadlines |
ADP Course Registration Deadline
(Student must have LED application approved and have received faculty approval to enroll in LED course )
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LED Course Start Date
After receiving authorization to enroll in course |
SU-10
(May 15, Aug 13, 2010)
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March 1 to April 1, 2010 |
April 23, 2010 |
May 15, 2010 |
Future semesters to be determined. |
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Introduction
As experiential learning is an integral part of the philosophy of Prescott College, we recognize that a great deal of academically meaningful learning occurs through experiences outside of the classroom. The Conversion Portfolio, Life Experience Portfolio, and Practicum are the formats that the Adult Degree Program has established for adult learners to articulate and document learning acquired through life experience. Students document college-level experiential learning for college credits, which then can be applied toward degree requirements. All life experience documentation work must be substantiated with official documentation. The Life Experience Documentation is an application process. Students must complete the application process by the noted deadline and submit their documents with the $50 non-refundable application fee.
Please note that some graduate schools do not accept bachelor’s degrees that include life experience work. Students who plan to attend graduate school may wish to research the policies of prospective graduate schools and/or discuss this option with their Core Faculty.
Students should make a copy of their LED as the portfolios become the property of the College and are not returned. Students can elect to have their materials shared as academic models for other students. If they elect to keep them confidential, the LED can still be used to show the College’s accrediting bodies samples of student projects.
Updates
The Life Experience Documentation (LED) processes, tuition, and fees were changed in May 2009 with the switch to a semester calendar. Student must enroll in a LED Moodle course for each process. Each LED process requires a LED course contract and enrollment in a 4 or 8 semester (sem) lower division (LD) course on the Moodle platform. With faculty approval, students may be enrolled simultaneously in two 4-sem LD Moodle courses and processes; this requires two LED contracts and tuition for both courses (e.g., 8 or 12 LD sem credits). Both sets of evaluators’ fees would need to be paid for that term as well.
The Conversion Portfolio (The student enrolls in a 4-semester lower division credit LED course and pays a $250 evaluation fee.)
The Conversion Portfolio is used to document structured education that occurred in a non-accredited setting, such as the military, continuing education, and extended seminars and workshops. Students enroll for a 4-semester lower division credit course on the Moodle platform. The Conversion Portfolio includes a course description or syllabus identifying what the student studied, when, where, with whom, and for what number of contact hours (those hours actually spent in a classroom, in structured "class time" with the teacher.) Contact hours are documented by transcript, certificate, or some other verification of completion. Finally, the student writes a one to two page learning summary for each course. The student can ask for 1 lower division semester credit for every 15 documented hour of structured learning. There is a maximum of 25 semester credits that can be requested for this process. The 4 semester credit conversion portfolio course is for lower division credits only – no grade is given.
Practicum (The student enrolls in a 4-semester lower division credit LED course and pays a $100 evaluation fee.)
As part of their program of study, students are required to complete a 8-semester credit upper division (UD) Demonstration of Competence (DOC) or senior project, usually through an internship. However, for students already working in the field of their competence, an internship may be redundant. These students often choose the Practicum, a written document describing their experiences and the learning acquired, in lieu of an additional DOC course. Students enroll in a 4-semester credit lower division (LD) practicum course and, upon successful evaluation, typically receive between 8-12 UD semester credits (that do not count towards enrollment). The 4 semester credit practicum course is for lower division credits only – no grade is given. Professionals in the student’s competence area evaluate the Practicum. The Practicum is for Liberal Arts students.
The Life Experience Portfolio (The student enrolls in a 4 or 8-semester lower division credit LED course and pays $200 or $300 evaluation fees depending upon the number of chapters.)
The Life Experience Portfolio (LEP) is the most academically challenging life-experience documentation process available. Students must have strong writing skills, a minimum of 5 years of professional experience in their field, and a strong theoretical understanding. Students write portfolio chapters to communicate and document the college-level learning they have acquired. For example, a student who has been a crisis counselor for seven years and has done extensive reading on her own might agree that courses such as Counseling Theories, Personality Theories, Crisis Counseling, etc. should be part of her curriculum. However, she does not believe she needs to take these courses with a mentor. In fact, she believes she could teach these classes. This is the kind of learning the Life Experience Portfolio is designed for.
The Portfolio is written in chapters, each titled to parallel a college course. Chapters average 20 pages and include relevant theory, history, philosophy, people and issues--illustrated with the student's own particular experiences. The average chapter is awarded 4-semester credits. Students can request that chapters receive lower or upper division credits depending upon the students' depth of knowledge. For example, in psychology, a lower division Introduction to Psychology course, contains general information on a variety of topics, while an upper division course in Humanistic Psychology, consists of in-depth information on the application of one specific discipline in psychology.
Students enroll in a either a 4 or 8-semester credit portfolio course(s), depending upon the number of chapters and, upon successful evaluation, typically receive an average of 4-semester credits per chapter (that do not count towards enrollment). Students who wish to write 2-4 chapters pay 4 semester lower division credits for the LED course; while students writing 5-9 chapters must enroll in 8 lower division credits. Professionals in the student’s competence area evaluate the Portfolio. The 4 or 8-semester credit life experience portfolio course is for lower division credits only – no grade is given.
If students are qualified and approved to write more than 5 or more life experience portfolio (LEP) chapters, they can elect one of two pathways – one course at 8- sem LD credits or two 4-sem LD course in two different terms. Below is a sample of the two choices for enrollment planning for a student who wants to complete 7 LEP chapters.
Enrollment
Option 1:
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LED – sem course enrollment |
Outcome |
Fees |
Term A |
LED course 4 LD sem |
Produce 3 chapters |
$200 |
Term B |
LED course 4 LD sem |
Produce 4 chapters |
$200 |
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Pay 8 LD sem tuition
For 2 courses |
Take 2 terms to complete |
$400 evaluators’ fees |
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Option 2:
Term A |
LED course 8 LD sem |
Produce 7 chapters |
$300 |
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Pay 8 LD sem tuition
For 1 course |
Take 1 term to complete |
$300 evaluators’ fees |
How to Start the Life Experience Documentation Process
Prior to contacting the Life Experience Coordinator, students should first discuss this option with their Core Faculty to determine whether the Life Experience Documentation (LED) is a viable option and how/where it will fit within the student’s Curriculum Documentation or Graduation Plan. Next, the student should complete the Life Experience Documentation (LED) application and submit the $50 LED non-refundable application fee. In addition, the student should submit to the Life Experience Coordinator a copy of the student’s approved curriculum documentation (CD) or graduation plan. Students planning to complete a Life Experience Portfolio must complete the essay section as well.
Students must be in good academic standing. Both the Life Experience Coordinator and Core Faculty must approve the application. Once approved for the LED process, the student and Registrar will be notified. The student must enroll in the LED Moodle course and pay the appropriate tuition by the registration deadline. Upon enrollment verification in the LED course for the term, students will receive specific instructions on how to access the Moodle LED course. The LED Moodle course requires weekly participation and submission of assignments. Reliable Internet access and general technology skills are required for successful participation and completion of the LED Moodle Course.
View the Life Experience Documentation Application  PDF  Word
LED Application includes:
- Application form PDF Word
- $50 non-refundable application fee (for 1 or more processes)
- Essay for Life Experience Portfolio process
- Approved Curriculum Documentation/Degree Plan
LED Tuition and Payment
Students must be enrolled and pay tuition for the 4 or 8 semester credit LED course(s). The course counts in the student’s academic enrollment. The application fee and evaluators’ fees are paid separately and are not taken from tuition monies. Fees can be paid through the Business Office with a credit card or debit card by calling Angela Ridlen at extension 4000. Or fees can be paid by check or money order, made out to Prescott College, and mailed in to the Life Experience Coordinator with the life experience application or documentation. The application fee is non-refundable.
LED CREDIT LIMITS
The life experience documentation processes have credit award limits. In general, each individual conversion portfolio or life experience portfolio course submitted for evaluation cannot earn more than 8 semester credits. A student cannot earn more than 25 total semester credits for a conversion portfolio. Overall, a student cannot earn more than 60-semester credits for all three processes.
Note: In the LED processes, students’ awards are determined by the evaluators, professionals in their field. In case, of two different evaluator recommendations, the Dean of the Adult Degree and Graduate Programs (ADGP) makes the final determination of awards.
However, there is no guarantee that students will receive upper division credits or the number of credits requested for their final LED awards. It is wise for students to take their LED course(s) BEFORE their last term, in case they have to enroll for additional coursework to meet graduation requirements.
FREQUENTLY ASKED Life Experience Documentation (LED) QUESTIONS:
- Can I complete a life experience portfolio (LEP), conversion portfolio (CP), and a practicum?
Yes. Students who work with their core faculty members and have an approved degree plan that lists all three life experience documentation (LED) processes can attempt all three up to the LED credit award limit of 60 total semesters.
- What order should I complete the LED processes?
If a student were to apply and be approved to do all three processes, my recommendation would be to first complete a CP, then the Practicum, and finally the LEP.
- Can’t I do a Practicum, maximum CP, maximum LEP, and end up with a total of 69 semester credits?
No. Students have a maximum of 60 LED semester credits. Within that maximum limit is also a cap of 25 conversion portfolio credits. Students cannot exceed the 60 maximum even if they attempt all 3 processes. A student needs to do the math ahead of time in her or his degree plan so as not to go over the LED 60 semester credit grand total.
- When should I enroll in the LED course?
Ideally, students should enroll in their second or third term with ADP. This allows development and approval of the Degree Plan and an understanding of the expectations for academic writing. It also allows the student to develop technology skills on the Moodle platform in their EIS course. It is wise for students to plan to enroll in the LED course(s) before their anticipated last term. Sometimes students do not receive the credits they request and must take additional coursework, so planning the LED in the 2nd or 3rd term allows flexibility.
- When do I send in all my unofficial transcripts and certificates?
Students should gather documents before enrolling in the course so that they can use transcripts, certificates, letters of recommendation, etc., when writing the weekly activities in the LED Moodle course. However, copies of documents will need to be submitted with the final two copies of documentation. Please do not send originals. Plan ahead with time and money to make copies of all materials that you want to include in your LED. The completed LEDs become the property of the College and are not returned.
- Can I apply or transfer “extra” practicum awarded credits to my other required courses on my degree plan?
No. If you earn more that 8 semester credits for your practicum, the remaining or “extra” credits cannot be used toward fulfillment of other course requirements in your competence or breadths. LED credits awarded for a practicum are only valid for the practicum requirement.
- How many credits have other students earned in the Life Experience Documentation (LED) processes?
Though Life Experience Documentation (LED) credit request awards are not guaranteed, students can often earn credits toward their undergraduate degree if they have appropriate life experiences and trainings for their competence/breadths, demonstrate strong academic writing skills, follow the prescribed writing activities in the LED course, and provide the required documentation.
Through April 2009, the Adult Degree Program (ADP) and Life Experience Documentation (LED) processes were on the quarter credit system. Since May 2009, ADP is on a semester credit system.
Some students, who have received the maximum possible LED awards, have reduced the number of courses and enrollment terms of their entire ADP undergraduate program of study. For example, since May 2009, a conversion portfolio is limited to a maximum possible award of 25 semester credits. While this maximum award would give a student a significant number of lower division credits toward completion of a breadth, it would not fulfill all the required course-equivalents/ credits for a breadth. After receiving the conversion portfolio awards, to fulfill the breadth, as per the student’s approved degree plan, the ADP student would have to transfer in credits/courses from another college or take additional ADP courses.
In January 2009 the first LED Moodle course enrolled ten (10) students for eleven (11) LED processes. One student was approved to complete both a conversion portfolio AND a life experience portfolio (LEP) with three chapters as potential course equivalents. Each LED process required enrollment in a 4 semester credit LED Moodle course. At the end of the 12-week Moodle LED course, 10 of the 11 students had final submissions which were sent to evaluators in their field of study. One student did not complete the course. Two evaluators asked another student to revise the LEP documentation because the evaluators stated that the student did not demonstrate professional writing standards for the field of study.
LED students say...
July 2009
The Life Experience Documentation process guided me through an exploration of experiences I've had over the past three decades, enabling me to determine those I’d gained college-level learning from and to articulate this learning in a structured, meaningful way. The writing assignments and peer interactions were rigorous. They required time, self-reflection, and attention to detail and served both to help me craft my final document and to improve my writing and communication skills.
August 2009
I have completed two LED courses, the Practicum and the Conversion Portfolio, and they have been both demanding and rewarding. These courses were a great opportunity to synthesize all my previous professional and academic experiences that relate to my degree, and to have them in a professional looking document that I can refer to when moving forward with job searches, or further educational and professional development.
A couple things that will be helpful to students in the LED course: At the beginning of the course, students might want to either print out or create a document on their computer's desktop that has all the assignments, timeline and course requirements listed. With the Moodle interface, you must be connected to the Internet and navigate to different pages to keep up with the course. I find it more convenient and less distracting to have the tasks in a separate file, accessible anywhere - then I use Moodle just for posting the work and engaging in course discussions.
As a visual learner, it was essential for me to have samples to view, which helped clarify the written instructions and gave me an idea of how to structure documentation for my various learning experiences.
August 2009
Enrolling in the Life Experience Documentation: Practicum is a major step in one’s education at Prescott College. In order to satisfy the requirements of an internship or demonstration of competence (DOC), a lot of work will be required to show that a lot of work has already been done. While it is described as a course for assisting in the design of a synthesizing paper that defines the learning already acquired through life experience, the course demands much more.
Guidance and support are offered through the instructor and peers during the semester as the process unfolds. However, each student brings a different set of experiences to the practicum. It can be challenging to find an example or format that exactly relates to the life experience of the individual student. Consequently, it can seem daunting to find a proper composition for relaying your learning in a scholarly format that describes your experiences and how they constitute college-level learning. There are multiple components to the practicum. These include an expanded resume, an annotated bibliography, and an in-depth description of the student’s professional development with specific learning outcomes. Additional materials include letters of references and other proof of learning such as certificates of training, business documents, or professional licenses.
While the practicum process requires an intense amount of time and commitment, it is also an opportunity for the student to reflect and define his/her lifeexperience in a professional and academic format. In addition to acquiring credit for the curriculum, this process will assist the student in many other ways. It will strengthen the student’s writing skills, rooting them in the appropriate style of documentation for his/her field. I also recommend keeping the thesaurus close at hand. The practicum will also serve to develop the academic components for the graduation portfolio, making that process a little easier.
The practicum process is not just a way to gain credit for the internship or senior project requirement. It is an internal, and sometimes cathartic, look at how life has truly been an education. It offers an opportunity for the student to recognize his/her own achievements, attainment, and worth. Commit to it, follow the course schedule, and let the process unfold.
Life Experience Documentation Samples
Practicum Sample 1 Practicum Sample 2
Conversion Portfolio Sample 1 Conversion Portfolio Sample 2
Conversion Portfolio Sample 3 Conversion Portfolio Sample 4
Sample Timeline and Outline
The next LED applications for the SU-10 term will be accepted from March 1 through
April 1, 2010 .
Revised January 06, 2010
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